Chapter 20
Faith
Food. Actual food? She didn’t care what she was wearing. She threw the rest of the covers off and took his hand to get out of bed. The touch of their hands shocked her. She wasn’t sure what that was, but it was something she felt through her whole body. Dropping his hand, she moved past Logan to go into the main living space.
The smell of delicious food made her stomach growl. She practically ran to the table where the other two warriors sat. “Is that spaghetti?”
“That is what the chef who delivered it called it. Spa geti with meatballs,” Warrior Lake said as he stuffed his mouth with the noodles. “It’s different but good.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “And garlic bread?”
“Sit down, you’re shaking,” Logan said. He gently pulled a chair out for her.
Her stomach growled. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
Warrior Lake started scooping a lot of the spaghetti on a plate while Warrior Powers grabbed half the loaf of bread and pushed the plate to her.
She laughed. “I can’t eat all of that.” Her stomach disagreed by growling again. “Well, I shouldn’t eat all of that. I might get sick.”
Logan placed a hand on her shoulder. “Take your time. We will put some of this in the cooling unit, and if we need more, we can call the chef.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Yes, I have worked up quite the appetite.” Logan took a seat across from her.
Faith twirled the noodles around her fork and brought it slowly to her mouth. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the first bite of her favorite food she hadn’t had in almost a decade. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Faith? Are you okay?” Logan asked with concern. He had moved to kneel next to her.
She waved her hand, holding the fork in dismissal. “I haven’t had spaghetti in so long. My mom used to cook this twice a week. I would have loved having it every day. She was the best cook.”
Faith took another bite and moaned with pleasure. “This is pretty damn good, though.”
“You can have as much as you want,” Logan reassured her.
No one had offered her something like this without wanting something in return. There were always trades to be made, consequences to be paid. Who knew what to expect with these aliens or Dome Leader Winstead? They could decide to starve her to death for information.
With thoughts of going without food, which wasn’t new to her, she grabbed several pieces of garlic bread and hid them in her shirt when she thought no one was looking. She tried to be sly about it but the one called Warrior Lake caught her and returned his uneaten piece to the plate, moving it toward her.
There was no way she could sneak the spaghetti. But at least they were going to store it in the refrigerator. Maybe she could wait until they fell asleep and come back to eat more. Enough to last her a few days.
“Would you like us to take a watch?” Warrior Powers asked.
“I’ll take the first shift. Warrior Powers, you will relieve me in four hours, and Warrior Lake, you will relieve him in eight hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where is Medic Haggard?” Logan asked.
“He had stayed in the quarters for the human medics to observe and ask questions about their procedures,” Warrior Lake stated.
Warrior Powers added his concern. “I’m not sure about his safety. What if these humans attack him?”
“He’s a well-trained warrior, just as you are. I would worry more about those who would dare attack.”
Faith listened to their conversation with fascination. Lake and Powers respected Logan, but they also had an easy and familiar way about them that showed they had spent time together in the past. They were dedicated to their mission but also excited about getting back to their home world, Drasta. By listening, she also realized there was no way she could sneak out if any of them were guarding the living space. Damn it! She really wanted to finish the spaghetti.
She focused on eating all that she could and blocked out all the surrounding sounds. One by one, the other two warriors stood and cleaned their dishes. Looking up from her plate, she realized she was completely alone with Logan. His sole attention was focused on her.
