Lucas waited until the women had settled back down and were at ease before he asked Brinn to switch places with him. “Are you really okay?” he asked once they had traded spots.
“Yes. It’s a little nerve-racking being in a new environment. I imagine it’s the same for all of us.”
Lucas leaned forward until her head would block them from seeing his. “Not quite. None of the aliens are claiming to be married to one of us.”
“I can explain.”
“You don’t have to; Skars told us. To tell the truth, I don’t give a flying fuck what happened. Nothing can be changed, and right now, my concern is Piper. We both know that it was a matter of days before the vault was found or another one of us was killed. Him deciding to call you his wife is a lifesaver for the rest of us, if they are being on the up and up and not pulling the wool over our eyes. I just want to”—Lucas leaned forward even more—“make sure you’re not expected to do anything you don’t want to.”
“I’m not. Skars has been very kind to me, other than I think I’m a disappointment to him.”
Lucas frowned. “Because you don’t want to be intimate?”
“No, I think it’s because I don’t act like Viking women do.” Raine leaned her head forward, her lips barely moving. “I don’t think he likes Milly.”
Lucas rolled his eyes at her. “He can join the fucking club. We tolerate that bitch. There hasn’t been a day that has gone by when I haven’t regretted taking Dobbs that day and had Milly go with me.”
Raine had to pretend to cough to smother a laugh.
“I think that’s why she refused to go out with anyone other than me. She knows the rest of them would have given the aliens a lighter to light a fire to cook her on if they caught her.”
She had to smother another spurt of laughter when Lucas didn’t bother covering his. God, how long had it been since she’d had a good laugh? Raine couldn’t remember. She didn’t know if the humans would ever have a new normal, but Skars had made it possible so every moment wasn’t spent in fear.
Wiping a tear of laughter away, she peered at Lucas critically.
“How’s your wound?”
“Much better. I was given a salve, and it seems to have done the trick at healing the infection.”
Raine placed a hand on his arm. “I’m glad. I was worried at how sick you were becoming. Next time you go hunting, take Milly and a lighter,” she teased, bringing a smile to his lips.
Lucas’ hand had just covered hers as they laughed, when he casually glanced to their side. Turning her head, she saw Skars staring at them from outside the elevator. He must have been standing there for some time when they had been joking about Milly.
Her smile died at the outraged, possessive glare he was giving her.
“Come, Raine; Thorsen has arrived.”
Not liking the way he spoke to her, or the possessive way he was staring at her, Raine didn’t immediately rise to her feet. “What about my friends? Shouldn’t they come, too?”
Skars’ nostrils flared at her delay. “Bjorn will escort them as they gather the belongings they brought with them, and the ones I gifted them with. You will see each other during the evening meal, which Thorsen has invited them to.”
“Oh, okay.” Standing, she gave each of them a reassuring smile, even managing a slight one for Milly before going to Skars’ side.
As they entered the elevator, Raine felt a decidedly chill attitude emanating from him. Squaring her shoulders, she chose not to ignore his unmistakable anger.
“What did I do wrong this time?”
“Have you bedded Lucas?”
It was the last thing she had expected Skars to say. “No! Are you kidding me?” Indignant, she flew her hand out to poke Skars in his chest. “Lucas is the only reason those women and I are still breathing. He could have just been concerned for Piper and himself after the bombing and the aliens started attacking everyone. I’ve seen him go hungry numerous times to make sure we all had something to eat. I respect him as much as my father. Never once would it have occurred to Lucas to take advantage of the situation we’ve been in. He’s just not that type of man. What you saw was us being able to do something we haven’t been able to do in a long time—share a flipping joke! Which, if you had at least one human funny bone in that body of yours, I would have shared with you, but since you don’t”—she gave him another hard poke—“I won’t.”
“Tell me.”
Raine stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. “No. It was a good joke. You don’t deserve to be able to laugh. I’m too mad at you right now. And just so you know, I was a pain in Lucas’ butt when he was my manager at the bank, and since we’ve been locked up in the vault together, he would take a running jump off this spaceship rather than be in a relationship with me.”