“Huh. So they gave you combat knowledge when they cloned you?” She giggles. “How sexy.”
“I guess so. Where’s Mathiras?” I’m trying to be friendly to Zebah but she makes me feel weird and uncomfortable, especially now that she’s pushing her utensils in my bowl and fishing out one of my noodles. I nudge the whole thing toward her. “I didn’t see where he went.”
She takes my bowl and continues eating, oblivious to my mood. “Probably still trying to lose my friends back there. Do you know they had me for two full days and didn’t feed me? Keffing rude.” She points her sticks at me. “You guys are digging into some dangerous business, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“I don’t mind,” I say absently. “Is that why they stole you? Because of dangerous business?”
“Mmmm, more or less?”
That’s not an answer. “Is it more or is it less?”
Zebah gives me a fanged smile and giggles. “Let’s just say I was already in trouble when Mathiras called me up.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing he wouldn’t have done.”
Hmm. “That doesn’t narrow it down much.”
“Nope.” Zebah continues eating, watching me. “So you and Mathiras, huh? I thought Kas’d be more your type. Or Adiron. He’s dumb but built.” She makes a crude gesture between her legs. “Probably easy to lead around by the balls.”
I want to point out that I don’t like the idea of touching Adi’s balls, or that Mathiras is more built than both of his brothers, but something tells me Mathiras doesn’t want her knowing these things. So I just say, “I like Mathiras.”
She shrugs, digging into her noodles again. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. He’s pretty, but he’s not much fun.” She gives me another wink. “You into fun?”
“Not with you.” I get up and head for the bridge, because she’s reminding me of the pinching men and I don’t like it. I wonder if Mathiras would be mad if I broke her neck, too. I still have my knife in my hair. I could pull it out and stab her and no one would be the wiser. She doesn’t follow me down the hall, though, and I feel like I can breathe again. I continue on toward the bridge and find both Matty and Adiron there. Immediately, I go over to Mathiras’s side and put my arms around him.
He immediately hugs me back. “Everything okay, love?”
“It is now.” Do I tell him that I don’t like Zebah? Or am I being unfair? She hasn’t done anything wrong. She just watches me a little too closely and I don’t care for that. “Are we still being followed by the bad guys?”
“Yup,” Adiron says, his feet up on the panel in the way Mathiras hates. “But they’re a good distance behind us, probably saving fuel and waiting to see where we head. They’ll peel off the moment we get closer to Three Nebulas Station.”
“Are we leaving Zebah there?” I ask hopefully.
Mathiras cups my neck, the sensation comforting. “Most likely. It’ll depend on what she wants to do. She had to leave her ship behind when we took off, so I don’t know if she’s planning on hiring a crew to re-take it or if she’s got different ideas. But we won’t abandon her anywhere provided she works with us a little.”
“Works with us?” I echo, fighting back a frown. “How?”
“By telling us what she knows. And passing on any contacts she might have over at 3N. We’re on an information hunt. Anything she’s got could be useful.”
So she’s not a bad guy. I guess no snapping her neck, then. Biting back a sigh, I slide my arms around Mathiras’s waist and press against him, just breathing in his comfortable scent. He talks to Adiron about fuel and course corrections, and the best way to approach 3N and if their acquaintance Zakoar is still running his “chop shop” there, whatever that is.
“Am I missing out on a party?” Zebah calls from the hall, and I scowl into Mathiras’s shoulder.
“Not at all,” Adiron says, spinning in his chair to face her as she comes in. “We were just discussing Three Nebulas. You want to be dumped there? Or do you need a ride somewhere else?”
“Mmmmm,” Zebah drawls, sidling forward. She parks herself next to Adiron’s feet and right in front of my view. “Maybe not 3N. I’m a wanted woman there.”
“We thought you might wish to get a crew together to go retrieve your ship,” Mathiras offers, his hand sliding over my back possessively. “Since you had to leave it behind and we’re not in a position to help you get it.”
The female mesakkah just chortles. “Oh, that wasn’t my ship. I borrowed it from a friend. And she’s going to be hopping mad when she finds out I lost it.” She shakes her head and gives me a thoughtful stare. “Better that I just hang out on the ship here with my new qura’aki buddy while you big strong males go on station.”