Page 31 of Havik: Warlord Brides
“Wow. It’s big.” Thalia stood in the center of the room and nodded.
Pride swelled in Havik. He had spent the last two years preparing the room for his mate.Ex-mate. Everything in the cabin had been designed with Vanessa in mind and needed to be perfect. Fresh paint, soundproofing, and gentle lighting gave the cabin a quiet, inviting feel. The original furnishing had been replaced with carefully chosen pieces. He had wanted to fill the space with objects that Vanessa would appreciate, but beyond the plant on the built-in shelf, he had no idea what that might be. Adding to his shame, he did not know the colors she favored, so he painted the cabin a bland peach.
“I combined two cabins.” He had intended to share this cabin with Vanessa. It needed to be large enough for two adults. The bed reflected that.
The plant and the bed were the only two things he could add with certainty. He did not know enough about his mate—former mate! —to perform a task as basic as furnish a cabin. He really had been a selfish mate to Vanessa.
“Bit sparse. Nice though.” Thalia’s voice dragged him away from his dishonor. Her bag thumped down on the bed. She opened drawers and pressed on panels, revealing storage spaces.
“What type of plant is that?” Thalia stretched out a hand as she approached the plant.
“A water leech.”
Her hand snapped back.
“It is native to my planet and adapted to absorb moisture out of the air. Observe.” Havik picked up the small bottle next to the planet and sprayed a gentle mist. Brown tendrils unfurled, revealing delicate filament, each strand as fine a hair. The tendrils moved toward the water, the filaments shivering and the color deepening to a pleasant green.
“Wow. That’s amazing,” Thalia said.
“In small doses. Observe.” He took her hand, watching her face carefully for refusal, and sprayed her palm. He moved it toward the plant and the tendrils latched onto her hand.
“It tickles.” She pulled away, meeting a moment of resistance before the water leech relinquished its grip.
“They are useful and dangerous,” he said. “The roots store water but taste bitter. If you are thirsty enough, the bitterness is nothing. They burrow in the sand. A slow target can easily be overwhelmed by a cluster. Do not camp overnight near a water leech.”
Her eyes went wide. “Am I going to wake up with that thing hugging my face?”
Havik tapped the clear nylon strap that held the potted plant firmly in place. Those measures were to keep the plant stationary, since life on a small vessel could be turbulent, not to stop any moisture stealing from slow-moving vegetation.
Thalia eyed the water leech dubiously. Vanessa would have been thrilled with the specimen.
“As long as it stays on its side of the room, I guess it’s fine. No cleansing room? Shower?”
“Down the hall. It is shared.”
“Oh. Lap of luxury.” She fell back into an overstuffed chair.
“There is only Ren and me onboard. It is not an issue.” The original, cramped facilities that came with the ship had been a problem. Havik had barely been able to squeeze into a cleansing unit, let alone stand up straight. “The facilities were updated, and they are spacious.”
“Commodious, even.” Her lips pulled back to bare her teeth in a Terran smile. Those always appeared so strange to him. “No? Commode? Not even a chuckle? Must be the translator. I refuse to believe you lack a sense of humor, Danger B. The universe didn’t make all that perfection and forget to add a sense of humor.”
His tail twitched again, the barb scraping against his leg. He needed to undo the bindings, purely to alleviate the ache. Not to impress this female. She might flirt shamelessly with him, but he was not interested in a sandy-colored liar and thief.
“Entry into the atmosphere can be turbulent. Use these handles.” He pointed to the nylon straps attached to the wall near the bed and the chair she occupied.
“Sure. That’s what those are for.” She twisted her hand in the strap and gave a tug, then winked. Had her eyes always been the refreshing blue of an oasis? That strap might as well have been attached directly to his cock from the way his body responded.
Fuck.
The cabin was too small. He needed out. The scent of night blossoms carried on the wind from a lush oasis clouded his mind. He couldn’t breathe.
“I have to pilot the ship. Now,” he announced, walking away with dignity and repose because he refused to flee the presence of the annoying attractive female.
The faster they completed this mission, the better.
In the pilot’s seat, Havik fell into the easy rhythm of waking the ship. Despite his initial doubts, Ren’s heap of scrap metal turned into a decent vessel. As if designed just for him, everything he needed to fly smoothly lay in easy reach on the console. For that alone, he would ignore the low ceiling and creaking chair.
He signaled station control to depart. While waiting for clearance, he wondered how Thalia viewed the vessel. Did she see beyond the ragged appearance to find the unpolished gem? Admittedly, he had difficulty at first, unwilling to believe a vessel retrieved from the junkpile could be functional, let alone superior to previous ships he had piloted.
