Chapter 4
FOUR
Jessa actually thought he might come to her room. She loitered in the sitting room, half expecting to hear the door chime at any moment.
There had been so much mutual heat simmering between them, she couldn’t imagine a male turning down guaranteed sex. But time ticked by and Virak did not appear at her door.
It became clear that sex was not guaranteed with this guy. Nothing was.
She bathed in her ridiculously huge bathroom—after figuring out how to operate the tub, which was more like a small pool—and went to bed.
Whatever the mattress was made of, it cupped her body like a pair of warm hands.
The material felt like a firm gel when she pressed on it and changed temperature as she settled in.
Jessa fell asleep almost instantly and woke up to soft light through the thick, glass skylight.
She got up, having never slept so well in her life.
Her room was quiet, unlike the noise and smell and lights of her tiny studio apartment in the city where she had worked two—sometimes, three—jobs to stay afloat.
She’d found a few simple nightgowns in her closet the previous night, as well as a soft robe. She pulled it over her nightclothes and sighed at the feel of it. Despite rebuffing luxury to Virak, the robe was pure decadence against her skin.
Her next mission was to find and use the food dispensary in the sitting room.
On the way, she was distracted by two large trays on the table.
A thin, clear tablet stood perfectly upright between the trays.
Nothing appeared to be bracing it there.
No holder or frame, but some technology not yet available to humans.
She lifted the tablet, which released from the table with a slight hiss. Words appeared on it in English.
Jessa, I hope this finds you well rested.
The white tray holds your breakfast. The brown tray is the gruti’s.
Included are instructions for his feeding.
As my guest, you are not obliged to care for the gruti.
Let Paeri know if you would prefer only to enjoy his company and leave his maintenance to an attendant.
—V
Virak. Jessa read the message twice. Then three times.
Why did it feel as though his words so often held double meanings?
It was as though he was trying to tell her something without actually telling her.
She read on to the instructions for feeding the gruti.
They were simple. The food consisted of dried meats and unfamiliar fruits strung on long, thin grasses, like necklaces. She was to loop it on the branches.
There was more, however, which appeared added on because the font was different, mentioning an option to dangle the food by its grass hanger. If the birdlike creature was so inclined, it would come down and eat from your hand.
With a jiggle of excitement, Jessa grabbed up the brown tray and took it into the solarium.
The gruti was busy where he moved around, high in the thickest tree.
The pile of grasses she had stacked neatly was askew.
The gruti had begun weaving a new nest. It looked the same as the one she’d seen yesterday—intricately woven in the shape of a large bowl.
The creature turned a keen black eye to her when he spied the tray containing his meal.
“Hello up there,” said Jessa, holding up a string of his food. “Are you hungry?”
The gruti hopped down, branch to branch, despite having what appeared to be very capable wings.
He flapped once to leap over the stream, then settled on the rock beside her.
Jessa held out a piece of fruit strung like a necklace.
The gruti snapped the whole thing right from her fingers.
He gulped the fruit down and took the grass it had been strung on up into the trees.
“That’s what you’re building your nest out of,” murmured Jessa as she held out another piece.
She felt so bad for him, working so hard on that nest with the grasses he plucked from his food.
She fed the gruti a few more pieces, then hung the rest in the trees, as instructed, so the creature could eat at his leisure.
Jessa returned to the sitting room and was about to start her own breakfast when the door chimed.
Jessa opened it to find Paeri standing there.
“Good morning, Jessa. King Virak inquires when you may be ready to accompany him on a tour of the city.”
“Oh.” She glanced back at her untouched tray and pressed a hand to her hungry belly. “How about a half hour? Wait, how does time work here?” She hadn’t seen a clock. “Your hours are different from mine, I’m sure.”
Paeri nodded. “No need to worry. We can easily adjust for the translation. I will inform King Virak.”
Jessa plucked a few things from her tray on her way to the closet.
This time, there were no lights on any of the clothing so she assumed she could wear whatever she wanted.
Eating as she dressed, she chose a simple, loose-fitting bodysuit in black.
The garment had a cinched waist and a V-neck low enough to show cleavage, but not so low that she’d have to worry about falling out of it.
Her necklace with the inky stone looked perfect with the outfit, and she had to admit, with her own personal style.
She pulled on black knee-high boots. Dark colors had always been her favorites. They complemented her own coloring and were ideal for bartending. She felt more like herself in pants and boots.
She was still chewing on a round green thing—she had no idea what it was, but it tasted like roasted chestnuts and bacon and was so good—when the door chimed again.
“Come in, Paeri,” she called out, but her voice must not have carried through because she had to get up and answer it.
She stuck another green thing in her mouth and pulled open the door.
“Paeri, you can just—” She cut off to see Virak there.
God, he looked good. He wore those tight leather pants that made his ass look divine, even with a tail, and thick silver straps of linked metal, which crossed over his chest in an X shape.
This was a lot less clothing than she was used to seeing him in.
His tall, lean body was all tight, rippling muscle.
He moved with the grace of a tiger. “Hi,” she said around the mouthful of food she wished she hadn’t shoved in there.
One corner of his mouth curved upwards. His gaze slid over her, lingering on the stone resting between her breasts. Or maybe, just her breasts. “Hello, Jessa.”
She held up a finger and hastily chewed and swallowed. “Sorry. I was expecting Paeri to get me, not you, personally.”
“I did not mean to surprise you. I merely wished to see how you were settling in and check on how the gruti is faring.”
“Oh. Sure.” She gestured for him to enter. Thankfully, she hadn’t been here long enough to make a mess yet. “Come in.”
He entered, filling the space with his potent presence. His nostrils flared, and he appeared to take in a deep breath. “It smells like you in here.”
Jessa held a breath. “Uh, oh. What do I smell like?” It couldn’t be that bad. She had taken a bath.
His eyes went heavy lidded as his gaze slid over her. “Everything.”
“Hmm. Thank you, I think.” His answer was weird, but weirdly sexy.
She was going to have to get used to Virak’s enigmatic responses if she stayed much longer.
“The gruti is probably done eating.” She led him to the solarium, which was silly because this was his palace.
The gruti had indeed finished his meal and was working hard on his nest. They gazed up at him as he busily wove the fronds.
“He needs a name,” said Jessa. “Something manly, but pretty.”
Virak raised a brow. “Such as?”
“I don’t know.” She tapped her chin, acutely distracted by the male beside her. His bare arm was right at her eye level. He had a lot of muscles. “Maybe…Henry.”
“Strange name.” He tilted his head at the gruti. “Is it manly and pretty on your planet?”
“I guess it would depend on the Henry.” Jessa smiled up at him, amused by the bafflement in his voice. “But I think he kind of looks like a Henry, don’t you?”
He shook his head, clearly baffled. “Henry shall be his name.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I thought you would laugh at the very idea of naming him.”
He turned those pale, serious eyes to hers. “I don’t laugh at anyone’s choices.”
She scrunched up her face. “What do you laugh at?”
“I…nothing.” He shrugged. “Little is amusing in my work.”
“Oh, come on,” she said. “Everybody laughs. What do you do when something is funny? Or is that a Virilian thing? You guys don’t express emotions?”
“Virilians express themselves in many ways, including laughter,” he said. “For me, if something is funny, it’s funny. There is no need to react to it.”
“What about crying?”
He sighed. “The citizens do not want to see a weeping king.”
“Are you ever sad?” she asked on impulse, but she could not drag her gaze off his face. She already knew the answer.
“Yes,” he replied simply, then pointed up to Henry. “He is building another nest, I see.”
“He tore one apart yesterday when I arrived,” she said, going with the flow of conversation. Jessa was not one who enjoyed being pushed, so she wouldn’t do it to Virak. She sensed he had revealed more to her than he had intended. “Why does he do that?”
“He builds a nest for a female, but there is no female here. When one does not come to accept his courtship, he destroys it. Then he builds it again in hopes one will come.”
“That is so sad,” she said. “Can a female be found for him?”
“Why?” he asked, brow furrowed. “Do you believe every living thing needs a mate to be fulfilled?”
“No,” she replied immediately, but she couldn’t help the lump in her throat when she looked at the gruti, hopefully weaving his nest. “But, I think Henry does. If he were fulfilled, he would not be constantly building and destroying. It’s sad to see. He’s obviously unhappy without a mate.”
“What if some don’t deserve a mate?” Virak wasn’t talking about the gruti anymore.
She chose her reply carefully, knowing that she wasn’t sure of the answer herself. “I think everyone deserves happiness and satisfaction in life, but the definition of those things is different for everyone. A mate can’t bring those things if they’re not inside you already.”
That came out way deeper and more profound-sounding than she thought it would. There was a long pause, and then he said, “I suppose I can try to find a mate for him.”