“Greedy female,” he said, his voice amused.
“Sorry, didn’t realize you were stripping in public now,” she snarked back, thoroughly enjoying the view.
The tattoo artist filled a shallow dish with a white powder and told her to place her hand in it.
“What’s going on?”
“You marked me with the blood of your enemy. I have never received so high an honor,” Havik said.
“You’re getting my bloody handprint tattooed on you?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, you marked my armor so we will have to recreate it.”
She nodded, something in her chest expanding to the point of pain that felt a lot like love. Fucking romantic alien, making her wanna cry.
He guided her hand into the chalk and pressed it against his chest. Glancing down, he nodded with satisfaction. The tattoo artist set to work.
“That’s it? I thought it’d be more…something,” Thalia said, watching the design take shape. “Will it be the same as your others?”
The artist tapped one of Havik’s arms. “That’s my work here, that coverup. The ink is a special formula that will react with the Mahdfel bioluminescence. You won’t notice any difference from what you would get from your clan.”
Thalia peered closer at the design on his arm. The ink blended perfectly with the rest of the design, flawless, even. She knew from firsthand experience that it glowed just as brightly as the rest of his tattoos. “I can’t see a difference. It’s gorgeous.”
“The difference is I no longer bear the markings of my father,” Havik said without a trace of bitterness. His dark eyes shone, like he had more to say but he would save his words for private.
She blushed for no good reason, just the heat of his gaze. Suddenly warm, she couldn’t wait to get back to the cottage. They were wearing far too many clothes and that needed to be remedied at once.
She fucking adored the honeymoon bubble.
Havik
He was two steps outside the tattoo parlor before Thalia tugged him down a secluded alley.
His mate.
Laughing, he pressed her against a plaster wall. His mouth captured hers and she melted against him. His world narrowed to this point of contact, the heat of her, the way she moved against him, inviting more.
She pressed her hand against his chest, watching him for a reaction. “Does it hurt?”
“Momentarily.” He healed quickly enough that the site had minor swelling. In an hour, the design would appear as if he had always worn his mate’s handprint. He covered her hand with his, the older tattoos at his wrist and forearm glowing.
“Good.” Thalia switched positions, pressing him against the wall. Stretching up on her toes, she pressed her lips to his like a female possessed by a fever.
He approved.
Grabbing her at the hips, he lifted her, and her legs wrapped around his waist. They were about to make a spectacle of themselves, and he did not care.
Her fingers worked the buttons on his tunic, pushing the fabric aside. She stared at his flesh, pressing her hand to the design. “I can’t believe you did this. It’s the sweetest and sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen.” Her oasis-blue eyes watered. She blinked rapidly, looking up from his chest. “This is forever, isn’t it?”
Uneasiness replaced desire. He had promised devotion once before to another and failed. He would not fail again. “With everything I have. You are for me. The only one.”
She smiled and it felt just like dawn rising over the ocean. “I think you’re pretty great, too, Garu Havik.”
He needed to get her back to their cottage so he could show her the extent of his devotion. She squirmed in his grip, no doubt feeling his devotion pressing against her.
The comm unit chimed with an incoming message.
“There’s the real world,” his mate groaned, not in the way he wished to hear groaning. She slid down to her feet and adjusted her spectacles.
The message was short but filled him with a cold dread. “It is from the animal rescue.”
“Is Stabs okay? That big scorpion attacked him, didn’t it? I knew it.”
“No. My mother was attacked by poachers. She’s missing.”
Chapter 21
Havik
The details were minimal. Mais left the animal rescue yesterday evening. She never arrived at the clan’s settlement. That morning, her vehicle was discovered, along with the devices used to disable the vehicle.
Someone laid a trap for his mother. He did not have to ponder long. “Poachers,” he said. “I had dealings with them before.”
“The same guys who stole the kumakre egg?” his mate asked.
“Potentially, or another.” There seemed to be no shortage of the unscrupulous willing to sacrifice endangered animals for credit. “They will pay for this.”
Havik cursed the clumsy ship. He needed speed but landing on shifting sands required patience. His haste would cause the landing gear to snap.
Snarling, he jabbed buttons on the console a touch harsher than necessary. The ship landed with a noticeable jerk. He did not care about potential damage. Mais had been missing for twelve hours already. The likelihood of her surviving in the desert without shelter and water diminished by the hour.
He donned his armor. If Mais had encountered poachers, they were to be regarded as hostile. It would be foolish to rush in without protective gear.
“Are you ready?” Thalia asked, dressed in her armor. She held the helmet under one arm.
“You will remain on the ship,” he said.
“I want to talk to the people. I’m not fighting.”
“Unacceptable. We do not know if the rescue staff have been compromised. It is unsafe for you.” He refused to put his mate in harm’s way. She had a distressing habit of rushing in and worrying about the repercussions of her actions later. It made his heart hurt. If
