Baron woke to an unfamiliar ceiling and the heat of a small body pressed against his side. He looked down and felt warmth bloom in his chest when he saw Kessia sprawled over him like a blanket. Her arm was flung across his ribs and her thigh was thrown over one of his own with her head nestled into his shoulder. He brushed a spill of her dark hair back, revealing her face, and smiled at her peaceful expression. He’d seen her terrified, angry, scared, and worried since he’d met her, but it lightened his hearts to see her this relaxed. She let out an adorable kittenish mewl and rubbed her head into his shoulder as if she was trying to soften her resting place. The urge to see her like this all the time surged and he tighten his arms around her. He turned into her and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply. Now that the harsh scent of fear was gone from her skin, she smelled deliciously of soft woman and krysa spice.
“Mmm, you smell good,” Kessia mumbled, nuzzling into his chest before she pulled back to look up at him. Her smile was soft and sweet as she met his eyes. “Good morning.” She seemed to remember something and frowned slightly. “Sorry I fell asleep on you last night.”
He toyed with a strand of her hair and shook his head. “There is no reason to apologize. We needed the rest.”
Her lips twisted in a disappointed pout, but they broke into a sheepish grin when her stomach rumbled. “Guess I do have a few other things on my to-do list.”
Baron grinned and leaned in for a kiss. “Get dressed and we will find food.”
Getting ready to face the day was entertaining. Watching a sleepy Kessia stumble to the cleansing room and then ransack the captain’s storage areas for something she might be able to wear was amusing. Finally, she found a pair of pants with an adjustable waist and let out a cheer. The legs were far too long for her, so she rolled them and Baron couldn’t help but grin at the picture she made. With her tiny frame and oversized clothes, she was adorable. He swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly before setting her on the edge of the bed. “Let me fix them for you.”
“Thanks.” She murmured breathlessly, her lips swollen from his kisses.
He unrolled the legs of her pants and used one of his claws to cut them to an appropriate length. “There. Now you will not trip.” She gave him a sunny smile and he pressed his lips to her forehead before climbing to his feet. “Wait for a moment.” He requested before heading into the lavatory himself. When he emerged a few minutes later, he swung his cloak on and offered her his hand to escort her out. “Let us find sustenance.”
Her nose rose into the air and a smile played at her lips, her voice taking on an unusual cadence as she replied. “Indeed, good sir.” She giggled when he blinked at her, confused, and waved it off. “Never mind. Let’s go.”
They headed out into the hallway, hoping to find the crew lounge, and Baron stared down at the female by his side who chattered about the things they needed to do to fix up the ship. Cleaning was among the first on the docket, as well as getting rid of the pirate’s bodies. How she would manage either task he wasn’t sure, but he knew she would no doubt come up with some plan. His little mate constantly amazed him with her knowledge and easy acceptance of the technology that still stymied him.
They found the lounge and sorted through the storage cupboards, Baron taking the ones too tall for Kessia to see into. He had just opened a container to curiously sniff the contents when his human groaned. “For our safety, we might be better off eating emergency rations until we reach Lehra.” She held up a container of some unrecognizable blue goo and flipped it over, its contents defying gravity for an instant before sliding down the inside with a sickening splurch.
Baron resisted a shudder at the disturbing visual. “Can we access the room we were originally contained in? We know what is in most of the crates stored there.”
Kessia perked up at that. “I almost forgot about the oranges! Good call! I’m sure I can get us back in there.” She handed him a tiny silver-wrapped tidbit and chuckled at his confusion. “It’s a ration bar.” She tore the silver wrapping open and revealed an unappetizing brown bar. “See?”
He tore the delicate wrapper carefully and took a tentative bite at her encouraging smile. His face froze as the first bite hit his tongue and he had to hold back the urge to spit it out. The flavour came across as a mix of meaty grit and tree bark and left a lot to be desired. He met Kessia’s eyes and the suppressed laughter in them made him scowl. He swallowed the lump roughly. “You knew it tasted like dirt?”
She snorted and a wide smile bared her flat little teeth at him. “That’s a pretty apt description.” She took a bite of her own bar as they headed out of the mess hall. “They are emergency rations. They are meant to be nutritious, not tasty.”
“Desperation would be required to ingest these with any frequency,” Baron grumbled as he popped the rest of his bar into his mouth and swallowed it with as little chewing as possible.
“It won’t take too long to get the ship fully under our control, then we’ll have free run to explore and find something better to eat,” Kessia assured him as they walked together to the lift, taking it to the bridge. “Hell, with all the stuff those bastards stole, some of it has to be worth a fair bit. We might even be able to make some money by returning some of it.”
He eyed her as they stepped out and headed for the bridge. “That would be an honourable endeavour.” If she wanted to return the cargo to its original owners, that would require her to travel away from Lehra. Away from him. A hollow feeling ached in his heart and he pressed his lips together, unwilling to pressure her for his own gain, and followed her down the corridor.
They were just about to the bridge when Kessia halted and turned on him, her expression oddly wary. “You know, space is a dangerous place. If I want to return those crates, it would be smart to have some protection.” She met his eyes and a shy smile played at her lips. “You wouldn’t happen to be available to play bodyguard?”
“You wish to continue in my presence after we reach Lehra?”
She shrugged, her eyes avoiding his. “If you’re up for a little universal exploration.”
Baron pulled her close and leaned down, tilting her head up and catching her mouth with his own. He got lost in her for a moment, relishing the taste and feel of her small form against him. When he pulled back, they were both breathless and grinning at each other. “I never dreamt of the stars, but since I’ve met you, I find myself pulled toward them. I would love to accompany you wherever this task takes you.”
“Great!” Kessia beamed at him and caught his big hand in hers, towing him behind her to the bridge. “Let’s get started.”
Baron smiled as he followed her onto the bridge, the viewscreen showing the universe beyond. It was theirs to explore. Kessia would be his guide to those worlds and he would be her protector among them. For the first time in his life, a sense of completeness filled him and he was exhilarated to see what the future might have in store for them.