Corsairs - Straik (Corsair Brothers 3) - Page 54

The door to the main engine room is closed, and I slam into it, hammering a hand on the control panel. I can only imagine the chaos that Ruth is causing. I picture her small, delicate hands gleefully ripping out chips and wiring, a smile on her face—

The door slides open and I spill into the room at Ruth and Jerzec's feet.

"Oh my god," Ruth says, and then she's kneeling at my side, a worried look on her face. "Are you all right?"

I shove myself back upright, my hand going to straighten my uniform—which isn't there. I'm only wearing trou. Right. I move to rake through my hair…which also isn't there. Great. Now I just look like a twitching mess. "What's going on here?" I demand, scanning the equipment.

"I escorted Ruth to the mess, and I thought it might be a good idea to show her the locations on the ship, my lord. Since she will be with us for a while." Jerzec's expression is confused. "Is everything all right?"

I clear my throat, surreptitiously checking the equipment. All seems to be in place, no flickering red lights on any of the diagnostic panels. The look Ruth gives me is puzzled, and I realize I'm a keffing, alarmist fool. I overslept, and she was hungry and bored. Jerzec is just being polite.

I'm the one that's panicky. "Carry on."

Ruth gives me a slight smile and turns to Jerzec. "He's probably worried I'm here to sabotage everything."

He grins at her, his cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red, and for some reason, I feel jealous. He volunteered to show her the ship, probably so he could spend time with her. I…don't like it. Ruth kissed me. No one else gets to kiss her. "Actually," I say, far too loudly, "I wanted to see if you wished to have lunch with me."

"Oh, is it lunch time already?" Ruth looks surprised, but she moves to my side, slipping her hands into the crook of my arm, and that raging jealous beast inside me simmers down a little.

"I don't know if it is or not," I confess. It was just an idea I had to get her away from him. "But I'm going to eat lunch. You're welcome to join me…or I can leave you to your tour."

I add the last part so grudgingly I feel obvious.

Ruth squeezes my arm. "Food sounds awesome. I'll get the rest of the tour some other time, if that's all right, Jerzec?"

"Of course, Lady Ruth." He gives her a polite nod, his cheeks growing an even deeper hue of red.

"Just Ruth," she corrects him, and then looks at me expectantly.

Lady Ruth. Do I leave it? It implies that she's mine—the lady to my lord. If I let it continue, they'll assume we're together. If not, I suspect nearly all of the crew will make their interest in her known. I'll have every a'ani courting her before we reach Prefalon Station. Which is fine…if that's what Ruth wants.

I…guess.

But she looks at me, waiting, and I nod at Jerzec. It can stand. I tell myself I'm just giving her the protection of my name. That's all. It doesn't have to be anything else.

I turn to leave and she goes with me without a backwards glance, and I can't quite suppress the smug feeling that rises, and the foolish feeling that quickly follows. It's all a game. Ruth's doing her best to ingratiate herself because it's safer for her. She wants the crew on her side. She wants me on her side. That's why she kissed me. I know this, but it's also hard to care. Let her do what she needs to feel safe.

It is not as if my heart is involved, after all.

I lead her to the mess hall, and I am glad to see it is empty. It is a little early for the standard midday meal, but that suits me fine. I gesture for Ruth to pick a table, and she immediately heads over to the one with the view of the stars outside. "I just saw a ship go past," she tells me. "Is that normal?"

"We are on a busy star-lane," I say, trying to determine what to feed the human. She likes sweet things, I remember, and not the fungi-based foods. I order her up a few of the sweeter veg-cakes that are layered with syrups, along with a creamy soup. No noodles for her, but I make a bowl for myself. "Our safety lies in that others are around us, and we cannot be attacked without drawing attention."

"Right." Ruth gazes out at the stars, turning only to look at me when I bring the tray of food to the table. "It's just odd to see, I guess. I used to gaze out the windows on the Star, over and over again, and the rare times we saw a ship, it was bad news. But I guess not all ships are bad, right?"

Tags: Ruby Dixon Corsair Brothers Fantasy
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