“Was it rude of me to eat so much? I don’t really know anything about your culture, so it belatedly occurred to me that women in your society might be expected to eat smaller portions.” When Eliana had been mortal, her mother had always counseled her to eat dainty little servings. But Eliana had spent the many years since surrounded by powerful immortal males who ate as much as Dagon and who couldn’t care less about the quantity she consumed. And she tended to consume copious amounts. Doing anything with preternatural speed or strength burned a lot of calories.
He shook his head. “Segonian women are expected to eat whatever amount they require to achieve optimal health, just as the men are.”
“But what about on a ship? Are there specific, rationed amounts each person on board should stick to?”
His eyes glinted with amusement as his lips twitched. “Are you worried you’ll eat your way through our stores if I impose no limits?”
She grinned. “Maybe.”
He laughed. “We have plenty of food and drink on board. You’ve no worries there, so eat as much as you wish.”
“Okay, but you may come to regret that when you see how much I can put away.”
He shook his head. “I believe I saw that tonight, so I doubt you’ll surprise me.”
She nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t forget your own words, Dagon. I am full of surprises.”
“You are indeed,” he said with another smile.
She grinned. The way he said it made it sound as if he really liked that about her.
They took the lift to Deck 3, where Dagon led her down a long corridor with a lot of closed doors adorned with what she guessed were Segonian numerals. Stopping before one, he placed his palm on the reader. The door slid up. “These will be your quarters while you’re with us.”
“Wow.” She stepped inside and turned in a slow circle. “This is bigger than I expected.” Bigger than the cabin she’d had on the Kandovar, for sure. This room looked like something one of the higher-ups might use. She bit her lip. “I’m not putting anyone out, am I?”
His brow furrowed. “I’m not certain what that means.”
“You didn’t kick Barus or some other higher-ranking officer out of this room so I could have it, did you?”
“No.”
“Because I don’t want anyone to get his shorts in a bunch over it. I am totally fine with taking a smaller room or even sleeping in Med Bay.” The last thing she wanted to do was piss someone off by swiping his cabin.
“You’ll sleep here,” he responded. When she opened her mouth to issue another objection, he held up a hand. “This room is usually empty. We reserve it for commanding officers and other important and honored visitors. Prince Taelon has used this room in the past, as has one of his brothers.”
Prince Taelon? Really? She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not royalty, Dagon.”
He arched a brow. “Perhaps not. But as the sole member of your kind on board, you may consider yourself the Ranasura’s unofficial ambassador to Earth.”
Surprise flitted through her. “Ambassador, huh? Ooh la la. I sound so important.”
He grinned. “You are. Come over here for a moment.” Once she returned to his side, he motioned to the electronic panel by the door. “This is what you’ll use to open and seal your door.” He placed his hand on the pad, then typed a series of commands into the interface. “Place your palm here.”
She splayed her fingers and pressed her palm to the pad. It didn’t cover nearly as much of the surface as his had.
He nodded. “Thank you.”
As soon as she withdrew her hand, he again pressed his palm to the smooth surface.
A tranquil female voice spoke. “Access granted to Eliana.” It was the same voice she’d heard in the infirmary.
Eliana smiled. “She spoke English.”
“Yes. And CC will accept any commands you issue in English as well.” He pressed his index finger to one corner of the panel and held it. “I need you to answer a few questions for me now.”
“Okay.”
“Eliana, where are you from?”
“I’m from Earth.”
“Eliana, how did you come to be here?”
She stared at him a moment. “I was traveling to Lasara on the Kandovar. Some jerkwad Gathendiens attacked us. There was an explosion. I woke up, floating in space by myself in only a space suit. And a month later you showed up and rescued me.”
“Eliana, would you please count slowly from one to twenty for me.”
“Ooooookay.” This was weird. She slowly counted to twenty while he watched her, his face alight with amusement.
“Eliana, please count from one to twenty as quickly as you can.”
She recited the numbers so quickly her words nearly blended together into one sound.
“Thank you.” He removed his finger from the panel. “CC, extrapolate Eliana.”
“Extrapolating Eliana,” CC responded. “Extrapolation complete.”
Eliana stared at him. “I have no idea what’s happening right now.”
He chuckled. “I was helping CC learn your voice so she will accept your commands.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “Good. For a minute there I thought you’d gone a little wacky in the wicky woo. You know what I mean?”
“No, I don’t,” he answered honestly.
She laughed. “Don’t worry about it.”
He again motioned to the panel. “You have to use your palm print to enter or leave, but the rest of the commands may be given verbally. Try dimming the lights.”
“Okay.” She cleared her throat and looked up at the ceiling. “Hi, CC. Eliana here. Would you please dim the lights for me?”
The lights dimmed.
Again he chuckled. “You don’t have to greet CC.”
Wrinkling her nose, she lowered her voice. “I know. It just seems rude not to.”
Smiling, he shook his head. “You won’t hurt CC’s feelings if you don’t greet her first.”
“Affirmative,” CC confirmed. “I am not a sentient life form. I am a software program incapable of feeling emotion.”
Eliana turned her gaze up to the ceiling. “Thank you for clarifying that, CC. Would you please brighten the lighting for me?” The lights returned to their previous luminescence. “Thank you.” When she glanced back at Dagon, she took one look at the humor reflected in his handsome features and issued a self-deprecating laugh. “I know. I can’t help it. This is going to take some getting used to.”
“Didn’t you use voice commands in your quarters on the Kandovar?”
“No. Prince Taelon had them retrofit our rooms with manual controls so it would feel more like home.”
“Ah.” He motioned to the cabin around them. “Do you have any questions?”
She looked around. There was a comfy-looking chair in one corner, perfect for reading, a small table with two utilitarian chairs, an entertainment vid screen, a couple of panels she thought might cover recessed closets, a nook with one of the alien snack-and-beverage dispensers she had never been able to figure out on the Kandovar, and a doorway bracketing the entrance to a dark room. “I don’t think so. I assume that room over there is the lav?”