“What is chocolate?” Keplok asked. “More ‘health food’?”
“Absolutely,” Althea replied. She didn’t have to be an empath to know Keplok hadn’t been fooled by her attempt to deceive him. Judging from the sarcasm in his tone, the double jalapeño cheeseburgers were definitely in jeopardy. “A bar of chocolate a day keeps the doctor away. Makes a fabulous cake, and it’s also considered to be a mild aphrodisiac. Either that or it gives you foodgasms. I can never remember which. Might be both.”
“Then I will try this chocolate if you have any.”
Larry chuckled. “Oh, brother. Do we have chocolate!”
* * *
Larry hadn’t forgotten the wonderful change that meals on the Jolly Roger underwent on the days Althea did the cooking. Her chocolate cake was to die for, but to the best of his recollection, she’d never made anything that wasn’t absolutely delicious. He’d never been completely sure why, although he suspected her empathic ability had something to do with it. Knowing the cooking styles and seasonings that everyone enjoyed the most would enable her to alter her recipes accordingly. The only flaw in his theory was that she could whip up meals that appealed to his own palate without being able to read him. However, his tastes were similar enough to his brothers’ that it probably didn’t matter.
But without his brothers nearby, how would she know?
I’m making this too hard. All I have to do is tell her what I like.
He didn’t realize he was staring at the ground until she swept back the veil of hair that hung between them as they walked across the plain.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Thinking too much, as always.”
“If that’s your only vice, I can probably deal with it.” She sidled up beside him, curling an arm around his waist and whispering in his ear. “Besides, I know a great way to distract you.”
“Yes, you do.” If he hadn’t known precisely what she meant, the tingling along his spine as he draped an arm around her shoulders would’ve provided an excellent clue. Unfortunately, that sort of distraction wasn’t possible right now. Later, perhaps. He would need her help if he ever expected to get any sleep. Once he got his mind turned on—and he certainly had plenty of things to think about—sleep was elusive.
She gazed upward, her eyes narrowed against the glare of the setting sun. “Any idea where Brak is?”
“He’s probably already on the ship. He does that sometimes. Flies on ahead while I’m finishing up a job.” He’d even had lunch waiting for him a time or two.
Maybe he really does love me.
But does Althea?
“Think we should try calling him?”
He tilted his head to the side, studying her expression. Even with her brow knit in concern, she was still a soothing balm for his eyes as well as his soul. “Are you worried about him?”
“Kinda. Nothing empathic. It’s just that him going off alone seemed sort of…strange.”
“He might’ve needed to fly around for a while. He gets cranky if he’s cooped up on the ship for too long. Probably out there cruising the updrafts, laughing at us trudging along on the ground.” Having to ride herd on the Duo was enough to drive anyone to drink—or in his case, flight. Larry couldn’t help being a tad envious.
“Must be a terrific tension reliever,” Althea said. “Sort of like drawing is for me.”
“Yeah.” Up until recently, working on a busted comsystem was the best way for Larry to relieve stress. Solving problems. Fixing things. Completing tasks. Realizing he hadn’t done that for a while triggered a sigh.
No wonder I’m thinking too much.
His relationship with Al had given him plenty of food for thought. Taking in their half siblings had compounded the problem. But there was something else. Something nagging at him like a sore toe…
The Guardians had saved his father’s life. Without them, he wouldn’t exist—not even as Jack’s son, because the way she and Cat had been bonded together, she wouldn’t have lived if he’d died.
I’m missing something.
But what?
A connection of some kind? Sitting with Al while she recovered had given him plenty of time to think and to open his mind to possibilities. Had the Duo’s mission somehow become his own?
Larry wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t exist without the Guardians’ intervention. None of Cat’s children would. Althea might, although without Jack and her ship, her parents would still be living in the forests of Utopia. Dartula would never have been conceived, let alone born.
He owed every moment of his life to one tiny monkey.
Larry glanced back at Keplok, who was walking behind them, slightly apart from Dartula. “Don’t worry about feeding the Guardians when we find them, Bro.” Not if but when. “I have more credits than I know what to do with. You can buy all the old guitars you like.”
Now all they had to do was figure out where the Guardians were and rescue them.
How hard could it be?
* * *
Although Althea hadn’t made dinner for a crowd in years, she hadn’t forgotten how. Nor had she forgotten how nice it was to have Larry around to help out. She’d seldom worked alone in the kitchen, and looking back, he had been her most frequent companion. Everything about them seemed so clear now. All those years of wondering when—or if—she would ever find The One, and he’d been right there beside her all along.
The thing you can’t find is usually right there in front of your face.
Their camaraderie was a little different now, though. Along with laughter and good-natured banter, there were touches and kisses, which seemed perfectly natural—even familiar. Almost as if she’d done them in another life.
Or seen them in a vision.
Only she’d never had a vision, unless that strange dream she’d had qualified. Prior to that, she’d always assumed that the gods considered her other “gifts” to be enough of a burden without tossing prescience into the mix.
She did some more poking around in the stasis unit, and after finding several jars of Sholerian cream, she considered adding the powerful aphrodisiac to the chocolate icing.
Nah. Too risky.
Then again, a few romantic notions would do Keplok and Dartula a world of good. The possible effect on Brak was what concerned her. Thus far, he’d been able to control his amorous feelings for Larry. No telling what would happen if he were to lift his ban on sweets and eat a piece of cake.
She had to wonder why Larry had it onboard to begin with. He was not only a total hottie, he was Zetithian, which made sexual stimulants completely unnecessary. For a normal Zetithian, at least.
Unless Brak had been the one eating it.
She set the jar on the counter next to where Larry was chopping onions. “Ever try any of this stuff?”
One eyebrow rose as he studied the label. “Sholerian cream… Never heard of it. Must be one of Brak’s goodies.”
Could it really be that simple?
“Sholerian cream is a highly potent aphrodisiac,” she said. “If he’s been eating a lot of it—and this jar is nearly empty—that might explain why he has such a crush on you.”
“An aphrodisiac?” Larry echoed. “Why in the world would he need that?”
She shrugged. “Who knows? Then again, if you’ve never heard of it, maybe he doesn’t know what it is, either. I only know about it from my training in herbal medicine. Maybe he just likes it, although from what I’ve heard, it’s kinda pricey. Have you ever seen him eating it?”
“Not that I can recall.” He opened the jar and took a sniff. “Smells okay. Looks like vanilla ice cream, except it isn’t frozen. I’m surprised it would even affect him. After all, he is a bug.”
“Which makes his reaction to it impossible to predict. Any idea where he might’ve bought it?”
&nbs
p; “Nope. But if I had to guess, I’d say it was in Damenk. Those people can sell you damn near anything, whether you want it or not.”
“No kidding.” This was yet another reason why Althea hated going to the largest Rhylosian city. The constant bombardment of subliminal advertising in the commerce district that surrounded the spaceport was enough to drive anyone bonkers. For an empath who couldn’t block the emotional responses of everyone around her, it was completely intolerable. The last time she’d been there, she’d practically run screaming back to the ship. She was pretty sure she could handle it better now, but she certainly wasn’t looking forward to testing the theory.
“I wonder what sort of sales pitch they used to hook him,” Larry mused. “Although if he already had a crush on me, he’d be slipping it into my food instead of using it as a dip for his chips or spreading it on his cheeseburgers.”
“You have a point. Therefore, I’m still going with the idea that he doesn’t know what it is. Friday said he was back from his ‘outing.’ I’ll ask him about the cream. See what he says.”
“In the meantime, think you might like to try a little of it yourself?” He gave his eyebrows a suggestive waggle.
“No need,” she replied. “You’re already an aphrodisiac personified. In fact, I’m surprised it took Sholerian cream to get Brak to fall for you.”
“I dunno. It took years for you to succumb to my masculine charms. Maybe I’m not as irresistible as you think.”
“And maybe you’re underestimating your appeal.” She finished whipping the icing and began slathering it on the cooled cake. “Although without the joy juice and snard, I might’ve had to douse your dick with chocolate syrup to make it worth sucking.” A choking sound from Larry had her glancing up from her task. She smiled sweetly. “Are you purring yet?”
A mild coughing fit delayed his reply. “I believe I am.”
“Good. Hold that thought.”
“Hold it?” he gasped. “I’m not sure I can.”
“Dinner first, nookie later,” she said firmly. “We may have already left the Duo alone with Brak for too long.”
“I don’t understand the relevance.”
“You will if we find Brak roasting something other than marshmallows over the campfire.”
His eyes widened in horror. “Yeah. Talk about something that would ruin the mood.”
“I believe it would.” She stepped back from her confection and scanned it with a critical eye. “Needs a bit of decoration, don’t you think?”
“Looks great to me just the way it is.”
“Maybe a little whipped cream around the edge?” She began spooning a generous amount of the cream into a piping bag but stopped short of actually putting it on the cake. “No. That would be cheating. I’ll serve it on the side. Someone might need a little help getting a romance going, but using Sholerian cream should be optional.”
“Wise move.”
Chapter 23
Brak stalked into the galley just as Larry headed out to their campfire, carrying a skillet filled with sizzling chicken fajitas.
Althea glanced up as she put the last of the tortillas into a warming server. “Hey, big guy. Where you been?”
“Trying out the local cuisine,” Brak replied. Judging from his tone and the waves of disgust emanating from him, if he’d had a nose, he would’ve been wrinkling it. “I don’t recommend it. That smells much better than what I found.”
Considering the ratio of chicken to vegetables, Althea was surprised he even gave it a second thought. “There’s plenty if you want some.” She held up the tortilla server. “Would you mind taking these, please? We’re having dinner around the campfire.” They weren’t alone in that choice, as she’d noticed several campfires near the other ships parked at the spaceport. Some of the gatherings were large enough to qualify as gangplank parties. She hoped they wouldn’t get too rowdy, although what she would consider rowdy was probably pretty tame on Palorka.
“I would be happy to,” Brak said graciously. He clamped a pincer around the box, then started toward the door. All of him, that is, except for the one eye that appeared to be riveted to the cake. “What is that?”
“Chocolate cake,” she replied. “I’m sure it’ll taste great, even though it looks a little plain. I was going to decorate it with Sholerian cream but decided against it. Not sweet enough.”
“Sholerian cream? You mean my expensive wing moisturizer? Why would you ever want to waste it on a cake?”
Mystery solved.
She arched a brow. “Are you saying you bought that cream to put on your wings?”
“Absolutely.” He spread all four of his lacey wings as far as the limited space allowed. “In all my years, they’ve never been quite so bright and shiny.”
“They do look lovely.” She waited a beat before asking, “How long have you been using that stuff?”
“I bought it in Damenk.” He rotated his head to one side in a contemplative manner. “I believe it was the visit before the captain first met Celeste. The salesman told me it was the best wing treatment he’d ever found.” With a flap of his glistening wings, he added, “I tend to agree.”
“I take it the salesman was Scorillian?”
“Oh yes. He said he’d been using this cream for many years and that it was especially helpful during the molting season.”
“I see.” She nodded slowly. “Did you know that out of all the substances in the known galaxy that are believed to be aphrodisiacs, Sholerian cream is the only one that actually works? On humanoids, anyway.”
Brak bobbled the tortilla server, somehow managing to catch it with his other pincer before it hit the floor. “No, I did not.”
“So tell me,” she began cautiously, “were you in love with Larry before you started using that cream?”
He took a step back and reared up to his full height, waving his pincers in an alarming display of agitation. “I have always been fond of the captain. He is quite dreamy, you know.”
Althea couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah. I know precisely how dreamy he is. But did you always love him?”
“As in wanting to mate with him?” Brak’s antennae stood straight up and fluffed out like a pair of snow-covered ferns. “Not at first sight, if that’s what you mean. That feeling is more…recent.”
She winced. “Ever find a humanoid male dreamy before?”
His mandibles opened and closed several times, suggesting that he was giving the matter considerable thought. “No. But then, I had never met a Zetithian male until I signed on as navigator for this ship.”
“Hmm… This is only a suggestion, Brak. But you might consider not using that cream for a while and see if your feelings for Larry stay the same.”
“Are you insinuating that my love for the captain might be drug-induced?”
His menacing glare made her wince again. “As unusual as your feelings toward him are, yes, it’s possible.”
For a moment, Althea suspected she was about to get clobbered with a tortilla server. Then his eyestalks wilted, and the rest of his body gradually sagged, progressing from his neck down to all four of his knees.
“As much as I care for him, I would not like those feelings to be deemed artificial in any way. He deserves better than that. I will not molt again for some time. If you think it best, I will refrain from using the cream.” His antennae curled into bedraggled spirals. “Being in love with him was so wonderful. I don’t know that I will ever love another as much as I have loved him.”
“You might be surprised.” She set a stack of plates and cutlery on a tray along with the cake. “If you’d been living and working with someone else back then, you might’ve fallen for them instead of Larry.”
“I know it would be far more convenient for you if I wasn’t in love with the captain.” A glimmer of hope shone in his eyes. “Are you sure you aren�
�t a tiny bit jealous?”
She hated to break it to him, but with the possible exception of his ability to fly, she couldn’t imagine any scenario where she would ever be jealous of a bug. Particularly since she was already sharing a bed with Mr. Dreamy. However, she saw no reason to be cruel. “I don’t think so, Brak. And you have to admit, falling for a Scorillian would be more convenient for you.”
“This is true.” Like a dying plant responding to water, his wilted posture slowly firmed, and his antennae unfurled. “I might actually get laid.”
“There’s a lot to be said for that.”
“No shit. I am fifty-seven years old, and I have never mated with anyone.”
“Fifty-seven… That’s actually pretty young for a Scorillian,” she said. “But I get what you mean. In all that time, you’d think you would’ve found someone.”
He nodded. “Perhaps I am too particular. Unfortunately, no one ever affected me until I met the captain.”
Althea chuckled. “Trust me, I know the feeling.”
* * *
Not surprisingly, no one opted to top their cake with Sholerian cream. Keplok gave the excuse that he wanted to see what effect chocolate had on him before clouding the issue with another aphrodisiac. Larry wasn’t fooled. Enticing a Zetithian woman was always a tricky business. Tossing any form of coercion into the mix practically guaranteed failure.
The evening went well. The fajitas were a hit with everyone, including Brak, although Althea had to wrap them and feed them to him, because he kept slicing through the soft tortillas with his pincers, which might explain his preference for hard-shelled tacos.
Larry looked forward to some alone time with Al that didn’t include fixing dinner. Nevertheless, he enjoyed himself. Simply sitting around a crackling fire with Al snuggled up beside him relaxed him to the point that he was actually able to turn his brain off for a while.
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