How else had she obtained his name?
There was no way she was going into the medical rooms on this ship unless she was dragged, kicking and screaming.
Feeling Hysterian’s gaze on her, Alexa stared at her screen, wishing she had something pertinent to do to keep her from storming up to Hysterian and asking him what his problem was.
Yeah, I went exploring… Alexa wanted to snap but thought better of it.
She planned on knowing every corner of this ship before long. But the other night was just a stroll. One where if she happened to be on the bridge, trying to hack into the captain’s panel, she couldn’t be blamed for it. Or any of the myriad concerns in her head.
Because she was just familiarizing herself with her new surroundings… Right?
Alexa wiped her palms on her pants.
Horace’s voice came down the hallway. She kept her head down. She didn’t want to know if Hysterian still watched her. Because although she hadn’t encountered him since the other night, he’d made sure to catch her gaze and keep it until she was forced to turn away. She knew who the alpha on the ship was… She didn’t need him to remind her.
“Ready, Captain,” Horace said. “How long do you think this’ll take? I just got a missive from Mia about Atrexia.”
Mia?
“Minutes if we’re lucky, hours if we’re not,” Hysterian answered him. “Let’s get this over with.”
They walked away, the opening of the ship’s back hatch and the quarantine chamber sounded soon after. When the hatch closed, and a vent of pressurized air filled her ears, Alexa knew they were gone.
She sagged.
“You okay?”
Alexa peeked her eyes open to find Raul staring at her from where he sat to her left.
She straightened. “Yes. Only taking a moment.”
“Riiight. Is there something up between you and the captain? Something you’re not telling me?”
“You’re implying I tell you anything,” she snapped. What had he seen? Was she being that obvious? “There’s nothing between me and the captain. I don’t like what you’re insinuating.”
He stood and shrugged. “Whatever you say. If you’re up to mischief, I’d recommend against it. If you make enemies with someone out in space, there really is nowhere to go to get away from them. Especially on a ship like this. It’s sizable until you try living on it, then it’s a fucking prison. Come join me and Pigeon for a drink at the port bar? Pigeon’s meeting me at the hatch in five.”
“There’s a bar here?”
Raul’s lips turned up into a smile. “Oh, Dear… There’s a bar on every space terminal. You’re so green it’s almost cute. Alcohol in space is top-notch, and the gravity shifts play with your head. Getting wasted every time you make a landing is tradition for people in our field.”
“Are we allowed to leave the ship during a job?”
“Sure, we’re not needed right now. He doesn’t give a damn what we do in our free time. The ship isn’t taking off until tomorrow morning—the reactor needs to cool down—so as long as we’re all here and doing our jobs, our time is our own. You really are new to this whole space traveling thing, aren’t you?”
One thing Alexa learned growing up, especially with the childhood she had and the world she lived in, there were far more things to worry about than being offended over the small stuff. A drink sounded great, but she couldn’t let her guard down.
Alexa leaned forward anyway, an idea forming in her head. “Is Daniels going?”
If the whole crew was leaving the ship, then she’d have free rein. For the first time since take off, a real opportunity presented itself to search for information. Real information. The kind that could either destroy Hysterian or give her a lead in how to kill him.
Raul pressed his hip to her desk and crossed his arms. “He might be going. Why?”
“No reason,” she said. “Curious, that’s all.”
“He’s not your type.”
Her lips flattened. “Really? How would you know?”
Raul laughed. He always laughed. It was annoying. “Dear, we’ve been working together, practically sleeping together for the past week. Daniels is harder, colder than you, and that’s saying something. You two together would be like glaciers colliding. There’ll be a lot of ice, a lot of sharp edges, a lot of noise, and a lot of pain. You need someone softer. Daniels is fucking miserable. I think I might hate him.”
What was it with the crew thinking she needed someone to hook up with? Not even in the academy had men asked after her. Was there something about space and companionship she wasn’t getting?
“Like you?” she muttered, suddenly finding her screen fascinating. It only took three days in space for Raul to make his move.
She’d told him off. Told him there’s no way she was going to bed with him. She couldn’t risk growing attached to anyone.
Companionship wasn’t in the cards for her.
Last time she loved and cared for someone, he was murdered.
Raul stretched, undisturbed. “I’m up to the task. I’m pretty soft when I want to be. Very soft, actually. Hard as hell too when the need arises.”
“Hey, you coming?” Pigeon called from outside the menagerie.
Alexa could’ve kissed him for his perfect timing. It was easier to ignore Raul’s advances than to actually interact with him. And sadly, she didn’t know if he even wanted to be with her. He could be teasing her for all she knew. She had no idea. Flirting and the interplay between a man and a woman was something she was sorely ignorant about. No one had ever wanted her.
“Trying to get Alexa to come with us!” Raul yelled back as Pigeon entered the lab.
Alexa stood as he approached.
Pigeon’s face wrinkled when he smiled. “If anyone needs to take a load off, it’s you. Join us. For one drink at least.”
“Not today.” She was already backing up to her cabin door. “I think I’m going to catch up on some sleep. Raul snores.”
“I don’t snore,” Raul grumped. “Maybe a little. They’re affectionate snores, the robust kind. My body’s natural way of attracting a mate.”
Pigeon laughed. “Next time then. Being cooped up on a ship isn’t good for anyone. You’ll look forward to these port visits once you’ve been in space for a few months.”
“Next time,” she agreed.
“Taking that as a promise,” Raul said as he followed Pigeon out.
When she heard the pressurized sound of the hatch go off, Alexa stood there on the precipice of her quarters for another minute to make sure she was alone, twirling her wristband.
She glanced around the space and the giant glass cages that were lined on either side of the menagerie, most embedded in the walls. Some were small, some huge, like the ones the locusts were using. Each had its own habitat, own computer system, all linked up to the main panel she and Raul sat at.
In the last week, she’d explored every inch of the space. The rooms off the sides created for plants, the empty cylinder capsules filled with chemicals to transport corpses, and the biodomes for microbes. The plant room also could grow food—like the leaves the locusts consumed.