Page 21 of Bonded

“Fine,” Vryek sputtered. “Just fine. Very fine. Everything you are doing is fine. Here, I can double check.” Vryek skimmed his hands along the seams of the suit, paying special attention to her back and legs.

I had a feeling he was making more than just a few adjustments, and more than once, I had to get his attention to keep from being too intrusive.

Priya did not seem to notice. She furrowed her brow in concentration as she observed Vryek’s every movement to make sure that she could put her suit on correctly next time. She even undid parts of her suit, only to attach them once more.

Every tantalizing glimpse of her skin caused me to stutter and lose my train of thought. It was a good thing that Vryek was doing most of the talking.

It was almost a shame that she was such a quick learner. I liked the idea of helping her dress each day… and the possibility of undressing her at night.

After a while, I also started fiddling with her suit, too, sharing some features that I enjoyed the most.

A new voice rumbled into our space. “I wondered what was taking so long, but now I see.”

Ithran loomed in the doorway, both sets of his arms crossed.

A rush of embarrassment came from Priya over our link. Her fingers knotted together. “I am so sorry, Captain. I needed help to put my suit on.”

I wanted to tear off one of Ithran’s arms and beat him with it for making her uncomfortable.

“I see,” Ithran said dryly. “Do not worry, Pilot-Priya. You have nothing to apologize for.” The emphasized ‘you’ did not escape my notice. “I understand suits can be very confusing to put on and time-consuming for one’s first time. I know of which I speak.” He emphasized this with a show of his four arms, making Priya giggle.

“At least next time you’ll know how to put it on correctly, yes? Without help from your other pilots.”

Priya nodded emphatically. “I observed really closely, thank you.”

I felt sheepish. Especially because she was so genuinely excited to know how to put her suit on correctly, and here I was trying to cop a feel across her firm body. Vryek was the same.

“Well, considering you are done; may I have the pleasure of escorting you to the navigation room for the first time?”

“I would love that.” Priya went to Ithran’s side. Over her head, the captain gave us a withering look that told us we would have a private conversation later. Priya might have been too innocent to notice that I used her invitation as an excuse to touch her, but our games did not fool Ithran.

I sighed as my gaze lingered on Priya’s backside. The gentle sway of her hips as she walked alongside Ithran was an enticing tease. My hands itched to feel more of her curves.

She looked good in that suit.

PRIYA

Ihad been nervous to see what I would experience after I linked with Ruzan, Vryek, and the ship. After all their warnings, at the very least, I had expected to be sick and nauseated.

After the initial injection, I was more or less the same as I had been. Possibly, I’d grown accustomed to chronic illness and fatigue my entire life that one more side effect barely fazed me. Aside from a little headache, I felt the same as always. Maybe even a touch better.

That was a relief, since I wanted to help the ship get better in any way I could. It was the least I could do to repay it for giving me such unexpected kindness.

The way others moved or found a different place to be when he roamed the halls made it feel much safer. With the captain at my side, and Vryek and Ruzan at my back, it was easy to feel safe. Not that the ship ever felt dangerous; however, it was less overwhelming for me with fewer people around.

The commotion that happened because of my unexpected arrival in the mess hall was something I never wanted to relive. I threw a monkey wrench into what otherwise seemed like a perfectly calm and efficiently ran ship.

I really enjoyed the fact that he let me hold on to one of his arms, too. Though he was much taller and had a longer stride, he didn’t seem to complain or feel the need to rush me. Not that I strolled exactly, nor was I even small compared to other women. At five-foot-six, I was taller than the average female in the colony. And I towered over those from my same ethnic background.

I was so used to other alien races being taller than me I usually had to scurry to keep up with the few I’d actually walked beside. This slower pace allowed for easier conversation.

“Are you enjoying being with us, Pilot-Priya?”

It felt nice to hear my title spoken aloud. It made me feel like I belonged. “I guess I should get used to hearing that since I’m one of the pilots. At least for now.”

“For now? What do you mean?”

“I wanted to help the ship; however, I also wanted to make sure that whatever I had was reversible just in case things didn’t work out.”

---