22. Athena
Athena
Iwaited until I was sure that Lorken was busy bathing before I shimmied to the edge of the platform and stood.
The towel was barely looped around me, but I didn’t care.
I wasn’t going to wear a towel all day, and I didn’t have time to wait for clothes to be made.
Despite what Lorken said about finding a suitable planet, I wanted off the ship sooner rather than later, which meant there would be no time for commissioning a new wardrobe.
My clothes were still slightly damp, but they would be better than a towel.
I let the fabric drop to the floor, stepped into my still soggy underwear, and pulled on my green dress with the scooped neckline and ruffled hem.
It might not be the most practical garment, and it didn’t blend in with the Vandar battle kilts and boots uniform, but it would have to do.
I flipped my head over and ran my hands through my hair, which had air dried into unkempt waves. My fingers got tangled in the knots, but I did what I could to finger brush it. I was glad there were no mirrors in the warlord’s quarters. I did not want to see my face without a touch of makeup.
As I was folding the towel, the sound of feet thudding the floor made me turn. Big mistake.
Lorken strode from the bathroom completely naked and buffing his back with a towel as he walked.
He didn’t stop when he saw me, but why would he?
He’d known I was there when he’d walked out, and it hadn’t occurred to him to put the towel around his waist instead of behind his back.
I almost laughed. I’d thought that theatre people were lax with nudity, but the Vandar took it to entirely new level.
He tossed his towel on the furs as he continued around the sleeping platform and scooped his kilt from the floor. He hooked it around his waist and jammed his feet into leather boots. Then he turned and seemed to notice me standing by the table.
“No breakfast yet?” He made a gruff noise in his throat. “It should arrive soon, but I must get to the command deck.”
He walked past me and was almost at the door when I cleared my throat.
“What about me?”
He turned and cocked his head. “What about you? You will stay and eat. There is no need for you on my command deck.”
I almost rolled my eyes. “I’m not suggesting I go to work with you. I’m asking what I’m supposed to do all day while you’re there.”
From the expression that crossed his face, this was clearly the first he’d thought of it.
“I’m not a prisoner in here, right?” I asked before he could suggest something I would hate. “I can leave and visit my friends in their quarters, right?”
A frown teased his lips down, but he didn’t shake his head. “You are not a prisoner. If you wish to visit your friends, you may.”
I breathed a sigh, although a part of me didn’t want to be grateful for the simple fact of not being held captive. I didn’t thank him, but I did smile. “Good. That’s what I’ll do then.”
He hesitated, as if he wasn’t pleased with the turn of events or the direction of the conversation. “Vandar warbirds were not designed for humans. You should be careful when moving around the ship.”
I remembered all too well the series of death-trap suspended bridges and floating staircases that crisscrossed the gaping chasm of the ship. It had clearly been designed for enormous warriors who didn’t mind taking their lives in their hands daily.
“Don’t worry about me,” I assure him, even though I didn’t feel half as confident as I sounded. “I can take care of myself.”
He furrowed his brow, clearly unconvinced by this. “Do you know the way?”
That was one part of my plan I was sure about. I’d memorized the route between the quarters of my friends and the Raas’s quarters precisely so I could find them again. “I do. I paid attention when we were escorted to our quarters.”
He lingered at the door, but then it beeped and the metal swished open. The Vandar on the other side looked startled to see the Raas standing so close, but Lorken stepped back so the breakfast tray could be delivered.
“This is perfect timing,” I said, grinning at the confused Vandar as he made his way to the table and started setting out the dishes of food. “I’ll grab something to eat here and then pop down to see my friends while you’re working.”
Lorken’s expression hadn’t softened but he finally grunted, crossed to the table, and took a round of bread from a covered basket. “Only if you agree to an escort.”
I bristled at this. Was I free to do as I pleased or was I his prisoner? An argument was on the tip of my tongue when I slid my gaze to the Vandar who’d delivered the food and had tucked the empty tray under his arm. “Fine.” I walked over and looped my arm though his free one. “He can escort me.”
A muscle quivered in Lorken’s jaw as his brows knit together.
The Vandar in question stiffened, his eyes going wide as he looked between me and Raas Lorken. “Raas, I was not—”
“It is fine,” Lorken said, with a wave of the hand that told me he didn’t care. “Take her to her friends in their guest quarters.”
“You heard the warlord.” I slapped the Vandar’s arm playfully.
Lorken spun on his heel, his battle kilt slapping his legs and the low rumble of a growl following him out the door and echoing off the ship’s steel until it shut behind him.
That would teach him to treat me like his to command.