Hide and Seek

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"You are devious, Healer." He said smiling at me.

"You have no idea." I retorted. "So don't get on my bad side. No more flirting please."

"Where's the fun in that?" He winked at me. "I'd like to see your bad side." I sighed and looked at Nix and Anders, who had been observing our interaction.

"How do you deal with him?"

"Well it's easier for us." Nix grinned at me. "Neither of us is a beautiful, intelligent or witty female, so he doesn't flirt with us." I glared at him. Damian's friends were as bad as he was.

"It must be the company he keeps." 

"So you keep me company." Damian said. No fucking way, I thought, as I stood up from his bedside.

"I'm afraid you're stuck with your friends. I have other things to get on with." I said, making for the door.

"Unless you prefer Basil's company?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned slowly to look at him. His lips were twitching slightly. The other two were looking confused.

"Infinitely preferable." I replied and left the room.

***

Troublemaker.

I walked briskly in the direction of Kali and Vane's home, trying to walk off all the energy that had been building up since this morning.

As if it weren't enough that I'd had that nasty surprise sprung on me, the surprise in question was also a troublemaker.

There was no doubt in my mind that the suppressant was working, so his behaviour wasn't due to that. This was his natural personality apparently. 

Great, Ri, I thought, your mate likes to provoke.

Who on earth talks to a total stranger like that, someone you've known for a few hours?

It doesn't matter, I told myself. I don't plan on ever getting close enough for it to be a problem. I don't want to know him, I'm not going to know him. I'd been slack, the shock had made me slack. No more. I needed to treat him like the Clan Leader's son from now on.

I breathed in. It was good to feel like I handle on things again. 

"Ri!" Kali smiled at me in greeting from the doorway as I walked up the path.

"How are you?" I asked as I hugged her gently, careful not to press against her rounded belly.

"Beached whale." She rolled her eyes and lead me around the house to the quiet garden behind it.

"You don't look it." I said as we approached the comfy chairs on her back porch. She snorted.

"You don't have to lie, Ri, I have eyes. Damn Vane, I swear his swimmers are extra strong. Look at the size of the thing he put in me." I burst out laughing, the last of my mood clearing. Kali could always cheer me up.

"Can I check?" I chuckled as she sank into one of the chairs with a grimace. I spent the next twenty minutes doing the routine, confirming that everything was going swimmingly and that she and the bairn were in good health. She had a few questions for me and I answered them, trying to reassure her. When we were done, she heaved a sigh.