“Thanks,” he grunted as she backed out through the door. He was scowling, still apparently confused by her actions.
But she was glad she did it. Just like Sway needed his space cleaned, Vytln needed to be fed. And she considered it her job to take care of the guys.
She stepped through the door, already thinking about the next thing she could do-
-only to come up short. Tanin was standing there, leaning against the hallway wall, hands in his pocket, resting his knuckle claws right against the edge. He was already looking at her, his expression strange. There was heat in his gaze, but she couldn’t tell what was causing it.
Garnet quickly smiled, unsure why she suddenly felt guilty. Like he might have caught her doing something wrong. “I brought Vytln food.”
“You did.”
“He skips meals.”
“He does.”
She bit her lip. Shifting her weight. “Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad?”
“Because I brought another guy food?”
Tanin pushed himself off the wall and walked towards her. He took her by the chin and pulled up, making her lift her head and drop her hands.
“You take care of my ship,” he said. “You take care of my crew. Sway’s feathers are healthier since you started cleaning the bridge. The twins are coming out and talking more. Rok is laughing freely. Now, you’re making sure Vytln doesn’t go hungry. Why would I be anything but proud?”
Warmth rushed through her, and Garnet couldn’t help but smile. It was good to be needed. To be appreciated, even for just the little things she did. Chores had always fallen more on her than Goldie growing up, just by sheer force of their parents’ favoritism. Then, when they moved out, she took care of everything because Goldie needed to focus on studying. Now, at this point, it was just something she did. It was part of her. Something she was good at. Sure, it could be considered a normal part of being an adult, being able to clean and help others if necessary.
But the heat in Tanin’s gaze was more than just gratitude for the things she did. That look she couldn’t identify at first wasn’t just him being happy that these things were being done. That was pride. He wasproudfor something that was so normal and simple.
Releasing her chin, Tanin took her hand instead and began walking with her through the ship. She followed without question, holding his hand happily, as he guided her up to the bridge, past the hard-working Sway, and to the upper bridge. Once there, he shut the hatch and, only once it sealed, separating them from the main bridge, did he release her.
Garnet took her time walking around. Though she had been here before, this was still Tanin’s space, and she liked to see it.
Unlike the main bridge, it was always clean in here. With the hatch closed, it was quiet. Aloof. Separated from the others. It even smelled like him.
This was the brains of the ship. From his consoles, he could see everything. Control everything. Keep track of everyone. Though it was dim and gray and seemingly lacking in personality at first glance, there was a lot here if you knew what to look for.
The windows were all black. They were still in subspace and, as a protective measure, the windows had all been darkened. Alred explained to her once that subspace was strange for their eyes to behold and looking too long could cause eye strain and headaches and, in some people, even seizures. Better to just not look.
After her little walk around, she turned back to find Tanin in his seat. His elbows were resting on the arms, ribbon loosely wrapped around his wrist. He watched her without a word. Content to just let her meander around his world.
With a smile, she came back to him. He sat back, expression unchanging but crimson eyes blazing as she straddled his legs, resting her hands on his shoulders.
His hands came around, cupping her ass like he owned it. Keeping her perched on him, his gaze briefly roamed down, taking in the entirety of her body, before returning to her eyes.
She frowned, looking down at herself as well. “Sorry. I was sweating. Vytln’s workroom was really hot. It’s like an oven. Or a volcano.”
Tanin’s arm swept up her back, pressing her against his chest. “I don’t care. Just don’t wander around in there. It’s dangerous.”
“Yeah. The engine wasright there.”
“His trap is also in there.”
“His trap?”
Tanin grunted, running his hands over her waist, her hips. Seemingly more interested in exploring her body than what he was saying. “Lvtl males build traps to catch their mates. Once a female goes in, she can’t get out until he lets her.”
“A trap…?”
