Once dressed, he insisted on carrying her.
“I’m fine,” she said, pride refusing to allow herself to be carried out of Medical like an invalid. Once in the corridor, however, exhaustion hit hard. When Havik cradled her to his chest, she didn’t protest. He was solid and warm and the perfect balm.
He brought her to a cabin furnished with the bare necessities. Boxes and bags, presumably their possessions retrieved from the ship, lined the wall but remained unpacked.
The door opened into a central living space with a kitchenette to one side, complete with an eat-in counter, and a cluster of comfortable looking chairs for a seating area. Clean and bright, the space lacked the lived-in, homey feel of the ship, but she could fix that.
She spied a familiar object on a side table. “The murder plant!”
“That is not its name. The bedroom is through there,” Havik said, depositing her in a chair that proved to be as comfy as it looked. “Do you thirst? I will fetch you a beverage. Cleansing room.” He pointed to the other door. “We can request a larger cabin if we require a larger space.”
“Why would we need a larger cabin?” she asked before thinking. “Oh. Um, I’m totally on board with kids, but I’d like to wait a bit.” They talked about that, right? She was so happy to start their lives together, but she didn’t want to start popping out kids right away.
He delivered her a cold glass of not-tomato juice. Perfect. “Agreed. While you were in the tank, I met several warriors, their mates, and their sons.” A wry grin tugged at his lips. “I am thankful for the ability to sleep without interruptions.”
“Oh, that’s so cute. You think I’m gonna let you sleep,” she teased.
Havik
“Tell me what I missed while I was asleep.”
Havik lifted his mate from the chair. She yelped in surprise, and he positioned her, so she sat in his lap. His arms wrapped around her and she snuggled into him.
Much better.
“Mais is well,” he started. “She had a minor injury. I offered to take her with us, but she elected to stay with her family.”
“She can’t. It’s not safe.”
“They are in a different settlement and a different clan.” He paused, relishing the feel of Thalia in his arms, where she belonged. “She knows my thoughts on the matter.”
“Stabs?”
“Gone by the time I returned.”
“That’s a shame. I was so happy to see him.” She twisted to face him. “Be honest: how amazing was that entrance?”
“You looked like an avenging dencadiz, full of righteous fury.” He brushed back her shorter hair, and his fingers traced a path from her ears to the smooth curve of her neck.
“Okay, explain that. My translator is calling it a water witch.”
“A mythical creature that lives in the ocean and lures its victims to their death.”
“Oh, a siren.” A pleased grin spread on her face. “We have a similar creature on Earth.”
“Like a vampire? Really? At the height of a tense situation, when our lives were in jeopardy, you start spouting off the most ridiculous claims?”
She laughed, pressing her face into his chest like her mirth was a secret. He knew how much she enjoyed causing trouble. “Your face! I thought you were going to laugh.”
“I nearly did,” he said.
“And Skullfucker—”
“Skyll.”
“Whatever his name was, he got so mad. I just wanted to buy you a little bit of time. It was worth it.”
“Did you throw a bucket of blood at them?”
She nodded. “When they grabbed me on the ship, and it was a glass of juice.” More laughter, incredibly sweet laughter. “She vampired me,” she repeated in a gruff voice, then dissolved into more laughter.
When her laughter subsided, she smoothed a hand over his chest. It came to rest directly over his heart, mirroring the tattoo beneath his shirt. “How is the new clan? Is it what you wanted?”
He brushed a thumb over the smooth skin at the curve of the neck. For the longest time, all he wanted was a mate and a family—a chance to be the father that Kaos never was to him. Perhaps he got his wish too young. When his mate arrived, he treated her poorly, concerned more about status and the opinion of others. He had been too much like Kaos, he now knew.
He still wanted all those things, but only with Thalia. Their son would be trouble. He already anticipated much mischief and much laughter.
“Danger B? You all right?” she asked.
“Forgive me. I was wondering how I am such a lucky male.” He traced where scarring from his bite once marked her skin.
“Luck has nothing to do with it. It’s been hard work and pew-pew-pew from the get-go.” She made finger guns to illustrate her point, then looked closer at her index finger. “I fell off a bike when I was ten and sliced my finger on a chain-link fence. The scar is gone. I guess that’s what the doctor meant when he said some differences.”
Her eyes went wide. “The mate mark!” She slapped a hand over the location in question, then tugged down her shirt. “Fuck. Bite me again.”
He lowered his head, kissing the spot. “In time,” he murmured.
“But you need it, so people know I belong to you.”
“Is that how you think our dynamic works?” His clever mate, usually so perceptive and witty, and yet so wrong. He returned her hand to his heart. She opened the shirt, pushing the fabric away to reveal her handprint inked into his skin.
She returned her hand to his chest, covering the mate mark she left on him.
“You claimed me,” he said. “From the very beginning, when I thought I trailed a common thief, you led me on a chase.”
“It was pretty fun.” A smile tugged at her lips. “You picked me. Over your father. Your family. No one’s ever picked me.”
“I belong to you. I always have and I am a fortunate male that you informed me of this fundamental
