His smile in reply was so wide it nearly split his face as he devoured the last of his rations. He then proceeded to eat half a ration that Azan and Terri each gave him. Seeing him in such good spirits, and obviously not bothered by the bite on his hand, eased her concerns.
She still hated that Egbor had put him in that situation and was likely going to do it again tomorrow.
Brushing the crumbs from her hands, Terri pulled out her ponytail to finger comb the unwashed length. Although the quarters provided for her on the pirate ship had a cleansing unit, she missed her own soaps and cleansers, not to mention the relaxation tub that could be summoned up from the floor and filled with hot water perfumed with whatever scent she had filled and programmed. The pirate ship didn’t have the little luxuries that Veral painstakingly provided for her, like basic cleansers, but the hard spray had at least got her clean. Marching through the bogs left her desperately in need of a bath and made her think fondly on even that basic unit.
She frowned as she thought of all the credits that they were losing on this trip. She was going to have to trim the luxuries down until they got another assignment.
Though she didn’t really understand how the tech worked, especially not the replicators, she understood that everything cost credits. Even Veral’s salvaging served a purpose. Sometimes he sold directly to individuals who were looking for parts, sometimes it was brought in to artisans who melted it down for their creations, and sometimes salvage was taken to processing establishments that broke the matter down into its basic elements that were loaded into one of a great many tubes that went into replicators. That pretty much ruined themagicof the whole thing for her, but it helped to understand how what they did was important.
The fancier and more expensive the replicator, the more it could potentially do, and the greater amount of raw material those units required, because apparently the units couldn’t fabricate stuff out of absolutely nothing.
Veral, because he was often in space for long periods, had an expensive one. Even then, however, he had far less of the pricey raw material tubes for creating mechanical pieces or fibers and more for creating food, which was something that they did need plenty of.
Something that they would run uncomfortably low on if they could not restock soon.
She froze at the thought, her stomach dipping as she imagined a long, miserable stretch of going hungry. Of having no credits for…well, anything. She held onto the hope that the meager amount of credits that the pirates transferred would still be waiting in their accounts.Please let it still be in our accounts!
15
The hand that settled on her shoulder woke Terri out of a deep sleep, her entire body jerking with surprise until another hand, warm and familiar, settled over her mouth. Her eyes searched the dark, and she relaxed as she met Veral’s glowing eyes. The cybernetics under his skin faintly illuminated the darkness, but his eyes were always visible unless he covered them. She smiled against his hand as she patted his arm.
Slowly, his hand slid away from her lips as he touched a finger to his mouth in a gesture for silence. She nodded and quietly pushed up to her feet. Her mate didn’t give her an opportunity to walk. Probably a good thing, since she had never mastered any form of stealth. Instead, she wrapped her arms and legs around Veral as he lifted her up and proceeded to carry her from Azan’s side.
A shiver of apprehension rolled through her as they moved further away from the group. Ever since they had been captured by pirates, they hadn’t even dared to be alone together.
Terri didn’t say anything nor make any sign of objection. She couldn’t summon the energy to care about anything more than the feel of him against her body and the soul of his heart beating beneath her ear as she rested her head against his chest.
She wasn’t unobservant, however. Despite the darkness obscuring her vision, she felt the brush of a doorway against her shoulders as they entered another room. She almost thought he would put her down then, but instead he strode further until he stopped. Sweeping her arm out, she felt the cold metal wall behind her.
“Veral?” she whispered uncertainly.
“Wait,” he replied softly.
The cybernetics in his hand were visible as he brought it up and set it against the wall. A light flared, and a soft sliding sound met her ears as a musty scent filled the air. He had opened… something. She nearly squeaked in surprise when Veral started walking again without warning—into the wall.
A room!
The wall whispered as it shut behind them. It was only then that Veral gently set her on her feet. He detached a disc from the shoulder of his armor and pressed the top of it. A soft blue light started up in its center, growing steadily brighter until the entire lamp glowed, lighting up the room.
Unlike the rest of the ship, this room had random personal items scattered throughout—literally. Shelves had fallen over, dumping their contents on the floor, and a utilitarian table lay on its side just in front of what looked like a cushioned platform for resting. Everything else was a litter of broken items spread on the floor.
“What is this?” she murmured.
“It is just off the medical bay. The logical conclusion would be that it was the doctor’s private office. Where, apparently, he also must have slept at times,” he added.
Terri slowly turned to face her mate, her eyebrows going up. “Slept, huh? Did you bring me in here for sleep, Veral?”
“Impossible,” he growled unhappily. “As much as I want you with me, it cannot be risked. I just needed some time.”
Terri ran her hands over his broad chest, concealed beneath his armor. She understood how he felt. It seemed as if time served their enemies, striving to keep them apart. A stolen moment or two to enjoy even the briefest of contact was worth it. Despite how much she tried to stay optimistic that they would get out of everything fine once the pirates got what they wanted, she wasn’t so naïve as to believe that there wasn’t an equally good chance that they wouldn’t be walking away from the remains of theEvandra.
If this was possibly her last opportunity to touch and share her love with her mate, then she wasn’t going to pass it up.
She knew that he felt the same. She heard it in his fervently whispered praises as he peeled her armor from her body. Every word reverent, making her aware of just how much he needed her and treasured her presence in his life. He wasn’t as skilled with words as a poet, but the honesty in what he spoke moved her heart.
“Perfection,” he hissed as he gazed upon her. “I would kill all of them for you and lay them vanquished at your feet that you would be adorned in the glory of the blood I shed in your honor. Never has a mate been more deserving of such honors.”
“Fuck, I love it when you promise to do horrific things to my enemies,” she whispered as she slid her hands over his taut pectorals.