"As a chef, you… respect food?" Treyvon asked carefully.
"Yes."
"Then you shall chef Last Meal tonight," Treyvon ordered then turned to leave.
"It's cook, and no, I won't," Jen immediately responded.
Gulzar just stood there, the juice from the tray of meat dripping onto the floor as his gaze flew from the General to the small female that dared to disobey him.
"What did you say?" Treyvon's voice became very hard.
"I said that I would not cook Last Meal tonight or any night for that matter. Not until this kitchen is thoroughly cleaned, and that includes the storage units. Not only is it wrong, but it’s dangerous!"
Jen hadn't realized she was moving toward the General as she spoke, not until she stepped on some spilled flour and her injured leg slid out from under her. With a startled cry, she reached out, grabbing for anything to save her from a nasty fall. What she grabbed was the General.
Or did he grab her?
Treyvon couldn't believe this small female dared to refuse a direct order from him. No one refused one of his orders. He was about to tell her so when he saw her slip. In an instant, he had her wrapped in the safety of his arms, not even realizing he had moved.
"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, holding her close and finding he liked the feel of her small breasts pressing against his chest.
"I… yes." Jen looked up and found her gaze captured by the glowing blue of his.
"Is this one of the dangers you speak of?" Treyvon asked quietly.
Jen just blinked at him until his words finally penetrated the fog that had filled her mind. Tearing her gaze from his, she wiggled in his arms, and he immediately set her on her feet, making sure she was steady before taking a small step back.
"Yes, but I was referring to the way you store your food, especially your meat." She pointed to where Gulzar was still standing.
"It must be thawed before it is cooked," Gulzar immediately defended his actions.
"Not that way," Jen said, turning to face him. "It needs to be done in your refrigeration unit. I know you have to have one."
"Refrigeration?" Gulzar questioned.
"A room like this that keeps things cold, but not so cold that they are hard."
"I...” Gulzar frowned. "We do have a cool room, but it would never thaw in there."
"It would. It just takes longer. That's why you have to plan ahead. That meat you're holding,” Jen indicated to the pan in Gulzar’s hands. “When did you remove it from the room where it was kept frozen… hard?"
"I removed it from the cold room before morning drills."
Jen's fingers rubbed at a headache she felt forming between her eyes. "You put a piece of meat, that size, in a warm room for half the day?"
"Yes. It makes it so I can cut it up and fit it in the pot." Gulzar looked to Treyvon. "General, I need to get started on Last Meal unless…" he turned hopeful eyes to Jen, "she will be preparing it?"
"Absolutely not!" Jen immediately replied. "Not until this entire kitchen is thoroughly cleaned, organized, and inventoried! I can't prepare a proper Last Meal without knowing what you have."
"Warrior Gulzar," Treyvon looked to the male. "Proceed with your assigned duty."
"Yes, General."
Chapter Five
Jen slowly entered the quarters she was assigned when Luol released her from Medical. It was similar to Nikhil and Mac’s, except it was only one room and contained a lone bare bed. But Jen didn’t care. After the conditions they’d survived in the mines, this was a penthouse suite to her. Not because of the bed, since she could now sleep anywhere and on anything. But because it had a toilet and a shower. Apparently, the Kaliszians found it unacceptable for a female to rest with so many males. Ignoring the bed, she headed for the cleansing room.
She'd spent the last few hours with the guys, sharing Last Meal, and talking to them. She hadn't been happy to learn that the General had already informed them she would be staying on Pontus. She’d wanted to be the one to tell them, to explain why she was staying. She would let the General know he'd overstepped, but not tonight. Tonight she needed to regroup.
She stripped off the dress Mac had insisted she take. One of the ones Nikhil had ordered sent to Pontus for his True Mate. After carefully folding and placing it on the counter, she stepped into the cleansing unit and tipped her face up, letting the gloriously hot water flow over her. Dear God, she never thought something as simple as taking a shower or getting clean, could bring her to tears. Then again, she never thought she'd be grateful to eat something that tasted like warm wallpaper paste either.
Using the cleansing gel the Kaliszians had provided, she began to wash her hair. She knew nothing remained of the black gunk Todd had insisted she put in her hair, but still, she scrubbed it hard. Maybe one day she would forget how filthy it had been, but she didn't believe that would be anytime soon.
Tipping her head forward, she let the water wash away the foaming gel then turned her attention to her body. She wanted to ignore the changes that had occurred in her body since she'd gone up that mountain. She found that impossible with the way the wet walls seemed to reflect her image. Who the hell put a reflective material in a shower?
She knew she had lost weight, a lot of weight. They all had, what with so little food, but she didn't need to see what she could feel. She knew you could see every one of her ribs, knew her hipbones protruded dreadfully. In the mine, she'd forced herself to look at her mangled ankle and the scars that ran up her left leg. Seeing them now, even partially healed, she couldn't believe she'd survived. They were still thick and raised, crisscrossing the outside of her left leg. But it was her face that shocked her, and she felt her eyes fill.
Slowly, she lifted a thin hand to touch the horrid reflection on the wall.
No wonder the guys still couldn't look at her.
She'd known it was bad, had relived it in her mind a thousand times. She could still see that gloved fist, full of metal studs, coming at her. Could still feel the unbelievable pain that had followed. She'd run her fingers over her face in the mine, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of seeing them reflected back at her. They marred what her mother had once called her beautiful, porcelain skin with angry red slashes that ran from temple to chin, several of which while healed, weren't fully closed.
Fighting back her tears, she let it all soak in. She’d said her goodbyes to the guys tonight, giving each one a final hug. Paul and Eric had been the hardest. Besides Mac, those two had been the ones that had always been there for her. They would look at her, not away, and saw her as she had been, not how she was now. They called her beautiful. She knew she couldn’t stand there tomorrow and watch them leave, one by one taking away her last real connection to Todd and the life she had before. So she’d done what she’d always done. She’d taken the easy way out and said goodbye tonight.
Now, they were gone just like her parents.
Like her sister.
Like Todd.
Closing her eyes, she pressed a fist to her mouth trying to hold back the sob that was building in her chest.
"Todd…" The sob burst out of her. "Oh, God! Todd!" As her legs gave out, she twisted, the walls supporting her as she slowly collapsed until she was lying on the floor.
Dear God, they were all gone.
Curling up into a ball on the hard, cold floor with only the walls to hear, she released all the pain and grief she'd been holding inside for too long.
• • • • • •
The next morning, Treyvon silently watched as one-by-one the human males entered the shuttle that would take them from Pontus to their new home on Kalbaugh. It wasn't something he'd done with the other species, but for some reason, he felt he needed to with these males. If he were honest with himself, he would admit it wasn't the males that had drawn him here. It was Jennifer.
He'd had a restless night, tossing and turning as the Goddess had refused to bless him with a restful sleep. His mind ke
pt replaying the events of the day. Jennifer slowly, painfully, moving toward him. Her powerful, blue eyes challenging him. He'd never met a female like her before. Kaliszian females would never think to challenge him, especially not if they needed his protection. They would cower and bow before him. Not Jennifer. She stood tall, at least as tall as she could with her injuries.
She was the real reason he was here. He couldn't shake the feeling that she might need him as she watched her friends leave. That she hadn't appeared surprised him. When the last male, Craig, approached the shuttle, Treyvon moved forward.
"Where is Jennifer?" Treyvon demanded, stepping in front of Craig.
Craig looked up at Treyvon and frowned. "I assume she's in your kitchen. We said our goodbyes last night. We knew she wouldn’t be here this morning.” Still, Treyvon watched Craig's eyes search behind him before they finally met his again, a sad acceptance in them. "I'm expecting you to keep your vow, General."
"I always keep my vows," Treyvon snapped.
Giving him a short nod, Craig boarded the shuttle.
• • • • • •
Gryf silently walked beside his friend and General. He'd been surprised to see him in the boarding area and was even more surprised to see him talk to the leader of the human males.
"General, the men are ready to recheck the southern quadrant."
Treyvon was silent for several moments. The south quadrant was where Emperor Vasteri's shuttle had crashed and where they first found evidence of the Zaludians. They'd cleared the area once already. But after what had happened with the remotely activated transmission from the last mine that pulled them away so the Zaludians could attack the base, he wanted to make sure they hadn't missed anything.
"Inform them I'll be there shortly," Treyvon told Gryf, then turned down a corridor that took him in the opposite direction of his Warriors. He needed to know where Jennifer was, needed to know if she was well before he left the base.
"Yes, General." Gryf lifted his comm, relaying the message as he followed his friend, silently wondering where they were going.
• • • • • •
"What in the name of the Goddess do you think you are doing?!!" Treyvon demanded, striding across the kitchen and jerking the large, water-filled pot out of Jennifer's hands. It was too heavy for her to be lifting.
"I… General…" Jen stumbled back slightly, surprised by his presence. "What are you doing here?"
"Why are you lifting this?!!" Treyvon ignored her question and moved to the sink, dumping the pot.
"Because I need to clean it!" Jen shot back with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"It is too heavy for you! Where is Gulzar?" he demanded, turning back to her.
"How would I know?" she fired back. "He's your Warrior."
"Commander!" Treyvon's eyes shot to Gryf.
Gryf had been silently standing in the doorway, as shocked as the female at Treyvon's actions. Why was his friend taking such an interest in this small female? Yes, she had been treated poorly while in their Empire and under their protections, but that didn't explain what he was seeing or hearing.
"Commander!"
The repeated word snapped Gryf out of his thoughts. He’d been serving with Treyvon so long that he knew what Treyvon wanted, and he reached for his comm. "Yes, General."
"Why were you not there when the shuttle left?" With his Second-in-Command doing what he expected of him, Treyvon turned his attention back to Jennifer.
Jen took a steadying breath, and then moved forward, sliding behind him to stand in front of the sink again. "There was no reason for me to be there. The guys and I said our goodbyes last night."
"You do not believe they would wish to see you one last time?"
"It would just have made it harder… for everyone," she told him. As the pot filled with clean, hot water she began to scrub.
Treyvon said nothing for a moment, just watched her attack the pot. He did not understand this female. He had expected her to want to spend every minute she could with the males she so defended. Instead, she was here cleaning.
"You sent for me, General?" Gulzar asked, running into the area bumping into Gryf in the process.
"You, Warrior Gulzar, are now assigned with assisting Chef Jennifer Neibaur." His words shocked everyone in the room and had Jen spinning around in surprise. "You will remain here and do whatever she demands of you."
"I… yes, General."
While Gulzar responded correctly, Jen could tell he wasn't happy with the new task assigned to him.
"General…" She thought to change his mind, but the hard look he gave her had her snapping her mouth closed.
"She is not to be lifting anything heavy. Is that understood, Warrior Gulzar?" Treyvon's gaze bored into the young Warrior.
"Yes, sir," Gulzar immediately responded.
Giving Jennifer one last hard look, Treyvon walked away. "Gryf!" he called over his shoulder.
Jen and Gulzar just stared at each other as the door shut behind Gryf, neither knowing what to say.
"What do you require me to do?" Gulzar finally asked.
"Nothing." She returned to scrubbing the pot. "I didn't ask for your help, Warrior Gulzar. Go back to wherever you were, and do whatever you were originally doing."
"I cannot, as I was supposed to be leaving with the General to inspect the southern quadrant."
"Oh, I guess you can't just go then."
"No."
Rinsing off the pot with clean water, she inspected it. Finding it cleaned to her specifications, she reached for a towel and began to dry it.
"Then go train or something," she told him absently.
"I cannot do that either," he told her resentfully. "The General ordered me to remain here and assist you. So that is what I must do."
"Even if I don't want you here?" she questioned over her shoulder.
"Yes."
"Even if you don't want to be here?"
"My wishes do not matter. I am here to serve my Emperor and follow the orders given to me by my General. Therefore, I must remain here and assist you in any way you need."
"I see." Jen limped to the table and set the pot with the other clean ones. "So we're stuck with one another, huh?"
"Stuck?" Gulzar frowned at her.
"It means we have to work together whether we want to or not."
"That would be truth," Gulzar agreed.
"So tell me, Warrior Gulzar. Where are you from?" She moved to pick up another large pot.
"Sustus," he told her, moving quickly to take the pot from her. "You want this in the sink?"
"Yes." She followed slowly behind him. "Thank you, but I could have done that, you know."
"It would be difficult for you, even if…" he trailed off, slashes of red streaking across his cheekbones.
"If I weren't injured," she finished for him.
"Yes," he admitted hesitantly.
Jen looked at the pot. It was an unusually large one and made from a metal that was heavier than those used on Earth were. With the amount of water in it, she realized she would have had a hard time lifting it, even before her injury.
"I believe you are right, Gulzar," she told him.
"I… you are welcome, umm...”
"Jen. My name is Jennifer, but my friends call me Jen."
"You wish to be… friends… with me?"
"Sure." She gave him a confused look. "Why wouldn't I?"
Gulzar stared at her for a stunned moment. Why would she want to be friends with him? Yes, he was a Warrior. A Warrior with the honor of serving under General Rayner. But he had yet to attain Elite status, and until he did, he had no additional food stores to offer a female.
"Because I have no extra food stores to give you in return for your friendship. I have not yet achieved Elite status, and therefore I am not entitled to the additional food credits they receive. Any extra I have, I send to assist my family."
"No. I mean why do you think I would be interested in your food stores?”<
br />
"A female…" Gulzar found his cheeks heating again and had to swallow before continuing. "A Kaliszian female, when she offers friendship to a male, she expects to receive either food staples or credits in return."
"Food staples or credits in return for what? Why would…?" It finally dawned on Jen the type of friendship Gulzar thought she was offering, and she didn't know if she should laugh or be offended by how distressed the young Warrior was at the thought of having sex with her. "I was not offering to Join with you, Gulzar!”
"You weren't?" Gulzar frowned at her.
"No!" she immediately denied.
"Why not?" he demanded stiffly, and Jen saw a sliver of hurt enter his eyes.
Rubbing at a headache growing between her eyes, Jen wondered what she could say that wouldn't further insult Gulzar. Finally, she decided just to give him the truth.
"You're a very nice looking male, Gulzar, and I'm sure females are offering you their friendship all the time without wanting your food supplies." She missed his startled look. "I know my injuries are such that no male would want to Join with me, but what's more important is that I don't want a male."
"You don't?" Gulzar couldn't believe it. All females wanted a male. How else would they be able to survive?
"No! The Zaludians killed my husband, my Dasho. I'm not looking for a male to replace him."
"Not even for food credits?"
"Not even for food credits," she confirmed.
The look he saw in her eyes before she turned back to the sink, to scrub fiercely at the pot, left no doubt she meant every word she said.
Gulzar went to get another pot, and they worked side by side in silence for several minutes, with Gulzar taking each pot from her and drying it as she started on the next one.
"So friendship between a male and female on Earth doesn't involve Joining?" Gulzar finally asked, refusing to look at her as he intently dried the pan she just handed him.
Jen gave him a surprised look. She'd thought they'd finished this conversation. "It can," she admitted. "We call that ‘friends with benefits,' but more often than not, it's just a platonic friendship like the one I have with the guys. Platonic means no sex or what you call Joining."