put away the remaining items except the one I plan to consume and then make my way to the nearest table. The female sits across from me and immediately tears through the packaging to reveal the ready-made meal inside.
I frown at her eagerness, and an unpleasant sensation churns in my gut. “When did you last eat?”
She freezes in the act of bringing a morsel of food to her mouth and then sets it down. Her brows draw together in contemplation, and my stomach clenches. It shouldn’t take her this long to answer.
“It’s been a couple days, I think.” Then she shrugs. “I’ve been without for longer than that.”
I grip the premade meal so forcefully that there’s a loud pop as the air escapes the sealed package. The female’s entire body tenses, and her gaze zeroes in on mine as though waiting for me to attack her. Which I would never do, but she does not know this.
“That is unacceptable,” I grit out.
Although she eyes me warily, her tiny frame relaxes, and her shoulders drop. “I agree, but it wasn’t my choice. My former owner thought it would teach me a lesson, and it did, just not the one he thought.”
I set down the mangled food and rest my forearm on the table’s surface, leaning closer. “Which was?”
Her answer is not important, and my curiosity does not need to be satisfied, but she intrigues me in a way I cannot explain. When the bounty hunters hit the spacecraft with warning blasts, she was fierce and even went so far as to protect her comrade from Radiq. And then this same female looked at me with a compassion so deep that it exposed the raw feelings she usually keeps hidden behind a harsh tone or facial expression. This dichotomy shows the range of passion and emotion in her.
“It revealed I’m stronger than the basic needs and wants of my body.” She averts her gaze and fingers the piece of food she neglected a minute ago. “Well, within reason.”
Her tone changes on the last phrase, and instead of being satisfied by her response, I want to question her further. However, I do not. The energy flowing from her is almost palpable and filled with something akin to anger. And I believe she’s directing that at herself, not me.
“Who or what is Babe the Big Blue Ox?” I gesture to myself and nod. “The blue part is self-explanatory, but I am interested in learning how the rest of the phrase pertains to me.”
She swallows deep as though trying to dislodge something from her throat. “That is a fictional character based on what humans refer to as folklore. Basically, it’s a tall tale that featured an ox, a beast of burden, who was a pet to a lumberjack.” When I start to question her further, she waves a hand in dismissal. “All you need to understand is that the animal was big, blue, and strong.”
“And hung,” I add with a succinct nod.
Her face loses all its color in an instant.
Just as I’m about to reach for her, thinking she’s choking or having an allergic reaction to the meal’s contents, her cheeks blaze with crimson. Then the female inhales deeply as though lacking oxygen, and my worry for her well-being returns. This time I get to my feet and race to her side, taking her shoulders in hand to lift her, bringing her eye level to me.
“What’s happening?” I search her neck for the thrumming pulse at the base and watch as the skin throbs gently. While it may be faster than usual, it’s not frantic, so I bring my gaze to her face. Although she shows signs of distress, they are not life-threatening. This relieves me, but only so much. What is bothering her?
“I’m fine,” she says, her voice strangled.
“You do not appear to be declining.” I pull my brows together and frown. “Are you sure you are all right?”
She nods vigorously, causing loose tendrils of her dark hair to sway along her delicate jaw. “I promise I’m okay. You can put me down now.”
I don’t want to…
The thought is foreign to me. I prefer to keep myself at a distance to avoid physical contact with others, and that has never been an issue until now. As I stare at the female and the warmth of her skin heats my palms, I cannot stop the images of our bodies pressed together, enabling me to feel all of her.
And for her to feel all of me.
It