Chapter 11
ZALIS
“It is time to cease looking inward and look out.” Arms behind his head, Lorran propped his feet on the table.
Zalis was unsure if the male disrespectfully mocked the warlord’s words or was quoting them for a far less treasonous reason.
Havik grumbled and knocked the male’s feet off the table. “Do not. My mate is eating. Show respect.”
“Apologies,” Lorran said to Thalia, who was busy consuming several cookies.
“These are amazing. Thank Gemma for me,” she said, crumbs falling from her mouth. She shrugged her shoulders, as if abashed, and swept the crumbs onto the floor. “And Lorran’s just being salty because his permanent vacation is over.”
“It was a good assignment.”
“Yet here we are without a spymaster,” Thalia said.
She excelled at analyzing the data the intelligence team brought back.
However, she was from Earth and lacked a deep knowledge of the quadrant.
They needed someone who had contacts on every planet.
Someone to lead the team. Thalia was, as she put it, a spy minion, not a spymaster.
The warlord had a spymaster in mind: Caldar. A clanless male well known for his meddling and a talent for slipping away from consequences. The problem was recruitment. The male needed proper motivation to join the clan. Lacking that, the warlord needed leverage.
That was Lorran’s assignment. Caldar had been pursuing Sonia, the friend of Lorran’s mate, for nearly a year. His behavior did not violate any treaty or law. Barely. Lorran was to find that evidence to use as leverage.
“He did not make contact?” Zalis asked.
“He never does,” Lorran said.
“Are you certain? Would the female inform you?”
Lorran gave Zalis a sour look. “Sonia would tell my mate.”
“Will we discuss our new assignment or will we have to sit through more photos of Lorran’s holiday?” Ren asked.
“That was art. My mate painted landscapes,” Lorran protested.
“Yes. We have a complicated mission.” Zalis captured the team’s attention long enough to highlight the various tasks they would need to accomplish and the supplies to requisition before reaching Val Mori.
“This is a very sophisticated printer,” Ren said. “Engineering will not want to share.”
Zalis debated the high-end printer. Engineering had several printers to manufacture components for the engine and ship maintenance.
While Zalis had made do with smaller models with limited functionality and only occasionally asked Engineering to supply parts, there were too many unknowns waiting for them on Val Mori.
“We are going into this project with limited knowledge. We cannot anticipate the components that we will require, and we will be separated from the Judgment, thus we cannot rely on Engineering to print and supply what we need,” Zalis said.
“Which means I will be the one to ask Engineering,” Lorran said. He bumped his wrist comm against Zalis’ tablet, transferring the relevant data.
With their assignments, the team broke apart.
Zalis lingered in the doorway. He should have retreated to his workspace, but a personal issue made him hesitate. “Thalia, I need to speak with you.”
“Sure. What’s up?” Thalia remained seated at the meeting table and waved him back into the room.
“Tell me how to make Gemma love me.”
Surprise flitted over her face. “Wow, you’re just going for it. Didn’t even bother to beat around the bush.”
“That idiom makes little sense and that is why I seek your help. There is a significant cultural difference between Gemma and myself.”
“Okay, that’s too much to unpack and have you stand in the door. Sit your butt down.”
He did as directed.
“First, you can’t make anyone love you,” Thalia said. “There’s no cheat code. That’s not how hearts work.”
Zalis wanted to disagree.
“There are cultural norms and expectations. If I fail to meet these, Gemma will reject me and return to Earth.” He hadn’t planned to admit the last part, but now that it had been spoken, he felt lighter.
“She does know you’re from different planets. I’m sure she’ll be understanding.”
“That is a risk I cannot take.”
“Just talk to her. Get to know her. Let her get to know you.”
“I found a list of questions for that purpose, but the list was… insufficient. They upset Gemma.”
“Oh my God, what kind of questions did you ask?” She waved a hand. “You know what, I don’t want to know. Just ask her about the things she likes. Books. Movies. Favorite food. Be basic about it. And don’t cheat by asking the internet for a crib sheet.”
Her advice was not far from his mother’s. “What type of movie should I enjoy? Please give me a list of appropriate movies.”
“I can’t tell you what movies you like—” Thalia rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “Fine, but only because you’re my friend.”
She spun in the chair to her workstation, tore a sheet of paper off a pad and scribbled a list. She hesitated before handing it to Zalis. “This is a list of my favorite romantic movies and it’s just for cultural context.”
“I understand.” He reached for the list.
She jerked her hand back. “They are not documentaries or a how-to guide. They’re stories.”
“I understand the concept of fiction.”
“And a lot of behavior in these movies would be criminal in real life.”
“I will temper my actions accordingly.”
Thalia gave him a stern look before handing over the list.
“My thanks. With this, I cannot fail.”
GEMMA
Someone was in the room.
They had a grip on her hair. She couldn’t move her head. She couldn’t run. She could barely breathe—
Gemma flailed on the bed. Her legs thrashed, desperate to flee but tangled in the sheets. Her hair was caught in her armpit, pinning her in place.
The lights snapped on.
Zalis stood in the doorway. “Your heartrate is elevated.”
Gemma sat up. Memories of being back in the cage, of being dragged into the cage, faded quickly. She rubbed behind her ear, the site throbbing from where she inadvertently pulled it.
Annoying hair. No one needed this much hair.
“Just a nightmare. No big deal,” she said.
“Incorrect. It is a very big deal if it prevents you from resting.”
“Bad news there, buddy. I haven’t slept well in days.” The lack of sleep and exhaustion clinging to her bones was the only reason she admitted that. She needed to sleep but didn’t think she could. Not now.
Zalis crouched down by the side of the bed. “I dislike that term. I am not your buddy. I am your mate.”
She liked the way he said that. She shouldn’t. It was objectifying and disregarded her own thoughts and opinions. Basically just the worst, the kind of thing she hated on Earth.
Thought she hated.
Perhaps it was the way he was right there at eye level, sharing the same breath as her with a sincere look of concern on his face, or the way the nightshirt had rucked up, exposing her bare thighs, but Gemma was pretty certain her heart rate just spiked again.
Hormones were doing all the driving right now.
Gemma tugged down the nightshirt. Hormones weren’t in charge. “I don’t think I can go back to sleep right now. I should drink something. Maybe water.”
“A cup of tea with honey is often a remedy for sleeplessness.”
“Sure. Sounds great.” She needed a distraction but a cup of hot tea would do.
As she lurched to her feet, Zalis said, “Stay.” Minutes later, he returned.
Steam curled over the mug. Gemma caught the scent of lemon and honey. She took a cautious sip. It was bitter. The honey helped take the edge off but it needed about twice the amount used.
“Thank you,” she said. “That chased away any lingering nightmares.”
Zalis waited patiently until she drained the mug and handed it back. “Sleep well.”
The lights flickered off. Gemma stretched out onto her side and watched him stand in the door, a dark figure illuminated against the light.
“Stay,” she said. “I sleep better when you’re here.”
He froze, as if unsure how to respond. “I can sleep on the floor.”
“The bed’s big enough for us both.” She didn’t know why she said it. She didn’t want sex, or even a snuggle.
Not true—she totally knew why. Being alone in the dark made her feel closer to the time she had been in the cage. This was the trauma rearing its ugly head, ready to make things messy.
His response was slow to arrive. “No.”
Disappointment washed over her. She rolled over, hugging the pillow as she put her back to the door. “Not a big deal. I don’t share blankets, so—”
The door closed, leaving her in darkness.
Yeah, well, it didn’t mean anything.
A few minutes later, the door opened again. Fabric rustled as Zalis situated himself on the floor.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You sleep better when I am near,” he replied, as if that explained everything.
Gemma smiled into her pillow.