Page 75 of Havik: Warlord Brides
“I failed her.”
“I always disagreed with your father’s stance on Terrans.” Mais gave up any pretense of examining the kumakre. Stabs curled his many legs around her hand and gnawed on the glove. “I know he did not mate me for love, but I always thought he was an honorable male and it pleased me to be his helpmate.” She shook her head, a few strands of hair escaping from her braid. “His subterfuge has torn the clan apart. I no longer reside in his domicile.”
She might have disagreed, but she never raised an objection. Still, to leave the warlord’s house made a bold statement. In all his years, Havik had never known Mais to go against the wishes of the warlord. Part of him wished for it to have occurred when he was a child and desperately wanted a mother’s unconditional affection.
If he were ever to be blessed with a son, he would never fail to show the child that he was wanted and cherished.
Havik glanced at Thalia, knowing that the hardships he had navigated brought him to this moment.
Stabs abandoned his plan of kicking Mais’ gloved hand and uncurled.
“Is the kumakre too docile?” he asked, using the opportunity to switch subjects. He worried Stabs would be unsuited for life in the wild.
The barbed tail struck Mais’ gloved hand.
He had never been prouder.
Thalia
The staff buzzed with curiosity. Thalia saw the way the staff watched them, then acted as if they were too busy to notice when they got caught.
“Are you going to introduce me?” she finally asked.
The woman tilted her head to one side. “I know I taught you better manners than that. I am Mais, the second mate of the warlord.”
Havik placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is my mate, Thalia Fullerton of Earth. Thalia, this is my father’s mate, Mais.”
“I am delighted to meet you,” Mais said.
Thalia muttered a greeting but did not know what else to say. Enough bad blood to fill an ocean stretched between Havik and his family. He had seemed surprised at seeing the woman and remained cordial. Thalia didn’t know what to make of this formal stiffness.
They placed Stabs into a yard behind the building. With no fence, the yard stretched straight into the sands of the desert. There was a water trough but little else. It seemed to Thalia that the professionals just wanted Stabs to wander off. She had to trust that the professionals knew best but releasing Stabs into the wild was a lot easier in theory than being confronted with the actual moment.
Havik’s tail curled against his leg, a sure sign he was unhappy.
“This is tough,” she said, leaning against him. Unexpected family reunions. Saying goodbye to the pet he refused to admit was a pet. None of it made for a good time.
In silence, they watched Stabs roll around in the sand. Thalia smiled at the delighted chirps and rattles.
“I do not wish to keep Stabs in captivity. He is a wild creature,” Havik said, finally breaking the silence. The sorrow in his voice could not be hidden, no matter how stoic he kept his face.
Her Danger B was going to miss his pet monster.
Thalia patted his back, reaching as high up as she could. Stabs was not a wild creature, he had been tamed as much as possible, but life on a ship was not the correct environment for the sand demon.
Stabs dug into the ground with surprising efficiency.
“We will let Stabs’ actions dictate. If he follows us, then the wind has decided,” Havik said.
Mais joined them. She folded her hands over her stomach, the very picture of poise and elegance.
“Will you remain on Rolusdreus?” she asked, breaking the silence.
Havik continued to watch Stabs. “My mission was to deliver the kumakre egg. I am expected to return to my clan,” he said at length.
The older woman remained expressionless.
Thalia didn’t have a whole lot of experience with healthy family dynamics, but all this standing around and being stoic was ridiculous. “We could spare a day or two,” she offered, because no one else would.
