A float table sailed toward him and the control panel.
Gweneth plonked down in the seat beside him, glanced out the viewscreen and at the instruments before shifting her attention to him.“Do you want to have a snack before you go and rest?It’s nice to share a meal.”
He found himself nodding when he hadn’t intended at all.“You’re a witch,” he grumbled.
She blinked.“No, I’m a feline.A failure of a feline, but a cat nevertheless.”
“Before you and the rest of theIndycrew arrived on Viros, before and during the war with the House of Cawdor, many of our shifters lost their ability to shift.And without regular shifting our cats suffer.Some die.”
Her white teeth caught that pouty lip and worried it.Ellard stared at her until the stirring of his feline warned of his idiocy.He shouldn’t stare at her or encourage her because, despite what Jarlath and Keira thought, he was older and damaged.A young, beautiful shifter like Gweneth could have anyone she wanted, and he feared another joke at his expense.
Phrull.
He puffed out a hard breath, every muscle in his body tensing at the memory of how Marjo and Mareeka played him.Because of his mistakes, Jarlath had faced great danger, and he’d lost an arm.
“Ellard.Ellard.”Gweneth reached out to touch his artificial arm.He couldn’t truly feel her touch, but the sensors built into the limb transmitted to his brain and told him he should.His cock started to fill.
“What?”he snapped.
“You were telling me about the shifters who couldn’t transform.What happened?”
“The House of Cawdor managed to place an additive in the food supply, and that worked to stifle shifting.Some were lucky and never succumbed.My feline remained, but Jarlath’s didn’t.Until he met Keira, his feline was dying.”
“He’s all right now because I’ve seen him shift.”
“Most recovered, but a few…” Ellard trailed off, the horror of a part of him dying even worse than losing his arm.Something to remember.Some of the Virosian citizens had it worse than him.Gweneth, for example, had never shifted, yet she embraced life and new experiences.He could learn something from a friendship with her.The thought, the decision, made a weight lift off his shoulders.“Thanks for the food.”
She wrinkled her nose.“It’s not much.I didn’t bother stocking much since the voyage to Narenda shouldn’t have taken this long.You should take a break once you’ve eaten.We need to be in top form once we arrive at Narenda.Lynx and Shiloh are counting on us to woo the people into taking part in our festival.”
“No one knows much about the species who live on Narenda.”
“I know.I attempted to do some research since Lynx and Shiloh told me they’d visited once.The ship’s data banks tell of the atmosphere and the planet’s composition.It’s tropical—much warmer than Viros, so I’m glad I brought my shorts and T-shirts with me—clothes to relax in—as well as suitable gear for meetings.”
“Shorts are an Earth garment?”
“Yes.Very comfortable.Anyway, that’s the extent of my research.Nothing else showed up, apart from the fact the people weren’t friendly.”Gweneth glanced at her timepiece.“Ah.”
The wealth of satisfaction in the sound raised a warning signal in Ellard.His feline went on alert, senses stretching outward.
“I believe you owe me another kiss.”She beamed at him.“We’ll take care of that before you go and rest.”
Take each cycle as it came.
Right then.
Ellard calmly ate his meal—a tasteless dehydrated meal of malpack strips and perknoods, a type of soft dough cut into long pieces.The gravy should make the meal taste better.Instead, it clogged up his mouth.
Gweneth pushed hers away.“As I said, not much to eat.”
Ellard set the remains of his meal back on the hover tray, and Gweneth sent the tray back to the galley.He scanned the instruments one final time to satisfy himself they appeared to be heading in the correct direction before standing.
“I’ll take care of that kiss now.”The words and the idea came easier now that he’d considered and discussed the matter.Friends.Someone to stand with during court functions and to laugh with instead of appearing a ninny.Jarlath and Keira were right.There was no downside to Gweneth’s proposition.
“Ah, all right.”Instead of appearing pleased, Gweneth’s dark brows drew together.She stood, her uncertainty clear.
She’d thought he’d keep objecting and his acquiescence confused her.
“Come here,” he said, confident now that he had the upper hand.The thing was—if he aimed for honesty—and he tried not to lie to himself, he’d enjoyed kissing her.
