“Don’t worry about it,” he said in a low voice when she blushed. “Half the Warborne argue over who gets to sit with their backs to the wall in the galley. Sparky still jumps at shadows, yet none of them consider me a threat. I’m over it.”
She caught the edge in his voice, the hint of bitter resignation. They might be from different species but males were males the galaxy over—competitive and often aggressive. She’d yet to meet one who didn’t view himself as the alpha male and hero of his own story, so for Eric to be thrown in among the highly combative and aggressive Warborne crew when he was… not must be very difficult for him. About the same as an unwanted female on a hive ship, a constant reminder to her mother that her time was shorter than she’d thought.
She nodded and then refused to move, indicating that he should precede her. At his curious look, she shrugged. “You’re male and larger than I am. If I fall, you’ll easily catch me.”
His head tilted back a little, something flaring in the backs of his eyes that made everything feminine in her body sit up and take notice. Then he nodded, sliding down the ladder with his hands and feet clamped to the outside. She arched her eyebrow at the showy move and then put her foot on the top rung of the ladder.
“Don’t look at my ass,” she warned as she climbed down.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, but the sudden roughness in his voice made her smile to herself.
Yeah, the human male wasn’t as unaffected by her as he made out.
* * *
Eric’s lab turned out to be a small cargo hold toward the back of the ship. It was small, cramped and—given its proximity to the engine bay—hot as baked sand. Especially now that they were underway.
“I do apologize for the heat,” Eric murmured, already heading across the room toward a bank of air-cooling units. “This was the only space available on board.”
“Oh, don’t worry on my account,” she said, her body relaxing as the blessed heat seeped through her skin and into her bones. “We’re colder blooded than most species, so this is fantastic.”
“Really?” He turned with that fascinated look in his eyes again. “I’ll leave them off then, if it makes you more comfortable.”
“Thank you.” She smiled as he walked toward her. The space was small and crowded, dark like a harem chamber, and a shiver wound its way around her spine.
“So… cold blooded?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of her. She resisted the urge to reach out and see if his skin was as soft as it looked. He had no scales at all, or any other natural armoring or weaponry, but even so, his skin didn’t look as soft as Nat’s was.
“Uh-huh.” She nodded.
“I know this is a bit cheeky, but… would you mind if I took a look at your DNA?” he asked, his voice low, almost intimate. With his proximity, the heat of his body beating at hers, she could almost imagine he was asking for something else.
“Errr… yes, of course,” she replied automatically, unable to deny him anything he asked. She shook her head, dispelling the little urge to step closer and press herself up against him. To nestle against his larger body, absorbing his strength and his body heat.
She tilted her head. “Look at it? How do you do that?”
He glanced to the counter next to them. All sorts of equipment was strewn about that she didn’t recognize, but it all looked like it should be inside a historical archive. “I’m going to have to draw some of your blood. I’m afraid my methods aren’t as advanced as yours probably are.”
“You’d be surprised. There’s not even a word for scientist in my language, and Krynassis don’t have anything you could describe as medical care.”
“Seriously?” he asked in surprise, moving to the counter. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of eye protectors, but not like any she’d ever seen. They were clear, and didn’t appear to be meant to shield for UV or other rays. He set up a small implement with a sharp point on one end. “What happens if any of you are injured?”
She gave a small shrug. “You get better or you die.”
With the sharp thing in a small bowl in front of them, he directed her to sit on a stool next to the counter. Reaching out, he moved her arm until it rested on the steel of the counter, the limb bent. She looked up at him, her breath catching as he ran a thumb over the inside of her elbow before lifting the little tool.
“There’s going to be a sharp scratch I’m afraid,” he said in a low voice and pressed it against her skin. She heard a click and her scales flared, snapping off the sharp end of the tool.
“What the fuck?” Lifting his hand, he looked at the snapped end. It had shattered against her armor.
“Amazing,” he breathed, reaching out to smooth his thumb over her skin again. Her scales had receded, leaving the skin smooth and pliable. “You can control it?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Mostly, yes. Some reactions, like that, are automatic.”
“Hmmm,” he frowned, looking at the little tool again. “That does present me with a problem. I’m not sure how to get your blood if your skin stops a needle.”
“I can stop it,” she said softly.
“Yeah?” He took the little tool apart, removing the broken needle and loading a new one. “That’s possible?”
“Yes.” She offered her arm again with a small motion. “I trust you. Try again.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Okay.”
Pressing the tool against her skin again, he triggered it. She hissed, pulling her lips back a little as the needle stabbed through her skin.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured, moving closer. His lips pursed as though he felt her pain.
“It stings a little, that’sss all.” She watched as blood bubbled in the little window on the side of the tool.
He blinked and then leaned in a little. “You have the tiniest little fork at the end of your tongue.”
“Yessss…”
“And you roll your S’s like a snake.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You have reptiloids on your planet? That’s unusual. Usually we are the apex predator on a world.”
He looked up at her quickly, and she found her gaze locked with his. “Err, no. We have snakes. They’re not bi-pedal or…err… intelligent.”
“Did you just liken me to an animal?”
“No! No, not at all!” he said quickly, removing the needle and smoothing a regen patch over the tiny wound before taking a step back.
His cheeks were red and he wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I… think they’re cute. Snakes. Eris never understood it,” he babbled. “I had a lichanura quadrigata when I was a kid. She was tiny, used to wrap around my wrist while I studied.”
“Eric?” She reached out to put her hand on his arm, stopping him in mid-movement. He looked at her hesitantly. “I was joking.”
She smiled and then flicked her tongue at him.
“That is…” He smiled back, his expression unguarded. “Yeah, really cute.”
He straightened up, clearing his throat. “So why did it work that time?”