“How about we agree that we belong with each other?”
“Agreed.” His lips claimed hers.
Chapter 25
Thalia
Three Months Later
“Is cake meant to look like that?” Havik tilted his head at the uneven lump on the plate.
“It stuck to the pan. Guess I forgot to grease it. I can cover up the uneven parts with frosting,” Thalia said. She refrained from saying the last time she baked a cake had been on her tenth birthday. Amazingly, her mom gave her the cash for a cake mix and supplies. An excited Thalia made a lumpy chocolate cake and it was the greatest thing ever.
This abomination, however…
She scooped up a thick glob of icing on a butter knife and eyed the pothole-sized craters. “Probably won’t help,” she concluded.
“I will retrieve an item from the cafeteria that contains enough sugar and fat to satisfy your sweet tooth,” he said.
“Store-bought?” She gave a theatrical gasp, like a deeply insulted happy homemaker.
Despite playing the situation as a joke, it worried her. When Havik informed her that he accepted an invitation to dinner with his ex, she felt less than thrilled. What if the mysterious Vanessa was hung up on Havik and tried to win him back? What if she was smarter and funnier than her? What if they hated each other on sight? And where did Vanessa get off on inviting her ex-husband over for dinner. Who does that?
Thalia’s mind whirled, always circling the same questions and imagining a hundred ways everything could go wrong. It was bad enough to discover that the ex-wife remarried and was in the same clan that Havik worked so hard to join. Did he know this before? Who knew? Thalia only found out because Ren could not keep gossip to himself.
Yeah, they’d be coming back to that.
“I can’t bring cafeteria cake to dinner with your ex-wife. She’ll judge me,” she said.
“For what?”
Thalia tossed the frosting-covered knife into the sink. “For being a bad cook. An inferior wife. Not good enough.” All her old doubts.
“Vanessa cannot cook,” he said, tail swaying behind him as if amused.
“Really?”
“She burned several of the simplest dishes.”
Thalia felt better already, knowing the perfect Vanessa had some flaws after all. She didn’t have a reason to feel insecure. Havik picked her, and he wore her mark. And so, what if Vanessa went to college and got a fancy degree? Thalia knew she had brains, even if she didn’t have a formal education, and other people knew it too. The nurse, Meridan, asked Thalia to train as her replacement while she took maternity leave. Meridan said that Thalia’s experience plus her willingness to stand up to Kalen made her ideal for the position.
Deeply flattered, Thalia turned the position down, and not just because she didn’t want to work alongside the grumpy doctor. Being Doc’s assistant had never been her choice. She did it because she feared what ideas Nicky would cook up if she didn’t smile and be the best damn assistant ever. It was dumb luck that she liked Doc. Underneath the shell-shocked man drinking himself to death was a decent guy who did the best he could for her.
Her heart just wasn’t in nursing or medicine.
Seeran shocked her with an offer to be the clan’s spymaster. Fine. His actual words were “intelligence consultant,” but Thalia understood that he just couldn’t call her a spymaster. It wasn’t exactly a title you slapped on business cards. Ren also worked for Seeran, but his missions took him off the Judgment. His smaller stature allowed him to disappear into a crowd and not be so obviously Mahdfel about it.
Mainly, she reviewed recordings and read messages, adding her insights and critiquing Ren. That part was great. The work was interesting and, most important, was her choice and not something she got stuck with.
“Screw the cake,” she said. “Let’s bring the murder plant.”
Havik nodded. “Yes. Vanessa enjoys unusual plants. She will appreciate the water leech.”
“Great. Yay,” Thalia said in a flat voice. She had completely forgotten that the murder plant had originally been meant for the marvelous Vanessa.
Ugh. Jealousy sucked. She didn’t expect their lives to be smooth sailing, but this jealous streak surprised her. Havik wouldn’t change his mind. She knew that. He took his damn shirt off at every opportunity to show off the handprint tattoo, bragging about how his mate marked him with the blood of her enemy.
Okay, so it sounded gross, but a man who said gross things like that meant them. He wouldn’t throw her over because a gorgeous super plant genius winked at him.
Havik fussed with the water leech, removing dead leaves, and cleaning the pot. When the ceramic pot was sufficiently dusted, he dragged a large finger through the white sand, creating a swirling design.
“It’s a pot filled with dirt. It’s only gonna get so pretty,” she snapped.
Maybe the murder plant would get the wonderful Vanessa in her sleep.
Far too quickly, they found themselves outside a door.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.
Havik grinned, holding the plant. “Yes. This is a good gift. You are wise to suggest it.”
She didn’t mean the plant, but sure. Go with that.
“Because Vanessa loves plants? Hooray,” she said, her voice sour. She was about to throw a temper tantrum and gave zero fucks. “I’m sorry. Apparently, I’m jealous, and it sucks.”
His eyes softened. “It is a good gift because my mate, despite being jealous, wants to be friendly with a female she is determined not to like, because she is jealous.”
“Oh, am I jealous? Maybe you should announce it a few more times.”
His tail danced behind him.
“Jerk. Stop enjoying yourself,” she grumbled.
“I love that you are jealous.” He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. The plant wedged between them unfurled tendrils and brushed against them, searching for the moisture on bare skin. “I do not understand why you care for me so ardently, but I will accept that this is a fault in your thinking.”
“A bank error in your favor?”
If he understood that reference, he made
