Ruby moved inside the scarf. He could feel her inspecting the collar then settling down.
“Did you see that?”
“Yes, it was adorable!”
He looked past Helmen to find the rest of the crew, including Desur, watching from the open door.
“That’s Ruby,” he explained to them, finally swinging his legs off the bed. He ignored the stiffness as he stood up. “She’s a jeweled lizard and my friend.”
He heard several of the crew make sounds that seemed like they were cooing. He had heard the humans on Kalor make a similar sound when seeing animals or babies. Maybe Ruby was going to help him win over the crew.
“She could meet all of you one-on-one over the course of our journey," he suggested. “I wouldn't want to overwhelm her by handing her over to all of you right now.”
“No, we wouldn't want to traumatize her,” Desur said quickly.
“But I really want to meet her,” Teshor said, casting a longing look at his neck where Ruby was now hidden.
“She’s really sweet,” Amina said, giving him a fond look. “And it’s fun to feed her. If we’re nice to Myrum, we could probably talk him into letting us watch her eat next time she's hungry.”
The crew asked her questions about how Ruby ate. While they talked he stretched his arms up over his head, enjoying the feeling of his stiff body loosening up. He moved slowly to keep from startling anyone. Helmen still stood with her weapon at the ready.
Finally he dropped his hands to the side with an exaggerated groan. “Oh that felt good!”
“I don’t know how you put up with not being able to roll over,” Desur said, taking a half step back into the room. None of the crew tried to stop him.
He sounded an amused rumble. “I’ve slept in much worse situations. This bunk was almost the nicest spot I’ve ever been trapped in.”
Amina hissed out a breath. “That was a good joke, but dark,” she muttered under her breath.
He kept his focus on Helmen. “Is it okay if I walk around the ship?”
Helmen raised her weapon and rested the butt on the floor in front of her. She pointed to the small pendant hanging around her neck.
“You do anything I don’t like, and I’ll drop you to the ground,” she warned him.
He kept from pointing out that she shouldn’t brandish her weapon at him while having the remote. She couldn’t use both at the same time, and that could’ve meant he took control of the situation without much effort.
He needed to find an opportunity to discuss security protocols with her. The entire crew could use a few lectures, including Amina. They weren’t being as cautious with him as they should be.
Not that he’d say that! But he could give them advice on other things.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Teshor said when Helmen didn’t answer him right away. “What happened yesterday was an anomaly. We all have bad days.”
“Except when you have a bad day it means you eat too much and we have to put up with you moaning about bellyaches,” Helmen retorted. “You don’t threaten to rip us all apart.”
Amina opened her mouth to object, but Helmen held up a hand to stop her.
“Just because he didn’t harm you doesn’t mean the rest of us are safe,” Helmen said. She looked over at the crew. “Everyone but Amina needs to stay away from him. If you hear him doanything, then contact me. Desur said the remote will work from anywhere on the ship. I can keep all of you safe, but you have to do as I ask.”
Okay, maybe Helmen wasn’t as foolish about internal ship security as he thought.
She pinned him with a hard look. “You can move around the ship but stay out of the engine rooms and control. You do everything Amina says, including staying in your cabin when necessary. Don’t make me regret trusting you.”
“Never,” he vowed, more confident in his ability to cope with the ship.
Ruby and Amina were his saviors.
Chapter 10
