Wex said something in Canypscan.
“No,” Tok said. “Go. Bring us back some food when you can.”
As they left, he dug through his pack and pulled out a flask and some dried meat. “Here. For now, drink this.”
She took a large swallow and almost choked on the bitter taste. He put the flask against her lips, but she turned her head away. He grabbed a handful of hair and turned her face back to him. “One more drink. Not negotiable.”
There was a burning sensation in her throat. She looked down her nose at the flask, frowning. What was in the bitter liquid? Liquor? A drug?
“Come on,” he said firmly. “Or I will make you.”
Her eyes rose, and she was sure her gaze said everything her mouth didn’t. She took another swallow.
“Good girl. Here,” he said, pressing the meat into her palm. She walked away from him to sit on the swanky sofa that looked Orium. She ate the lovely piece of meat. It was dry but well-seasoned and she was so hungry it might as well have been ambrosia. It was gone in seconds.
He walked over and held out another piece. She took the end, but he didn’t release it.
He shook his head, pulling it from her fingers and touched it to her lips.
She glared at him.
“Come on,” he said in a low voice. “You know you want it.”
She looked up at him at the vaguely sexual tone. What was he playing at?
She swallowed and then opened her mouth. He slipped the meat inside along with his fingertips. She sucked them before leaning back to chew the food. A buzzing sound had started in her ears. She looked around for the source of the humming, but there were no insects nearby that she could spot. Then she felt a rocking sensation like she was back on the boat. She grabbed the edge of the couch.
“It’s all right. It’ll pass in a little while.”
She looked up at him. His hand was on her shoulder, steadying her.
“What was it?”
“Nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t feel well.”
He sat on the sofa and pulled her onto his lap.
* * *
Zawri woke to findherself lying on Tok’s hard body. She wasn’t on their spaceship. The low light revealed a house within a cave. She struggled to remember. There were fragments. A boat. A sky with orange clouds. He’d given her something bitter to drink.
She rose up.
He opened his eyes. “Good, you’re awake. Let’s eat.”
She was unsteady on her feet, but managed to walk to the table. There were papery thin cloths over platters piled with strange food.
She was too hungry to hesitate. She pushed aside a covering and grabbed a piece of something roasted. She bit into it and moaned. It was some sort of tangy delicious starchy vegetable. She tried several more things, every one of them as delectable as the last.
When she finally glanced at Tok she found him eating a hunk of meat and watching her.
“It’s good. Where are we?” she asked.
“Paradise.”
“Wonderful. At what coordinates?”
