“Thank the goddess,” I grunted, kicking the struzzi member toward the underbrush with the toe of my boot." “I didn’t relish having to admit that cooked cock was my new favorite meal.”
Pearl’s eyes widened, lips trembling, as she dissolved into hysterics.
Chapter 7 – Pearl
The Coq au Vin came together beautifully. While the struzzi meat proved fattier than regular chicken, with the foraged vegetables from yesterday and another bottle of pilfered wine, it turned out delicious. Despite the fact that I couldn’t look at Jutuk while cooking without dissolving into a fit of giggles. Granted, I found it sweet that he made a point of finding the bird’s cock for me. That couldn’t have been pleasant.
I tried to get him to rest while I cooked. I could tell by the way he held himself and the grimace he tried to hide that his arm pained him. He stubbornly took up residence on the stool in the back corner of the kitchen, watching with apt attention as I sliced, diced, and seasoned.
The female Framaddi made something that looked and smelled like Chicken Piccata. I didn’t have a clue what heinous concoction Chef Uilay made. It looked like an uncooked slab of liver and smelled like rotten eggs. Which made it rather surprising that he beat out Chef Ala for second place.
Tomorrow was the last challenge—a creature of the sea. While I’d been fishing many times in my life, after watching Jutuk wrangle a beast that was more Tyrannosaurus Rex than chicken, I didn’t want to imagine what might await in the depths of alien waters.
After the Chancellor once again declared me the victor and dismissed everyone for the night, I practically had to pitch a hissy fit to get Jutuk to visit medi-bay about his arm. After vowing to every god I’d ever heard of that I wouldn’t leave theroom or open the door, he finally agreed. Once Jutuk left, I took a shower and climbed into bed, almost too exhausted to move.
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but a low moan of pain brought me to wakefulness with a jerk.
Jutuk had returned, his large body stretched out in the area of the floor he’d claimed as a bed. I noticed the tension in his muscles as he favored his injured arm. Lines of pain and exhaustion etched his handsome face, a testament to the battle he endured today. Weariness emanated from him like a thick fog, but he didn’t sleep.
“Jutuk?” I shifted into a sitting position, drawing my knees up to my chest.
“I am here.” Even his voice sounded tired.
“How’s the arm?” Even in the din, I could tell that a large, pale gray square of something had replaced the gel bandage.
Jutuk issued a faint, amused snort. “The healer was impressed with the care you took of the wound. It will heal.”
He lifted his arm easily, as if to illustrate his words, but I noticed the tightness around his eyes and mouth.
“Couldn’t they give you something for the pain?” I’d gotten my period during the time I spent at the Baron’s compound and would have killed to get my hands on some Tylenol. The harem girls had a tea that worked quite nicely, though.
“No,” Jutuk grumbled, as though the very thought of taking a painkiller might damage his warrior persona. “It would make me sluggish. I need my senses sharp to protect you.”
Well, shit. Here I was, thinking of him as arrogant when he was being sweet and protective.
“You really think I’m still in danger?” With the nasty blue bastard that tried to poison me gone... everyone else seemed rather accommodating. Save for the Kwado chef, but I suspected nastiness might be a way of life for him.
“The Framaddi are off the moon and no longer a threat. The Kwado... you should know from your dealings with Baron Oappo how arrogant and odium the species are. While I would not put it past Uilay to sabotage you, I don’t think he would dare try to hurt you.”
“You know, we cook and eat frog legs on Earth,” I quipped. Uilay didn’t worry me. If push came to shove, I could probably kick his ass myself.
“I’d rather eat a cock than a Kwado,” Jutuk teased, making me giggle.
“Who I truly worry about,” he said softly, all residual humor gone from his voice. “Is whoever is tampering with the contest.”
“They’re trying to help me win,” I argued, albeit halfheartedly.
“That’s what it seems.” Jutuk shifted onto his side, and his gaze found mine. “But until we know the endgame, you are not safe.”
I nodded, not wanting to acknowledge the danger but being unable to ignore it. While I believed Baron Oappo was behind the cheating—the froggy bastard—if what Jutuk and his crew suspected about the Duke’s son was true, I could be in far more danger than anyone realized. All of us girls could.
Jutuk rolled onto his back, a low grunt of pain ripping through the stillness. The gash was on the outer edge of his bicep, which rested against the floor, making it nearly impossible for him to find a comfortable position. He fought hard today. If one wanted to get technical about it, he saved my life. I would have been the meal if the struzzi caught me alone.
The bed under me was soft, comfortable, and larger than any bed I had ever slept in. I couldn’t help feeling guilty for having it all to myself. Jutuk needed a good night’s sleep, andwhile I knew he’d refuse to swap places and let me sleep on the floor or sofa....
It would be temporary, just for tonight. Just so he could get some much-needed rest. The bed was plenty big enough for two. If it got crazy awkward, I could always move to the sofa. For heaven’s sake, he got injured protecting me from a rabid alien Big Bird, so the least I could do was give him a soft place to rest.
I tossed back the blanket and patted the mattress before losing my nerve.
