Corsairs - Straik (Corsair Brothers 3) - Page 16

He looks as if he's about to lose his temper again, but someone knocks at the door. Instead of him snarling at me, he smiles, flashing a pair of fangs. The look on his face turns distinctly pleased, and he saunters to the door, all cocky arrogance and swishing tail. As I watch, he opens the door and gestures at the alien waiting there. "Bring it all inside."

A wave of delicious scents bombards me. I stare, mouth watering, as one of the a'ani rolls a heavily laden cart into the room. It's covered with containers of food, steaming bowls full of noodles, freshly cooked vegetables, a bowl of cut fruit, and something that looks like strips of pale meat. It all looks amazing, and when a second cart rolls in of desserts and what look like hot drinks, I have to bite back a whimper. I'm so cold, and I didn't realize just how hungry I was until now.

"I'm told that your people are fond of cakes," Straik says, waving a hand at the a'ani so they'll leave the carts. They do so, glancing at me, naked and sprawled in the bed of the ice-cold room. He pulls out a plate of something that looks utterly decadent and sweet, and pokes at it with one of their eating sticks. "Are you hungry, little one?"

I'm going to murder him. Just straight-out murder. His plan is becoming very, very clear. He's going to freeze me until I demand clothes. He's going to eat in front of me until I demand food. I'm surprised it's not rape, but I'm definitely relieved.

As I watch, drooling, he takes a bite of cake and then picks up a carafe of something, pouring a hot, steaming cup. It…smells like coffee. Oh god, it smells like coffee. A memory drifts through my head, of tall tables in a bistro and someone handing me a paper cup that smells like heaven. Of how happy it made me.

I stare at that cup as he lifts it to his lips, and I've never wanted anything more than I want that coffee.

But I'm not going to break. I'm not.

13

STRAIK

I've never liked the taste of night tea. To me it's bitter, unpleasant, and reminds me of my mother, who drinks it as if she needs it to survive. Her love for it has always made me avoid it, as any rebellious son would. When the human female—Ruth—watches me lift the cup to my lips, though, I rethink my hatred of it.

It's clear she wants this drink. Badly.

So I sip it as if it brings me intense pleasure. I take a bite of food, remembering how the females asked about cake in that first meeting between us. And I kick my feet up and watch her squirm. Her stubborn expression remains, but I know I can break her. I just have to be patient. I smile pleasantly. "I've been hearing things on this ship for days now. I thought perhaps we were having engine troubles. Imagine my surprise to find that you've been hiding here all along."

"Surprise, surprise," she says sarcastically, but her gaze never leaves my cup or my cake. It darts back and forth between them, as if nothing else exists.

"I'm glad it's you. I'd hate to be stranded out here in V'tarrian space. They're not exactly friendly."

Her gaze finally snaps back to me. "But you thought it was fine to leave my friends there? Abandon them on a ship that's heading for an ice field? That's what you said, right? That we couldn't stay there because it would pull us in? And then you turned around and left. So you'll forgive me if I don't really care about anything you say."

I stab at the cake. It's enough to be accused by my own men, but her tone gets under my skin. Grates on my nerves. "You don't understand."

"Fucking right I don't!" She tugs at the cuff on her hand again. "I don't care if you don't like them, but you don't abandon people! You don't leave them to die!" Her mouth trembles and for a moment she looks ready to cry. "That's my family you abandoned. My friends. Those are the only people I have left."

There's a look of pure devastation on her face that makes me flinch. "I'm going back," I mutter. "It's not as if—"

"When? When are you going back?"

I toss the cake aside and sit up. "Soon."

"That's not an answer!"

"It's the only one I have for you," I snap. "Things have to be…established first." I have to get answers. I have to figure out what the kef I'm going to do. I have to confront my family. Talk to va'Rin. Think of a way to hide the fact that I've suddenly got a hundred and thirty-odd slaves that I need to somehow safely get out of my hands without my name being tied to them. And it's getting harder by the day, because apparently now I have a naked, angry human in my quarters and my crew is planning mutiny.

Tags: Ruby Dixon Corsair Brothers Fantasy
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