Page 10 of Anna's Bounty
The mantis-aliens ship was nothing but open spaces and smooth metal in that monochrome gray color. Rovos’ ship, however, is an eclectic menagerie of hastily pieced together odds and ends. Like someone raided a junk yard to trick the place out.
Plating covers the walls with a mismatched variety of alloys and colors. Every few paces, bits of machinery litter the ground. I struggle to keep up with Rovos’ long strides through the dim, flickering lights, trying not to trip as he leads me further into the ship.
When we reach the end of the narrow corridor, we’re spit out into an open and brightly lit room. A bare counter wraps around half of the room, lined with cupboards above and cabinets below, done in a dark gray matte finish. In the center of the room is a table surrounded by bench seating.
Rovos ushers me into a seat and then pulls something that looks like an iPhone from his pocket. Holding it flat, he slides his thumb across the smooth screen, and a holographic image of the monkey appears and hovers above it.
“Sone, I need you and Treto to finish getting everyone settled on the Xar’ad’s ship and tell Igid to meet me on theShade.Now.”
“What has your tail in a knot?” The hologram monkey frowns at Rovos.
“I’ll explain later. Tell Igid to get over here.”
Before Sone can respond, Rovos shuts down the image and shoves his device back into a pocket.
“My apologies,” he mutters to me as he thrusts his fingers through his hair.
“It’s all right.” I rub the wrist he was using to pull me along behind him. “What’s going on?”
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Rovos asks me instead of answering my question.
I want to ask him again what is going on, but just then my stomach lets out a loud moan, because after weeks of nothing but nibbling on a brick, I’mstarving,and the prospect of food—any food—has my stomach clenching. “Yes, please.”
Rovos glances at me over his shoulder as he taps his finger against what I thought was the front of a cupboard until a display lights up with alien characters. “Anything that isn’t a brick sounds amazing.”
Irritation flickers across his face. Notatme butforme. Then he turns back to the screen. “If you don’t like this, I’ll get you something else.”
“I’m sure whatever you choose will be fine.” It certainly can’t be any worse than what I’ve been eating.
Rovos grunts, and I watch his muscular back flex and bunch as he works the strange machine. A few moments later, he sets a steaming bowl, a mug, and a plate with rolls in front of me. With an expectant expression, he slides into the seat across from me, watching me with his gold and green-flecked eyes as I take in the food.
The savory aroma wafting from the dishes has my mouth watering, and my stomach lets loose another raptor cry. I reach for the bowl first. It’s filled with noodles in a thick brown broth. Oh my god, and it smellsdivine. Rovos hands me a spork-like utensil, and I twirl a thick noodle around the short tines, gathering some of the broth with it.
When I take my first bite, it’s all I can do not to moan like a porn star as a symphony of flavor explodes across my tongue. I’m not sure what I expected from alien cuisine, but a tasty cross between noodle soup and stew is just what I needed.
Rovos reaches across the table and snags a roll from the plate between us. Breaking the buttery soft bread apart, he shows me a pocket of meat and vegetables that is hidden inside. I watch him pop one half into his mouth before I reach out and snatch one for myself. I pull the roll apart, like he did, and sink my teeth into the soft bread and salty filling. Deliciousness floods my mouth, and this time, I can’t contain the moan that escapes. My eyes slide closed as I slowly chew the bite, savoring every flavorful note and texture.
After I swallow, I open my eyes to find Rovos staring at me. When I lick my lips, his eyes drop to focus on my mouth, and his narrowed pupils flare. A rumbling growl fills the room, the sound settling low in my belly, and I squeeze my knees together as a searing heat ignites between my legs.
Before I have a chance to focus on what the hell my body is doing, the blue alien woman—Igid—strides into the room. She pauses when she sees us and then focuses on the plate of rolls.
“Crux,my favorite!” she exclaims as she snatches two rolls from the plate before leaning against a wall. Her intricately braided hair has fallen over one shoulder, and she bends a knee, propping her foot against the wall behind her as she eats.
Rovos tears his eyes away from my lips and turns an annoyed look toward Igid. In return, she arches a thin eyebrow, taking another bite of her roll. There is a silent exchange between them, until Rovos leans back from the table, popping the other half of his roll into his mouth. When he swallows the bite, he looks back at me, and his eyes fall to the untouched mug between us.
“Try thekahva,” he says. “It’ll give you a hit of energy.”
Pushing the empty bowl aside, I reach for the mug. It’s warm in my palms, the liquid inside a rich brown color. When I bring it to my nose, I get a light nutty scent. A small taste has my eyebrows rising, and I hum with appreciation before tipping the mug back and drinking the rest until it’s gone.
It has a dark flavor similar to coffee but without the bitterness. And the energy Rovos mentioned must be like a caffeine kick.
Against the wall, Igid finishes her roll, licking her fingers clean one by one before her gaze falls on me. Her eyes are dark, making it hard to be sure of the color. Not black, but maybe a mix of blue and brown? Her expression is thoughtful as she examines me.
“Care to explain why she’s here and not with the others?” she asks Rovos without looking away from me.
Bracing his elbows on the table, Rovos steeples his fingers. “She comes from a pre-space exploration planet.”
“So?” Igid folds her arms across her chest.
