Page 14 of Healing Creek
She looked up into Creek’s eyes, feeling buoyed by the idea. “Can we? I haven’t seen anything but the walls of my cabin for so long.” And she suspected Ghost would not be hiding among the former slaves. She’d be safe there for the night.
Creek’s features softened and he nodded.
As they headed into the corridor Samantha said, “We’ll assign everyone quarters tomorrow.”
***
Creek couldn’t deny that his pain had been greatly lessened by the medic’s care. He moved easier, too. Grace slipped her hand into his as they walked, and he allowed it. She’d been touching him nearly nonstop since she discovered his injury. Her touch was soothing, not sensual, but that made it all the more tempting. Soothing and supporting one another was something mates did. That was a road his mind should not be venturing down. He was no fit mate for any woman. He was more accustomed with killing than protecting. No longer as strong as he’d been, he had little to offer, and he had no pack to help protect a female.
“Have you seen the stars from space,” she asked.
“No, but this is the fourth spaceship I have traveled in.” He didn’t want her to think of him as completely without experience of her world. “You must have traveled on many vessels.”
“Quite a few, but the stars never get old. In space or from the surface of a planet, there is just something magical about them.”
Creek could hear voices and laughter in the distance, Dreat and human. He allowed himself a quick glance down at Grace. Her wide blue eyes were focused down the corridor, leaving him with a view of the top of her very blonde head. Everything about her was delicate and fragile in appearance, from the narrow width of her shoulders to her sleek curves, to the delicate bones on display in her wrist as she squeezed his hand. These past couple of years, his preference had been for hearty women who needed nothing from him but temporary pleasure. But he couldn’t deny her appeal.
The hallway curved then widened into a large open space beneath a viewport. He took a quick moment to register the people in the room, familiar and safe, then let himself be caught in the wonder of the stars outside. The ship wasn’t moving, so the view outside was still, quiet, and cold, but Grace was right to call it magical. Without the atmosphere of a planet between him and those points of light they were vivid and beautiful.
As Grace’s hand slipped free of his, he returned his focus to the room around him. Mattresses had been dragged into the wide space and men and women sat or lay on them alone or in small groups. Grace bent down to speak to a human female. One he recognized from the slave hold.
The woman pointed to a small cart pushed against the wall. Grace wove her way through the people to pluck two small boxes from a stack of similar containers. She made her way closer to the viewport and an empty mattress then gestured him over.
“Can you sit?”
He nodded. “What’s this?” He indicated the boxes in her hand.
“Rations. You need fuel to heal.”
He took one of the boxes and dropped to the floor, ignoring the pain in his knees. “Thank you, Grace.”
She sat with him and opened her box. She pulled out a protein-rich meal bar and peeled back the wrapper. “Do you need help with yours?”
“No. I can do it.” She’d caught him staring at her like a fool, but she didn’t say anything more. Her gaze drifted around the room, pausing to take in a Dreat couple cuddling as they looked out the viewport, a human male laughing with a companion. Her expression was peaceful, curious, but not intrusive.
“Tonight, they’re free,” he said.
Her gaze came back to him. “I’m guessing you were a big part of that.”
He shrugged and opened his box of rations. Inside he found an adequate meal of protein and vegetable bars with a container of water. “It was Mercury’s pack…and Jupiter’s woman who freed us all.”
“Samantha…she’s…?”
“Mercury’s mate. And perhaps Diablo’s.” He shrugged. “I’m not certain of that.”
“Is that common? Having two mates, I mean.” Her cheeks turned bright pink and her face scrunched up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get so personal. My family has business all over the sector and I’ve traveled with them often. I’ve encountered many cultures and I just—”
“It’s more common for one male and one female to be mated.” Creek had to stop her embarrassed flow of words. It wasn’t as if she were asking abouthismating preferences. “Among the gladiator packs, other males within a pack will often form a secondary bond with the mated female. To offer security and protection should the mated male die in the arena. That might also be the case with Diablo. But I suspect Jupiter, Feeona, and another male, Seneca, are all mated. There is also another mated pair within their pack. So many with mates in one pack is very rare. But I suppose, with freedom, anything is possible.”
The pink faded from her cheeks now and she’d started eating again. Between bites she said, “What will you do now?”
“I’ll travel with Mercury’s pack for a time. I owe them a great debt.”
“We all do.” Grace stared at the stars as if important truths drifted among them. “Samantha said tomorrow they’d be assigning quarters.”
“Mercury’s pack is keeping the ship.”
A soft smile lit her face. “That’s amazing! But…it’s a big ship. How will you manage?”
