She watched his cheeks darken, his pulse quickening in his neck, an angry vein throbbing on his temple. She shouldn’t have poked the bear, but hot damn it felt good.
Worth it,she mused, enjoying the look of flustered anger in his eyes. She’d called him out in the only way he couldn’t immediately strike back at, and it had left him flummoxed, if only for a moment.
Totaxxis’s eyes narrowed, glaring at her, but the look lacked the force that had made her so uncomfortable before.
“We are the Norvalian Sect of the Dotharian Conglomerate,” he finally said, regaining his composure and grasping at the one constant in his life he could cling to like a moral high-ground life raft.
“Yeah, I know what you are. But that doesn’t give you the freedom to act like an ass.”
“We have immense influence. Our power reaches far and wide.”
“Yeah? That doesn’t change the rules of basic etiquette, does it?”
His jaw flexed, gears churning in his mind. “You are the most troublesome sort of woman.”
“Humans are known for that at times, yes,” she replied with a little chuckle.
“Humans. Yes, your race. From what planet, was it again?Earth? I’ve never heard of it.”
“We’re new to the, uh, conglomerate.Reallynew.”
“So you say. Rude as you are, I’m shocked your kind were allowed into the Dotharian Conglomerate at all, if the rest of your people are even half as unpleasant as you are.”
“Elder Soparo said when a new?—”
“I know what the elder said, and I do not care,” he said, cutting her off with a dare in his eyes. “You may be new to the conglomerate, but that does not give you a free pass to misbehave. To disrespect the rules. The ways of our people. And especially not the Norvalian Sect.”
“Look, we just got off on the wrong foot.”
“Oh, it is more than that. And I intend to learn about your people. Word may spread slowly across the realm, but if you were taken by the Raxxians, that would be designated as a priority interference by those brutes. And as a result, full records of your kind should be made available on an expedited basis.”
“Uh, yeah, sure. But there’s no need for us to fight, Totaxxis. It’s just a misunderstanding, and once I’m out that door, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“And I fully expect you to be. But that changes nothing. I will soon know all there is to know about your world. Yourhumans. Your uncouth ways. And if there is anything amiss, any reasonwhatsoever to eject you from our home, rest assured, I will find it.”
Ella’s stomach knotted up hard, but she kept her face as defiantly neutral as she could. Showing fear wasn’t an option, nor was capitulation. She needed to maintain her air as best she could lest she raise his suspicions and make him dig even deeper.
“Whatever,” she said with a dismissive shrug that was diametrically opposite of how she truly felt. “You do you. Me? I’ve got studies to get to.” Ella moved to step around him, heading for the exit. “See you later, I’m sure.”
His cold stare followed her to the door. “That you will. You can rely on it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Draikis found himself sitting alone at dinner. Alone, yet surrounded by all his Norvalian brothers. The sensation was odd, to say the least.
He was among family, normally a comforting feeling, but where there had previously been a sense of belonging and warmth, he now felt the longing in his chest ache for the one face he did not see. The human woman so often on his mind.
Of course, it was probably for the better in some ways. With the feelings he’d felt growing stronger by the day, he might very well have tongue-lashed those talking trash about her in her absence. Not that they’d have refrained even if she were present.
“She has been granted access to the archives,” one man noted loudly. “Imagine that. An outsider, and a female, no less.”
His concern was met with a chorus of agreement from the others at his table. Loud enough for Draikis to hear even several tables away. Likely intentional, judging by the looks flashed his way.
He was the one responsible for this intruder in their midst. The distraction. The woman. And though he was one of them, the tension was becoming more palpable every day sheremained. It was one thing to have a horribly injured patient sequestered off in a quiet room, safely out of sight. But this? She was walking the grounds, and even perusing their most sacred of documents.
“An outsider has no place in the archives,” another of the priests said, his eyes on Draikis. “We are holy men. This goes against our ways. She should be removed, and quickly at that.”
It took great effort, but Draikis held his tongue. He even managed to keep his head from shaking side to side in disagreement. Overt signs of disagreement would just lead to a conversation—an argument, more likely—that he simply did not wish to have. Nothing good would come of that sort of conflict, so there was simply no point in outward displays or counterpoints, no matter how satisfying it might feel to speak his mind.
