Page 76 of Havik: Warlord Brides
The woman’s eyes flickered with something that resembled wanting. “Kaos will not welcome you in his territory,” she said.
Right. Dear old dad putting a wrench in the works.
“We will not linger,” Havik replied.
Something unseen chirred in the distance, the uncanny sound making Thalia’s hair stand on end.
Stabs raised his head and answered with a call she had never heard before, a high pitched staccato.
At the crest of the dune, a dark figure emerged. The kumakre was huge, easily the size of a truck.
“Are they going to fight?” Thalia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The massive kumakre would tear Stabs to pieces. She grabbed Havik’s hand and squeezed. If releasing Stabs into the wild resulted in his instant death, then she’d happily clean his sand tank forever. He’d be a house monster. The new ship wouldn't be as tolerant of a monster scurrying down the halls, but Stabs didn’t like to be confined to one room. Maybe they’d find a harness for him and take him on walks.
“It is a female,” Mais said.
“That’sa female? She’s huge,” Thalia replied.
“She must be, to defend her eggs.”
The female kumakre called again. Stabs reared up on his hind legs and rattled his tail.
“She’s going to tear him to pieces. Stop him,” Thalia pleaded, tugging on Havik’s hand.
“I will not get between two kumakres in a mating dance,” he said.
“Mating! Stabs is a baby.”
“He is a juvenile ready to mature and healthy. His size will increase out of captivity,” Havik said.
The female kumakre and Stabs exchanged more chirps and rattles. Whatever had been decided, the female turned her tail and disappeared over the dune. Stabs followed.
The wind decided.
“If you love something, set it free,” Thalia said, echoing her mother’s words. Those words had felt cruel and mocking at the time, but Thalia understood the cold comfort that came from letting someone go for the sake of their happiness.
Havik gave her a severe look. “I love you too much to everlet you go.”
Lightness filled her. He loved her. He had made promises of devotion to her but that was the first time he said the L-word.
She leaned into him, not wanting to make a big deal about it. She’d tease him about most anything and everything in the universe, but love had been off-limits.
“You did, though, when I joined Smuggler Sue’s crew. I came back,” she said.
“I stole you back,” he clarified. He leaned down, a heated look on his face. “And then you marked me with the blood of your enemies,” he purred.
Aliens are so weird.
The timer on her comm unit chimed. “Time to go inside. I got my daily maximum dose of Vitamin Radiation. You can stay if you want.”
“Unnecessary.” He glanced once back to the sands but then scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her in place as he jogged toward the ship. Thalia laughed, tugging on his braid and shouting, “Giddy up!”
Chapter 20
Thalia
The morning sun turned the ocean water a liquid gold. The wind was cool by Rolusdreus standards but still comfortable. Anything slightly less than boiling was considered cold, she soon learned. Bundled up in her armor, Thalia was insulated from the nip in the morning air. Well, and the radiation. Can’t forget that.
“How can you stand this?” Havik shivered next to her. He wore nothing but a pair of those tight pants she loved on him so much.
