He reached out and squeezed her hand as she sat down, and Renay felt a warm glow in her chest. She was tingling in a way that had nothing to do with lust. She had never had anyone pay so much attention to her before.
The food was very simple, muesli grains with natural yogurt and some berries that were the freshest and ripest she had ever eaten. They didn’t talk much over the meal, they shared a comfortable feeling of growing affection that Renay felt was progress.
Before long they headed out to the dock where the human crew were unpacking shuttles full of equipment. There would be a small party after the ceremony, and extra decorations and food had been provided. Tyff strode into the hanger and folded his arms, and Renay had a bad feeling about what he was about to do. She touched him gently on the arm.
“Don’t treat them like your warriors, Tyff.”
“Why not?” He cocked an eyebrow, looking at her with suspicion.
“Because they are employees, not soldiers. They’ve never had military training, and they won’t know how to respond. If you confuse them, they’ll resist you.”
Tyff certainly looked confused. He opened his mouth to protest but Renay just shook her head and turned to the crew.
“Hey, guys! Can I have your attention, please?”
The crew looked up and stopped what they were doing. As they came over, they introduced themselves, and Renay used memory tags to remember each face and name.
Susan, dark freckles. Darryl, cheek mole. Julia, beautiful red hair. Nancy, short black bob. Jeff, eldest, grey hair. Luke, permanent scowl.
“Okay, everyone!” Renay used her best excited voice, just like she would with a bunch of first-year readers. “We’ve got a lot of work to do here today. You know the big event is in two days and it’s important to both Preor and humans. Is everyone ready to work hard?”
“Sure.” Susan grinned. “But you don’t have to encourage us. We volunteered, remember?”
Renay grinned. “I apologize, I do tend to get enthusiastic, especially about parties! Can you guys tell me about the equipment that came in today and how much has been moved over to the hall?”
Last night before they had collapsed in bed, Tyff had shown her the basic layout required for the main room, and Penelope had given her a basic map of the ship, so she could plan out the celebration after the event. Renay’s brain had been working on it all night. She had even dreamed about it.
After a quick chat with the crew, Renay turned back to Tyff.
“Is all of this to your liking, War Master?”
He stumbled, just slightly, but recovered quickly.
“Yes… First Lieutenant.” She could tell he just made that up on the spot, but it would probably stick as her official title, especially if he was going to involve her in all of the ship’s procedures. “You can begin the preparations. Are you comfortable to continue here, or do you need my guidance?”
Renay could sense a hint of disbelief in his voice, as if he felt she was going to say no and demand he hold her hand all day.
“You can count on me, War Master,” she said confidently. “By all means, carry on with your duties.”
His eyebrows rose, just a little. “Really?” he asked, his tone breaking the professional air as he showed his surprise.
“Yes, of course,” she answered, meeting his eyes evenly. She knew he wouldn’t neglect his warriors, even for something as important as this, and as his mate, her job to support him.
“Thank you,” Tyff said with meaning. He left the room with his head high and shoulders straight. In just these few days, Renay had seen a huge difference in him. As the Knowing flooded him, and he began to accept her love, he settled mentally and emotionally. His focus was restored.
Renay watched him go for a few seconds and then turned back to the human crew.
“Okay, guys, where’s the red silk and gold brocade? Ah, there it is…” Renay hurried over to a large box where she could see the fabric poking out.
“Nothing is labeled,” Nancy complained. “We’ve had to open everything to find out what’s in it.”
“That’s a bummer,” Renay said. “How are we getting this stuff over to the hall?”
“Moving the boxes one by one,” Jeff muttered. “I can’t find any tools or equipment anywhere.”
“Did you think to ask Penelope?”
“No,” Luke said. “And it’s not like, any Preor are around helping us.”
“That’s the reason we are here,” Renay said. “To undertake basic jobs so the Preor can return to their military routine. Penelope! You know where we can find trolleys and such. Don’t you?”
“I do, but I can also teleport you and the cargo. The hall is on the opposite end of the ship from the dock.”
“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Darryl asked, confused.
“You didn’t ask. My new parameters mean that I can really only speak when spoken to… I’ve gotten myself into some trouble of late.”
Julia snickered. “Now I’ve heard everything.”
Renay laughed. “You haven’t even heard the half of it yet!”
They broke into some easy back and forth as Renay started organizing the supplies for teleport. It looked like it was going to be a good day. She was going to throw her all into this event. No way she was going to let her mate down.
It’s his big day—the day he takes control of the army! It’s got to be perfect!
She had the nagging thought that anytime so much pressure was placed on an event, it was unlikely to come out absolutely perfectly. Renay pushed the thought away and focused on the work.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tyff had never been so exhausted in his life. Even in his early years as a first-string warrior when he was forced to work for twelve hours straight, he hadn’t felt like this. He’d come out of fierce battles better than this!
The combination of the physical work and the mental strain had his head running wild making of new weapons and fighting drills while contemplating flower arrangements. It was absurd.
He couldn’t wait to find Renay and talk to her. She would take care of the details for the ceremony. He was sure. It had been one of the most confusing moments of his life when Dawn had come to him and asked what flowers he needed for the tables.
He hadn’t kept tabs on Renay. Even though it nagged at him, he trusted her. He had an urge to constantly know exactly where she was and a deeper sense that she had no idea how to organize a Preor event, but he knew their partnership would mean nothing if he couldn’t trust her.
He was struggling to believe he was lucky enough to be gifted with a mate who wanted nothing more than to support him. The idea of having another pair of hands backing him up was comforting as well as confronting. It would take some getting used to.
He passed by the hall and was impressed by the long folds of red silk hanging in perfect formation around the room. In between the curtains were pictures of previous war masters. Lists named every job on the ship as well as their understudies. On the main podium sat a stack of pointed sheets showing the order of awards and announcements. His came last.
I’m really going to be war master! He had spent so much time dedicating himself to his routines and the preparation for the day that he had barely had time to be excited about his new position.