Page 17 of Havik: Warlord Brides
“We’d be drifting in the deep black with no life support.”
“Earth has a gate now.”
“No gates.”
“What is the point of having a gate if we can’t use it?” Ren ran a frustrated hand through his short hair, drawing attention to the white lock at his temple. “And you should be so lucky to have white hair. Females find it irresistible.”
Havik highly doubted that but he did wonder at Ren’s urgent need to arrive at Earth. Havik had a lost mate to retrieve and honor to restore. He wasn’t sure what Ren expected to gain from the journey.
Just when Havik could no longer stand the sound of his friend’s voice, they arrived at Earth. Terrans, apparently, enjoyed bureaucracy. Docking at the station on the moon required a permit, which required a reason for his visit. Havik struggled with the form as there was no box to check next to “Reclaim honor and right a past wrong against his mate.” Instead he ticked offtourist.
Ren downloaded an Earth guidebook and spouted facts about Terrans, orhumansas they liked to be called. “Their bodies are mostly water, and their planet is also mostly water. They must be very moist.” Ren lowered his tablet. “I do not think I would enjoy that.”
Then he added, “I found amusing photographs of Terrans in the extreme cold pretending to eat food, but it has already frozen. Look, the utensil for the noodles is frozen in midair. It is amusing.” Ren grinned. “Terrans are humorous. You cannot eat that.”
And, “Terrans have an evolutionary obligation to protect their young and they find other beings with the features of infants to becute. Large eyes. Disproportionate heads on small bodies. Lesser species have evolved to have their young mimic the features of Terran infants. Fascinating. This is an infant feline. It is adorable. I need one.”
“We will not acquire a feline,” Havik said.
“The guide says they excel at killing vermin. Do you like vermin? Is that why you do not want a feline? It is fine. We will discuss this later.”
He knew it was a lost battle.
* * *
Havik stood outside the squat,ugly building. Earth was a cold planet with too much humidity in the air, a ludicrous amount of water, but the sunshine took away the worst of the chill.
Ren, apparently, loved being frozen. With both fists on his hips, he took a deep breath and sighed with pleasure. “You can smell rain. How wild is that? And Terrans have a word for it: petrichor.” He took another exaggerated breath. “Earth is amazing.”
Havik had a differing opinion but kept his mouth shut.
Earth had proven to be a frustrating, backward planet. Vanessa could not be reached with the contact information Havik had. He tried to remember if she had family, but he was as bad as Ren had said and selfishly never bothered to ask about her life on Earth. Vanessa had mentioned attending university, but Earth held thousands of such institutions. How could a male find one female out of the billions on Earth? It was an impossible task made more difficult by his past actions, or lack of curiosity in his mate.
The Earth authorities requested their presence. No doubt a pair of clan-less Mahdfel warriors asking after a missing female caught their attention.
Havik shivered at the artificially cooled air inside the building. Earth was a terrible place, and he could not wait to leave once he found his lost mate. He gave his name to the Terran at the front desk and was admitted through a series of locked doors and down a long corridor. Eventually, the escort waved a key card above a sensor and opened the final door.
A Rolusdrean male waited in the room. Large, his complexion a deep red, he seemed to occupy the entire room, despite standing in the far corner. He gave Havik an assessing look. Despite the shrewd gaze, Havik’s spirits lifted at the presence of another Mahdfel from his planet.
“Son of a warlord come to make his path. You have Kaos’ stubborn jaw,” the male said. “I hope that is all you share with him.”
“You know my father?”
“I’ve had the displeasure.”
“Then you will understand me when I say that male is no father to me,” Havik said.
“And the other one,” the male said, turning his attention to Ren.
Ren glanced at Havik and whispered, “Was that supposed to intimidate me?”
The male waved toward the tiny, Terran-sized chairs at the table. “Sit. It is not easy being the son of a warlord, but I suspect I know how Kaos drove away his only son.”
“And the other one,” Ren added. He leaned over to Havik and dramatically whispered, “I’m helping.”
“You are not,” Havik said, irritation creeping into his voice. He needed to be taken seriously by the Earth authorities. The older warrior standing opposite them already knew their reputations, hinted that he knew why they left their clan and planet, and probably judged them to be immature youths. Ren’s banter only reinforced the perception of immaturity.
The other male folded his arms behind his back and waited.
