"We'll get him, Phelan. We get a little closer every day."
"You're right. I need to look at it as a glass half full, or I'll lose my mind."
"I've never seen you this uptight before," Bastien said.
"I've never had so much to lose. It feels good to say out loud. It's been rattling around in my brain for months. This family hasn’t been known for its happiness, part of me feels like all of this." He gestured around the room with his hand. "As soon as we all get settled on Earth and find a bit of happiness, Tavel emerges. Kind of hard to believe it's just a coincidence."
“Maybe fate just assured you were in the right place at the right time to stop Zasha from being hurt. If she hadn't been your mate no one would've been there to stop Tavel from doing whatever he wanted."
"Why didn't I think of that?" he asked.
"Because you're too close to the situation."
"Good point. This whole thing has got me off my game," Phelan said.
"It hasn't shown."
"Thanks, bro, I needed to hear that." The feeling of hunger hit him, and he sighed. "I should get going, duty calls."
"Zasha?"
"Yep, she's hungry again. The baby’s metabolism is hell on her." He pushed up from the chair. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Later, Phe."
Chapter Nineteen
Today the ball was in her court. Rivka walked her condo one last time making sure things were in place. Going with the theme of laid back fun from their first date she was having Bastien over to make pizza and watch a movie. It wouldn’t require a lot of deep conversation, and she got the feeling cooking for himself wasn't a regular occurrence. She liked keeping the man on his toes. It made her feel like she was meeting him on equal footing. Besides, he claimed to want to get to know her, and cooking was a huge hobby. This was his first time visiting what they referred to as the compound. The Priestess of the Stars owned multiple properties where a number of condos were grouped together. Most of the girls lived two or three to a place, but she was afforded her own as Star Maiden. The doorbell rang. Showtime. Rivka opened the front door, and her stomach did a flip. The man was gorgeous.
"Hi."
"Hi, come on in," she said. She moved back, closing the door behind him once he cleared the threshold. "Can I take your coat?"
"Sure." He shrugged out of the black wool button up to reveal pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved, navy blue sweater he wore over a simple white collared shirt. The cut emphasized his muscular arms and gave him a polished yet casual look that made her want to skip the get-to-know-you and take him to bed. They were brilliant together when it came to that. Focus, woman. She placed his coat on a hanger in the closet and turned to face him.
"I thought we could make some pizza and watch a movie. What do you think?"
"Sounds great. I've never made pizza before though."
"I figured as much. One of my guilty pleasures is the Food Network. I start watching it, and time seems to slip away from me."
"We have a cook and unless it's something simple I'm an awful cook."
She laughed. "I suppose you can't be good at everything. Come on, let's wash our hands and get started. I haven't eaten since lunch."
"Me either."
"I was planning on pairing it with a salad."
"Perfect."
"The kitchen is just through here."
He followed her into the decent-sized room with a square table that fit six and a stainless steel refrigerator. A breakfast nook sat a foot away from the fridge, lined with bowls of varying sizes and a pizza tray.
"I did a little prepping."
"You'll never hear complaints from me about being ready."