Chapter 6 #3
Will chuckled and Natalie smiled. “I knew we’d get along when I first met you.”
“I thought society had progressed beyond assholes like Sanderson, but clearly I was wrong. He hates me because I’m young. He hates me because I’m female. And he hates me because I’m—”
“Beautiful,” Will finished for her.
“I was going to say intelligent,” Avery told him.
“That can be intimidating too, but men of a certain age are threatened by beautiful women. They know they have no chance of getting into your pants, so they feel the need to put you in your place.”
Natalie and Avery exchanged amused expressions, then Natalie said, “Or Sanderson has always been an asshole.”
“That is a definite possibility.” Will agreed. “I’ll have my first officer bunk with me. Then you two can share his cabin.”
Natalie looked at Avery. “Does that work for you?”
“I hate to put someone out, but I don’t mind sharing.”
“I’ll go make the arrangements,” Will said, then climbed back onto his ship.
“I guess I need to go pack,” Avery said with a carefree shrug. “Apparently, I’m going to Rydaria.”
The next two weeks passed in a confusing blur for Heather.
She only saw Patrick twice. Both times he arrived at the cottage, had sex with her, and departed a few minutes later.
He barely spoke and the emotions twisting his expressions were so convoluted that she couldn’t begin to decipher them.
She was relatively sure she was the cause of his surliness, but she had no idea what she’d done to set him off.
Gabriel, on the other hand, spent every night and many of the days keeping her company.
They spent hours in each other’s arms talking and laughing.
Their sexual encounters were slow and filled with emotion.
Gabriel was courting her. There was no way around it.
He wanted her for his mate, but would he claim her without Patrick? She’d thought they were a package deal.
Having access to a data pad was a godsend.
Heather read various books, watched entertainment vids, and played immersive games.
The activities filled up the hours in between Gabriel’s visits.
She missed her friends, but every few days Gabriel surprised her with something new and special.
The first day it had been a variety of ingredients and a book of recipes.
“This gift is self-serving,” Gabriel confessed with a chuckle. “If I don’t convince you to cook for me, I’ll have to cook for you.”
“We can always take turns or work on the meals together.”
They’d done both in the nights that followed.
Two of the gifts had been clothing, and one was a hand-carved puzzle box that kept her entertained for hours.
Four nights ago, Gabriel arrived with a pair of boots and a warm winter coat. “Patrick agreed to let you leave the cottage. The only stipulation is that you avoid the woods. The wekarron are a real danger. I need your promise that you will abide by the limitation.”
“I promise to stay out of the woods,” she said sincerely. “It will be wonderful to go outside. I won’t do anything to risk the new privilege.”
She spent the next three days exploring her surroundings, but the temperature plummeted today and even with a coat and boots it was too cold to go outside.
She tried a new recipe for dinner and was pleased with how it turned out.
Gabriel hadn’t arrived yet, so the casserole was in the oven staying warm.
Despite the improvements in her surroundings and all the distractions she’d been allowed, Heather was restless. She needed to be challenged, needed a purpose. And she needed to understand why Patrick was avoiding her.
Gabriel arrived a few minutes later. Despite his ability to regulate his body temperature, he wore a hooded coat and gloves. His face was wind-burned and the hood left his hair slightly tangled and wild.
“Hell of a night for flying,” she greeted as he hung up his coat by the door.
“I’m used to the cold,” he said distractedly as he pulled a small bundle out of the pocket of his coat. “I brought you another surprise.”
“I love your surprises.”
They walked to the living room and sat down side by side. He placed the bundle in her lap and said, “Unwrap it.”
She spread the ragged sides of the cloth and revealed…
“Is this a swarmy?” she asked, excited and fascinated by the unexpected gift.
“I’ve never seen one that wasn’t zipping around my head.
” The workmanship was exceptional with colorful metal feathers and incredibly intricate gears.
The chest panel had been removed so she could see the inner circuitry.
“When and how did you catch this thing?”
“I didn’t. A couple of the guards set a trap for it. Then Raphael and I spent most of the day trying to figure out how it works.”
She looked up from the fascinating spy bot. “What did you find out? Do you understand how they work? Who’s controlling them?”
He shook his head. “We determined that they’re autonomous. They have predefined parameters, but no one is in orbit operating these things.”
“That’s disappointing.”
“I agree.” He took the swarmy from her and set it aside. “There was one interesting development, however. I was able to use a couple of components from the swarmy to boost the off-world signal. It’s still just a repeating message, but it has some serious range now.”
“That’s wonderful. Go, team Gabriel.”
He chuckled and pushed to his feet. “I hope whatever I’m smelling is ready. I didn’t have time for lunch.”
“It’s ready,” she assured as she went to the kitchen. “Have a seat at the table.”
She’d set the table earlier, so all she had to do was retrieve the casserole from the oven. “How’d your meeting with Zion go? I’ve never met the feline pride leader, but I’ve heard he can be difficult.”
Gabriel’s gaze narrowed and his lip curled upward in a silent snarl. “It’s not safe for me to be in the same room with that creature. My meeting was with Diego.”
His open hostility surprised her. She knew Gabriel preferred to focus on Eagle Village and let the other shifters take care of themselves, but this seemed personal. “Are you still angry about the alliance or is there more to your conflict with Zion?”
Gabriel studied her silently with his arms crossed over his chest. Rather than answer her question, he slid his plate across the table.
She dished up a generous portion, but kept the plate on her side of the table. “If you want to try my culinary creations, you need to indulge my curiosity.” She added a playful smile just to make sure he didn’t take offense.
“Zion commanded a team of enforcers. If any of the other teams failed in their mission or attempted to escape, Zion would hunt them down and return them to Nuevo Biotech.”
Stunned by what he’d just revealed, Heather slid the plate toward him. “He did this willingly?”
“None of us was willing, but Zion…” He picked up his fork and lowered his troubled gaze to the plate in front of him. “Suffice it to say that I don’t trust Zion. Never have and never will. Change the subject.”
“All right. Did you get anywhere with Diego?” Diego led a mysterious group of feline shifters known as the Shadows. Heather had been introduced to the intimidating cat, but she didn’t really know him.
“There wasn’t much to discuss,” he admitted as he started eating. “We’re in a holding pattern. I agreed to help defend the feline village if the wolves attack. However, I will not sanction any sort of attack on the wolves.”
“That seems fair to me.” She scooped up some of the casserole and placed it on her own plate. “Was Diego okay with the compromise?”
“He has no choice. It’s the only assistance I’m willing to offer. If the cats instigate hostilities, they’re on their own.”
She took a quick bite before asking, “What about your brother? Are you two on the same page again?”
“We’ve come to a reluctant agreement. My offer to Diego was the result of my compromise with Raphael.”
“I’m glad. It always makes me sad when families don’t get along. My sisters mean the world to me.”
They ate for a while in companionable silence, then Gabriel slid his plate across the table again. “It’s delicious. Was it hard to make?”
“Not at all.” She dished him up another serving. “But you’ll have to bring me more ingredients before I can make it again.”
“Understood.” He attacked the second helping with less urgency than the first.
“Why is Patrick avoiding me?” she asked the question she’d been pondering all day.
“You’re the personification of his abuse, but you’re also our mate. He desperately wants to hate you, but he has loved you for years. He has no idea how to reconcile the two, so he just stays away.”
She shook her head, unnerved by his casual mention of such monumental concepts. There was no way Patrick still loved her. “I killed whatever affection he once had for me.” She’d realized Gabriel considered her a potential mate, but this was the first time he’d come right out and said it.
“Are you still in love with him?” Gabriel’s assessing gaze locked with hers as he waited for her answer.
“I’m in love with his memory. The Rydarian Patrick is a dick.”
Her candor made Gabriel laugh. “He has not been on his best behavior, I agree.”
“Is there something I can do to help him resolve the conflict? I’d much rather be his mate than his prisoner.”
“He’s not ready to forgive you. You’re too closely related to all that pain. Still, I might be able to convince him to stop tormenting you.” He scooped up the last bite and savored it before adding, “We’ve got to get you off this mountaintop. I’m tired of flying back and forth.”
“What did you have in mind?”
He started to answer, then shook his head. “I don’t want to give you false hope. Give me three days to convince him to stop being an ass. If nothing has changed by the end of day three, you’ll know he refused to participate.”