The boring color of my clothing was better than being naked, but the basic brown and black pattern left something to be desired. I liked to wear bright red and blue and purple. I liked a flash of color. “Does everyone wear clothes like this?”
Dare tilted his head as if confused by the question. “Of course. Why would they not?”
I shrugged, not wanting to offend him, or his people. “Even the women? And the kids?”
He crossed his arms over his massive chest and frowned at me. “Yes. Does your clothing make you unhappy, Hannah? The uniform is designed to protect your body from extremes in temperature as well as protect you from wounds during an attack. The material is impenetrable, just like the armor of my uniform. Is this not how women dress on your world?”
I tugged at the end of my black sleeve where it settled against my wrist and tried to smile. Black. Every day. Forever.
Ugh.
“No, but I will adapt.” My stomach chose that moment to grumble and I realized I was starving.
He stood staring at me as if I were an alien, which I realized more and more each moment, I was. At least to him.
“Come with me, mate. You need to eat, and I imagine you’d enjoy a tour of the ship? I have a few hours before I have to report for duty.”
I worried my lower lip with my teeth. “You have to go out on a mission?”
“Yes.”
“But why? I thought the ship was moving, heading back to the front lines.”
“We are, Hannah. But my team flies scouting missions to make sure the fleet doesn’t run into any surprises.”
“Is it dangerous?”
His grin turned wolfish and utterly predatory. “I’m dangerous. And not just to my enemies, I hope.” He leaned over and kissed the side of my neck, sending shivers racing over every inch of my skin. My collar heated and made my clit pulse.
No, not just to his enemies. Zane overwhelmed me, worried me, but Dare snuck under my defenses like a thief.
“I am hungry, and I would love to see the ship.” Time to explore my new world, and find that damn transporter room. The way I felt about Zane and Dare already, I knew I needed to get off this ship as quickly as possible, before it was too late, before I fell head-over-heels in love with them. Zane wasn’t happy with me. I’d felt that much. Leaving now was the best option. The question was, would I leave space with a training plug filling my ass?
Chapter Eight
Hannah
The dining hall was crowded when Dare and I entered. The space was small, designed to hold no more than a hundred people. About a dozen preschool aged children chased each other around the tables as their mothers sat, sipping steaming liquid from mugs. Scattered here and there at one of the long dining tables were small groups of warriors, most of them without collars. They smiled and allowed the young ones to climb on their laps and talk. Two mated males sat with their women—I could see now that they had matching colored collars—at one of the tables. One couple I noticed right away. My jaw dropped open and my heart raced with excitement. Dare tried to tug me toward a small, wall-mounted S-Gen unit, but I resisted his pull.
“She’s human.”
Dare looked over to where I was staring—I couldn’t help myself—and he nodded. “Yes. That is Lady Hendry. The warrior seated across from her is her primary mate, Captain Hendry. He must be here to meet with the commander before we reach the front.”
Dare tugged on my elbow again, and this time I followed him to the S-Gen unit in the wall. It was about the size of a microwave oven back home, and had the same black base and odd green gridlines as the one in Zane’s quarters. My stomach growled again. I was starving.
“Place your finger over the activator like this.” Dare pressed his thumb to a small indentation in the wall next to the machine. “And then just tell the ship what you want to eat.” He ordered something I’d never heard of before, removed his thumb, and waited patiently as the inside of the box turned a bright green. When the light faded, a steaming plate of food waited for him, complete with a double-pronged fork and a knife. He removed his plate and turned to me. “Your turn.”
“I don’t know what to ask for.” I truly didn’t. I had no idea what any of their food looked or tasted like. All I really wanted was some of my mom’s homemade lasagna and French bread.
He grinned. “The commander ordered a full menu from the processing centers on Earth when he found out you were coming. The ship is programmed with over two thousand menu items from your world. He wanted you to be happy here.” This last he spoke with quiet sincerity, as if I’d doubt that Zane did it just for me.
I glanced at the other human woman and her mate. She had two adorable children with her. The older child, a sweet-looking little girl, looked like she was about four. Her younger brother was barely toddling around. Dare was watching me as I tried to make sense of the situation.
“Lady Hendry eats Earth food as well. But before you came to us, the menu from your home world consisted of a hundred items, and only from her country. Brides all over the Prillon system are celebrating your arrival. Deston is the highest ranking military officer still on active duty. No one else, except the Prime or Prince Nial, could have ordered the programming required to create this menu for you.”
I tore my gaze from the happy couple and stared at the S-Gen. Here goes nothing. I placed my thumb on the activator switch. “Lasagna and French bread.”
A kind female voice answered me, the voice of the ship’s computer system, and I jumped in surprise. “Would you care for something to drink, Lady Deston? I sense that you are suffering from mild dehydration.”