Page 11 of Pursued By the Dragon Alien

He turned abruptly toward her. “You’re not useless. Your skills don’t match most duties on a ship. But given time, they will.”

He caught a flicker in her eyes—a hint of the very busy workings of her mind. It occurred to him that while she was on probation here, on his ship, he was also very much on probation withher. It made the corners of his lips turn upwards, which made her frown.

“Be here after your first meal of the waking cycle and you’ll be all set. Now, come on,” he said, gesturing toward the exit. “You’ll like this next location better.”

Razion led Lilas toward the dining hall. His mind still turned over everything he’d learned about her. A rare, nearly extinct species. Raised in an Axis-controlled penal colony without even knowing it. Sharp-tongued and stubborn as hell. She fit in here more than she realized.

The dining hall was a small but functional space, lined with metal seating and a handful of tables bolted to the floor. A bank of food replicators was built into the far wall. The interfaces glowed dimly in the low light.

Lilas eyed it with open suspicion. “What are those?”

Razion raised a brow. “You’ve never seen food replicators?”

She folded her arms. “That’s what you eat from?” Her fuchsia eyes flicked over the machines, skeptical.

“How did your settlement eat?” he asked.

Lilas gave him a look like he’d just asked if she breathed oxygen. “We cooked. With actual food.”

Razion frowned. “You didn’t have synthesizers? Protein supplements?”

She snorted. “The Axis barely gave us enough to stay alive. We ate whatever scraps were left after they took their quota.”

His jaw tightened. He shouldn’t have been surprised. The Axis was ruthless when it came to stripping resources from its occupied planets, and if her settlement had been a prison disguised as a farm, then well-fed workers wouldn’t have been part of the plan.

He stepped up to a replicator and tapped a few buttons. “It’s simple,” he said. “Select what you want, and it compiles molecular components to recreate it.”

Lilas didn’t move. “That sounds fake.”

Razion smirked. “It’s not.” He pressed a command, and with a soft hum, a single protein pellet materialized in the dispenser. He picked it up and held it out. “Try it.”

Her eyes narrowed, but hunger won out. She took the pellet, sniffed it suspiciously, then popped it into her mouth.

Razion watched her lips close around it, her throat working as she swallowed.

Then she made a sound—a low, indulgent hum that sent a pulse of heat straight through him. Her eyes fluttered shut, andfor a heartbeat, she looked almost undone, lost in the simple pleasure of real food. Her tongue flicked out, tracing her lower lip, savoring the lingering flavor. Her shoulders eased. Her face softened in a way that made it clear how rare a moment like this was for her.

Razion’s stomach tightened. Heat slashed through his veins, sharp and immediate. It wasn’t just arousal—it was something deeper, something possessive and primal. His pulse thickened in his temples as his cock stiffened beneath his belt. All from watching her eat.Fek.

He clenched his hands into fists at his sides, forcing himself to look away before he did something idiotic—like touch her. His jaw tightened as heat pooled low in his gut. It was justfood. A basic, necessary sustenance, and yet watching her enjoy it felt…intimate.

He cleared his throat. “The replicators can make almost anything, within reason,” he said, trying to keep his tone even. “You have full access to it whenever you wish.”

Genuine happiness lit up her face. “Really? Anytime?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Unless we’re in the middle of something that demands your full attention. Then, a snack can wait.”

“Even in the middle of the sleep cycle?” she pressed, moving closer to him. “This room is always open?”

Razion nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else. He needed to get out of this room before he did something ridiculous—like torture himself by replicating more food just to watch her eat.

“Oh,” she said, eyeing the replicators brightly. “We’re going to be good friends.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it,” he said. “Just read the offerings and make your selection. They’re all in the standard galactic language.”

Lilas didn’t react right away. Then, she stepped back and crossed her arms. “That’s great and all, but there’s one problem.”

Razion frowned. “What problem?”

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