The Alien's Equal (Drixonian Warrior #7) - Ella Maven Page 0,11
there?”
“No, your honor,” I said dryly.
She wiggled with a little squeal. “I love when you’re feisty.”
“There’s no drama. It’s nothing exciting. Nero did me a favor and I made him something as a thank you. That’s it.”
“What you did was more than just a simple thank you,” Hap muttered.
“Hap!” I cried.
He clapped his hand over his mouth as Tabitha whirled on him, scenting blood in the water. “You told me you left her with Shep and didn’t return until after she left.”
“That’s true! But Shep told me…” he shot me a guilty look before falling silent.
I made a note that Shep and Hap had pillow talk like the rest of the mates around here. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I stomped over to my desk to pour a drink of qua. “I made him a portrait of his mother, okay? He mentioned he missed her, and I wanted to give him something he would cherish. He liked it a lot. End of story.”
Silence met my words, and I gulped down a whole glass before turning and leaning back on the desk. Tabitha’s mouth was open, gaping like a fish. I crossed my arms over my chest. “I would ask if you have any questions, but I don’t plan on answering them.”
She blinked at me and I could see the gears turning in her mind. “When did you talk to Nero about his mother?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You drew him a picture? That’s … that’s a big deal.”
“It is not,” I reassured her quickly.
“Uh, yeah it is. And a portrait. That had to take you all night.”
I didn’t confirm because it in fact had. I would have been exhausted, but I was too wired at Nero’s reaction. My brain was moving a mile a minute trying to figure out what his next move would be. Because I doubted this was the end of his misguided pursuit of me. “Honestly, Tabitha. He did something nice for me, and I did something in return. As friends.”
“As friends,” she echoed with a smirk.
“Not everyone is like you, Tab.”
“What am I like?”
“Appreciative of touch. Open to love and feelings.”
Her expression went still, then it fell. She rose to her bare feet and padded toward me. “Jus—”
I held up a hand. “I’m fine. Everything is fine. I’m just … not like you. And please don’t try to make me.”
“I know you aren’t like me, but I also think you’re lying to yourself if you don’t want to be touched. I also think you want to be open to love more than anything, but you’re scared—”
“Are you a therapist now?” I snapped. “When did you complete your doctorate?”
She frowned. “Don’t be mean.”
I let out a long breath and counted to ten in an effort to calm my ragged nerves. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“I might not have had a perfect SAT score or whatever like you, but I’m not stupid.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Shit, now I’d offended Tabitha, who was just about the sweetest person I’d ever met.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “And I don’t think you’re stupid at all. You’re smarter than me when it comes to people. And emotions. And anything that requires social interaction.”
She didn’t respond, but her frown lifted and shifted to sympathy.
“I snapped at you because you maybe hit close to home, okay? But I have boundaries for a reason. I don’t like to be psycho-analyzed. I’ve been through a lot of therapy and it never stops feeling like someone is prodding my brain.”
“I’m sorry I overstepped.” She held out her hands. “Hug?”
Normally I’d shrug her away, but an embrace from Tabitha didn’t sound so bad. I stepped into her arms, and she wrapped them around my back with a tender squeeze. I propped my chin on her shoulder and closed my eyes, returning her hug. Her skin was warm, and her heart beat strong and steady against the stuttering rhythm of my own.
When we pulled away, Hap was smiling. “I like that you two resolve arguments with words. Warriors often just punch it out.”
Tabitha raised her eyebrows at me. “I mean, we could always mud wrestle…”
“No!” I shouted with a laugh, shoving her shoulder.
She giggled and stuck her tongue out at me. “I bet Frankie would do it with me.”
“Sure, when she’s not as big as a house.”
Tabitha twisted her lips to the side. “Okay, maybe I can recruit Naomi.”
I snorted. “Like Gar would allow that.”
“Shit. You’re right.” Then her eyes lit up. “Hap! Wanna mud wrestle?”