Page 77 of Victoria's Discovery

Thegan frowned indignantly, but Thorn knew it was a cover for his remorse. “People kept trying to move into the house we are building for her! And we have only a few hours in the day to work on it, mostly at night. What were we to do, sneak out every night? She would become suspicious. We had an excuse! How were we to know you had just made a fool of yourself?”

“You crikking halfwit!”

For many moments they looked like they’d come to blows again. Thorn rolled his shoulders assessingly. His fists throbbed, the whole right side of his face was swollen from a particularly good jab from Vi’kail, and his ribs twinged, but he thought he could go another round. After a moment, Thegan sat back with a growl.

Vi’kail followed shortly, muttering, “So what do we do now?”

Thorn pushed to his feet with a grunt. If they were not going to fight again, he had things to do. “Finish the house. Seek her out during the day to continue to show our interest. Other than that… ” he shrugged. He had no more experience wooing females than they did.

Thegan cut a glare to Vi’kail, adding, “And no more closet time, damn you! We had an agreement.”

“No, you two had an agreement. I didn’t intend to pursue her at all.”

Thorn snorted. “Fool. Of course, you did. You were just deceiving yourself.”

Vi’kail bared his fangs, but deflated fairly quickly and sighed, “I’m beginnin’ to see that, yes.”

“By the by,” Thegan cut in, groaning as he, too, got to his feet. “I have had thoughts about the little of your past you have shared with us. I believe you should speak to Rellik.”

“Why?” Vi’kail asked, glaring suspiciously through the one eye not swollen shut.

“I have a feeling. Just speak with him, would you?” Thegan snapped, clearly still irritated the green bastard had snuck off with Vee.

So was Thorn, if it came to it. Damned underhanded that was. Not that he would’ve done any different had he been in Vi’kail’s place. Gods’, but the female could twist a male into knots with a glance. He was undecided whether it was a good thing or not that she had no idea the power she held over them.

“Fine. I’ll talk to him.”

“Good,” Thegan snarled, brushing the sand off himself.

Thorn eyed Vi’kail quietly for a moment before offering him a hand up. “That was a good fight.”

Vi’kail snorted but slapped a hand into his and smiled ruefully even as he clutched his middle with a groan. “Yeah, it was.”

Thorn nodded once, clapped the bastard on the back hard enough to send him stumbling forward, then turned and left, thoughts turning back to the house he was building for his little mate.

Designing the lodge from her mumbled, half asleep descriptions was a struggle, but he was determined. He was not smooth of tongue like Thegan or fair of face like Vi’kail, but he could build.

He just hoped Vee had not written them off completely, otherwise he’d be forced to go with his backup plan and steal off with her.

While that was fairly common as a courting tactic among his people, albeit for females to steal a male, not the other way around, he was not sure it was among hers. Still, if she left him no choice, he was not against drastic measures. He’d already stocked a cave in the mountains.

Just in case.

Chapter 39

Victoria watched as Rellik and Thrasin made their escape then reluctantly took a seat at the holo table, feeling like she’d been called in front of the principal.

“We’ve got a few things to talk about.”

Oh shit, she definitely overheard. Is she mad?

“First off, has anyone spoken to you about getting a clone?”

Victoria could almost hear a record screech to a stop in her head. That was not at all what she’d expected Aria to say, and it took at least three blinks to switch gears.

“Uhh… no?”

“You know I’ll be leaving with the assault team, and Tirox and Kix are coming with me.” She cut her eyes to the door. “Those two, as well.”

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