Mama and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #1) - Honey Phillips Page 0,22

would help to establish the validity of our theory—”

Before he could finish, there was a loud disruption from the corridor and Abby went on alert as she recognized TeShawna’s voice. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Chapter Eleven

Abby rushed out of the lab, not entirely surprised that both Mekoi and Hrebec followed immediately. Through the large crowd of aliens gathered in the small area, she could just make out TeShawna standing at the foot of the stairs, her hands on her hips.

Beside her, Mekoi growled, the sound harsh enough to make her pull away, backing right into Hrebec. His arms and his tail both wrapped around her for a moment before he let out a roar of his own, the sound loud enough to startle Tiana awake. Instead of crying, the baby’s eyes fastened on Hrebec and she gave her wide toothless grin.

“Attention!” Hrebec snapped as the men turned cowed faces in his direction.

The crowd in the corridor separated immediately and fell into place along the walls. Now that they were lined up, she could see that there were less of them than she had originally thought. Mekoi immediately started to head for TeShawna, but he took one look at Hrebec and stepped back.

“Stay with the Vedeckian,” Hrebec ordered the guard, gesturing for Abby to go ahead of him.

TeShawna waited at the far end of the corridor, her hands still on her hips. A flustered guard stood next to her.

“What’s the matter, TeShawna?” Abby asked.

“They’re keeping us fucking prisoner,” the girl snapped. “I was just trying to go to the med lab to get some more of those bandage things.” She snuck a look at Mekoi, and Abby suspected that procuring diapers hadn’t been her only motivation. “And there was a whole damn crowd of them out here, peering at me like I’m some kind of damn exhibit! This jerk wouldn’t let me go any further.”

“Captain, I just wanted the female to wait while I cleared the corridor,” the guard said anxiously.

“What are they all doing here?” Abby demanded.

Hrebec sighed and rubbed his eyes, looking tired all of a sudden. A pang of guilt shot through her as she remembered that he’d had a late and interrupted night, even before they had taken his bed. Not that he had seemed to mind sharing it. She’d actually been a little disappointed when she woke up alone… but that wasn’t something she wanted to think about right now, and she forced her attention back to the present situation.

Hrebec leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Most of them have rarely seen a female, let alone a child. They are curious but they mean no harm.”

“Never seen? Oh.” As she looked at the crewmen lining the walls, she realized that despite their size, they tended to have the same smooth complexions and unmarked skin as the young ensign. She sighed. “I think I understand, but the girls aren’t a show for them to watch. They need to stay away. And the girls should be free to leave their cabins.”

“Damn right we should,” TeShawna added, but Abby could tell that she’d lost some of her fire with Hrebec’s words.

Hrebec turned to the crew. “Since all of you have so much time on your hands, report to the training room. I expect you to have performed ten circuits before I join you. We’ll see how much energy you have left when you face me.” He bared his teeth. The crewmen paled noticeably, turning various sickly shades of green. “Dismissed.”

The young warriors took off at a run. Hrebec sighed and turned back to Abby.

“I will take care of it,” he said. “But if the females are free to roam the ship, they will encounter the crew. Perhaps it would be best if we introduced them?”

“Maybe,” she said tentatively. It did make a certain amount of sense. “How many are on the ship?”

“Twenty-four.” Sorrow flashed across his face. “We didn’t have many to choose from.”

“Perhaps a communal meal would be nice? That would give everyone a chance to meet.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s not a bad idea. Perhaps half at the mid-shift meal and half this evening? The crew members who were here just now can wait until then.”

She grinned at him. “You’re an evil man.”

He returned the smile, and for just a second, she could feel an almost palpable warmth flowing between them. Flustered, she dragged her eyes away and turned to TeShawna. The girl was frowning at Mekoi, who was very determinedly