Page 24 of Their Shared Mate
He looked at her, his rugged features deeply shadowed by the moonlight. “What about Heather? I thought you and she were good friends.”
“We are. I’ve just known Tara longer.” For half a second, Claire considered telling Victor about Heather’s dilemma. Victor was compassionate and protective. Still, she had no doubt his compassion would end the second he heard that Heather had participated in the experiments. And Raphael’s reaction would have been even worse. If he learned about Heather’s involvement, he’d probably deliver her to her adversary naked and in restraints.
Determined to shift the conversation away from Heather, Claire quickly changed the subject. “I know Raphael and his brother lead the village, but what’s your role in the community?” He glanced at her and his features tensed, but she wasn’t sure why the question upset him.
“I’m a chemist. The botanists bring me interesting plants, and I see if we can make anything useful out of them.”
His answer surprised her. There was something decidedly militant in his bearing. She’d thought he was some sort of soldier. “Were you ever in the military?”
“Most of us were. Why? Are you disappointed?”
She laughed. “Not at all. My areas of study are genetics and biology, but we science nerds need to stick together.”
He flashed a triumphant grin. “You’re surrounded by your kind of people. Everyone up here used to work for Echo, Inc.”
“Are you talking about the company that made all those knock-off drugs?” She had been fascinated by the ambitious startup. No one had the balls to take on big pharma until Echo, Inc. stepped into the spotlight. “They were amazing.”
“Raphael will be glad to hear it. The company was founded by him and Gabriel.”
Echo, Inc. had been founded by Robert and David Torloni, which meant Raphael wasn’t his real name. Then something else Victor said came back to her. “How did so many employees from one company end up imprisoned by Nuevo Biotech?”
They’d reached the cabin, but Victor hesitated on the front porch. “They tricked us, pretended to buy out the company and bring the entire staff onboard.”
Compassion made her want to touch him, but his expression was closed off and emotionless. The situation he described was despicable. Nuevo set out to trap several hundred people with premeditated malice. They knew damn well that every Echo, Inc. employee would be tortured and mutated, and they did it anyway. “You arrived at their off-world complex thinking you were starting an exciting new job. Instead, you spent most of the next decade in hell.”
“That about sums it up.” He opened the door and motioned her inside.
The rich scent of roasting meat, fresh herbs and vegetables made Claire groan. “If it tastes half as good as it smells, I’ll be a happy camper.”
Raphael glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Have a seat. It’s almost ready.”
Victor hung Claire’s coat on the stand near the door then escorted her to the kitchen table, which had already been set for the meal. He politely seated her then asked, “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“I’m not much of a drinker,” she admitted, hoping her reticence didn’t seem rude.
“Iollais really mild, but I can brew some tea if you’d rather.”
“I’ll try the wine as long as you won’t be insulted if I don’t like it.”
He picked up a glass and poured a small amount of dark red liquid into it. “What do you think?”
She took a tentative sip and then another. The wine was sweet without being cloying, and a hint of something spicy lingered on Claire’s tongue. “It tastes like spiced blackberries, sort of.”
He smiled. “The berries are also callediollaand they’re used in a variety of ways.”
“It’s nice,” she decided and held up the glass. He filled it then two more before he joined her at the table.
Raphael carried a sizzling pan to the table a few minutes later. Oblong cutlets of some sort of meat were surrounded by a vibrant purple sauce. “Don’t let the color throw you. I useiollaberries in the sauce and you’ve already determined that you like them.”
“I’m sure it’s delicious. I’ve hadeffoselbefore.” She pointed to the potato-like root vegetable that grew wild everywhere.
“That’s kind of unavoidable,” Victor grumbled. “They don’t have a lot of nutrition, but they’ll fill an empty stomach.”
“What are those?” She motioned toward the blueish-green leafy vegetable that Raphael had used to make a raw salad.
“Gerex,” Raphael provided. “They are more texture than taste, so I try to put a lot of flavor in the dressing.”
“Have you always liked to cook?”
