She picked up the frame with a purple slate inserted in it. He took her arm and opened the door.
They headed down the corridor, with Lesh walking slightly behind them. The mahdi remained unchained. Wyck needed his hands free and Lesh ready to leap to their defence if needed.
Nadia hugged the frame with the slate to her. Her chest rose rapidly with shallow, uneven breaths.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he reiterated.
Even if it’s the last thing I do.
He could almost sense her fear. The soft, layered outfit made her look exceptionally vulnerable. He had the urge to grab her and hide her away from everyone.
Would she fit in the small room near the vasai farm where he had kept Lesh for years before Vrateus took over and Wyck thought it was safe for the one surviving mahdi to join the crew? But no one had known about Lesh’s existence back then, no one had searched for him. If Nadia went missing, every male out there would be tracking her, hunting her.
“She belongs to all of us.” Vrateus’s words came to mind.
Irritation at his captain rose in his chest. Vrateus had cleverly avoided sharing Svetlana with anyone. Nadia had been thrown to the crew in place of her. And she was scared.
As they approached the mess hall, some members of the Dark Anomaly crew came into view. They lingered by the entrance to the room, glancing down the corridor impatiently.
Nadia tensed at the sight of them. She slowed her steps and moved so close to him, he nearly tripped over her feet.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed someone reaching for her. He threw his elbow out, shoving them out of the way.
“Stand back,” he gritted the warning through his teeth, leading Nadia into the room.
It appeared that the entire population of the Dark Anomaly had gathered here, except for Vrateus and Svetlana. Even Malahki had shown up and now lingered casually at the back of the crowd. Curiosity must have brought the genderless damirian out tonight.
The tables in the room remained the way he had them arranged about an hour ago. Pushed close to each other, they formed a long line in the middle of the mess hall, just as Nadia had told him she needed them arranged.
“Where to?” he asked her.
Her face had paled, the green eyes open wide, as she stared at the half-naked males who filled the space.
The crowd was agitated, charged with anticipation and energy.
He slid his hand from her arm up to her shoulder, “Where do you want to start?”
“Oh.” She snapped from her fear-induced stupor and gestured at the line of tables. “Either end is fine.”
With shaking fingers, she fumbled to turn on the frame in her hands. The sound of an upbeat, sultry song filled the room.
“Could you hold this, please?” She handed him the frame, approaching the first table in the long line.
He placed the frame on a corner of the table. “Do you need help getting up?”
She nodded quickly.
His hands under her arms, he lifted her up onto the table. In his arms, she felt light like one of the feathers from the top layer of her clothing. In her multi-colored outfit, she truly reminded him of the rainbow-colored bird he’d once seen on a poster in one of the ships.
Now, she was positioned above the crew.
A few ognuts and most of the kreers were clinging to the walls, some of them hanging off the lighting cables dangling from the ceiling. However, most of the males sat in the haphazardly arranged chairs all over the room. The first crooked row of chairs was a few paces away from the line of tables—and from Nadia.
“Are you ready, boys?” Her upbeat voice startled him.
Forgetting all about the room and the expectant males, he snapped his gaze to Nadia.
Her fear was still there, he sensed it. Her fingers never stopped trembling. Her eyes remained open so wide, the entire room could drown in them.
Yet her back was straight, her head held high. She had a smile on her lips—a wide, inviting smile.
“What the fuck is she doing?” he muttered under his breath.
An excited roar rolled through the room. The rest of the crew appeared to be just as surprised as he was, though they seemed to recover quickly, shouting, clapping, and stomping their feet.
Nadia tilted her head playfully.
“Let’s start then.” She stomped her foot as the music picked up with the next beat.
Pinching the side of her skirt between two fingers, she