Chapter 7

Lorelai

W hat pulled me from sleep, I didn't know. Certainly, it wasn't a bright, sunny morning with a fresh breeze and birds singing outside. There was light—which made me groan, throwing my arm over my face. I heard engines humming, metallic clanking, and soft knocking from somewhere in the bowels of a ship. Despite the headache that raged as soon as I reluctantly came awake, despite my arm over my closed eyes, despite the nausea in my belly, I recognized those sounds.

The ship's moving .

I'd been travelling long enough on space ships to know. As soon as I realized the ship was moving, another thought pierced my befuddled brain.

I hadn't gone to bed on my own ship. Memories of last night were hazy, to say the least. However, I did remember following the beautiful Asterion nobleman onto his ship and I did not remember getting back off it.

Which meant…

"Crap!"

The word exploded from my lips as I bolted upright in the bed. Bad decision. Lightning bolts splintered through my brain, across my vision. Sickness surged. I clapped a hand over my mouth, praying I wouldn't throw up.

"Calm yourself."

A smooth male voice. The accent slightly monotone, due to the translating chip.

I wanted to spit out a reply, a desperate question. Instead, I kept my hand over my mouth, breathing down the nausea. Only when the fear of my stomach rebelling had died down did I slowly open my eyes. Even then, I squinted against the soft glow in the ship's bedchamber. One wall panel on his side of the bed was open, revealing a massive window through which one could watch stars spin by. Besides this, a couple of in-ceiling lights were on, but they were too much from my hungover self.

"What…the…hell…" I croaked. "This ship's moving, isn't it? And I'm still in your room. Did you kidnap me?"

The alien Overlord—what was his name, anyway?—chuckled derisively. I wanted to smack him.

"Kidnap you? Why would I do that?"

Sex trafficking maybe?

That was my initial assumption. The Overlord's laugh kept me from saying it, however. Maybe it was humorous that I'd think anyone would want to use me for sex slavery.

"I—I don't know," I fumbled, confused. The effects of the lyven were clinging to me. I hadn't had a hangover this bad in years. I was struggling. "The ship is moving, isn't it?"

Silence, as if the alien next to me was considering. I heard movement, the rustling of blankets, as he pushed himself up in the bed until he was seated next to me.

"You are right," he said at last. "We are moving. Morning must have arrived. But I did not think we were scheduled to depart this early."

"Oh, crap."

Again, I covered my face with a hand. This time, it was to hide the tears threatening to slide from beneath my eyelids.

"Crap. This can't be happening."

"I must speak with the captain about this," mused the alien. "Either my reckoning was wrong, or he felt there was an impending need to depart. Either way—"

"Would you shut up?"

The vicious words flew from my mouth as I dropped my hand, whipping my head around to stare at him. His jaw didn't drop. However, his golden eyes widened noticeably. He was shocked. I was shocked. I couldn't believe I'd said such a thing to an Overlord. However, I was also terrified of what being on this ship, and this ship moving, meant for me.

"You're losing one day at the gaming tables and prostitute houses on Drixus," I snapped. "I'm losing my job. My chance to rebuild my life after the crapstorm it's turned into. We are not the same."

Whereas before his golden eyes had been widened with surprise, they now narrowed in anger.

"Take care, human female," he growled. "You are in a predicament, but I am still an Asterion Elder and a Lead Advisor on the Interstellar Coalition. Recall with whom you speak."

"I don't care with whom I speak," I blustered, although…that wasn't entirely true. Sanity was returning, fighting the effects of the hangover. "This is your fault. I'm going to lose my job, my one chance at starting over. I'm going to lose everything because of you!"

"I accept no responsibility for this," he countered. "You made the decision to accompany me aboard this ship. I did not know the captain planned to depart early."

"You offered me that stinkin' drink!"

"You drank it willingly, as I recall. I did not restrain you and pour it down your throat."

"You didn't warn me how strong it was!"

"Neither did you ask."

Stalemate. We sat there glaring at one another in what had to be weirdest scenario of my entire life. Me, in my rumpled clothes from the day before. Him in well…very little. Actually, for all I knew, he wasn't wearing anything. It wasn't until I was sitting there glaring at him that I realized he was shirtless. He was shirtless and, unlike Charlie, middle age hadn't created a pot belly, a pooch, a dad bod. His stomach was flat, his chest was firm, and he was…really sexy and beautiful.

Damn it, Lorelai.

I shouldn't be noticing. I was mad at him, right? This was all his fault.

Swiftly, I turned my face away, then had to deal with the repercussions of the bedroom spinning around. Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed in and out, in and out, focusing on stemming the dizziness.

"Easy," intoned the alien. His hand tentatively touched my back. "Hungover?"

"What do you think?" I growled.

He chuckled softly. "I may have something that will help."

The mattress shifted as he stood. I heard rustling. Clanking. I wondered if he were digging in his magical liquor cabinet for a hangover cure. Made sense he would have one in there, considering how much booze he had stashed away.

I doubt I'm the first woman he's brought on board ship and got drunk to seduce her .

Except…he hadn't actually tried to seduce me. Not that I could recall, anyway. My clothing was rumpled but intact. I had no memories of anything sexual happening between us. I did have a hazy memory of waking up sometime in the night, talking to him, drinking more, and then—well, I wasn't sure. I definitely didn't remember sex. Which meant…

I guess I'm not attractive enough for him to try to seduce, I thought, which produced a weird sting of bitterness and sadness.

I didn't have long to dwell on that uncomfortable truth. By the noise of his footsteps, I could tell he was returning. Then his voice spoke, saying, "Here, female. Try this. It might alleviate your symptoms."

Female. Was he really calling me that?

It was so derisive. So insulting, reducing me down from a person to nothing more than a human…well, merely a female.

Which, I supposed, was how he saw me.

I wanted to be angry about the term, but my head was pounding too fiercely for me to hold onto the anger and blot out the pain. Accepting the inevitable, I opened my eyes and saw a silver-skinned hand offering me a glass filled with cloudy yellow liquid.

"What is this?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'd best not say," he replied. "However, know that, if you drink it, you will recover quickly."

I wasn't sure that reassured me. I wasn't sure how I felt about drinking something an alien had concocted with secret ingredients. On the other hand, I lacked a lot of choices at the moment, didn't I?

Forcing down my hesitations, I accepted the cup, choosing to throw caution to the wind and toss it back. Honestly? It burned going down. I coughed and wiped away tears the heat brought to my eyes.

"Water, please?" I croaked.

The alien complied, fetching me a glass of water from a crystal decanter. I took a few grateful sips, chasing the hangover drink with the water until the burn eased and the tears stopped leaking from eyes.

Then, and only then, did I realize…the pounding inside my head was lessening. I could open my eyes fully against the lights of the room. The ship was no longer spinning around me. The nausea in my stomach was evaporating.

Damn.

Whatever was in that drink, it had worked quickly, as the Overlord had promised.

Fortified, I placed both palms on the mattress and pushed down, hoisting myself to my feet, despite the—"I would not—?" warning from the Overlord.

Too late.

I'd figured the hangover was, well, over. It wasn't. I'd attempted to stand too quickly. A violent surge of dizziness broke over me. The room spun fiercer than before. Thankfully, the bed was behind me. As soon as I stood, I knew I was going to fall. I didn't even try to fight it.

" J'tet! " the Overlord hissed. I heard a rush of movement. Before I completely collapsed back onto the mattress he was there, catching me, an arm around my back.

I gasped softly, whether from the near fall or surprise that the alien had cared enough to actually catch me. His arms eased me down onto the bed with more strength than I would have ascribed to his lean frame. He sank down with me, both arms wrapped around me, holding me while I recovered my breath.

Embarrassed, I tried to shy away. "I'm fine, I'm fine," I mumbled.

"You will be soon." The alien's voice was so calm. "I meant to warn you. You will feel better soon, but you should not try to stand quickly."

"Right. I figured that part out," I sighed.

He wasn't letting go of me. Why wasn't he releasing me? A minute ago, I'd been spewing hateful words at him, but he'd still kept me from falling and still had his arms around me. I had no idea what to say or think or do anymore. So, I did the one thing I probably shouldn't have done, which was to give in and lean against the Asterion male holding me. Temporarily allowing him to be my support, my strength.

Something I hadn't had from a man in a very long time.

"What the hell am I going to do?" I whispered.