Moving on from Dieter hadn’t been anywhere near this hard. Given that all she and Tate had had was a fling, it shouldn’t have been this hard. And her hormones shouldn’t be doing the fandango just because he was in the same damn space.
Plus, it didn’t help that fucking Ashlynn sat at a table not far from him. The skank had no compunction about pinning Havana with hard, steady stares. That was when she wasn’t busy trying to make Tate notice her, flipping her hair and laughing overly loud with her friends, Eva and Aimee—two pallas cats who’d always been somewhat curt with Havana.
So far, she’d ignored the trio’s behavior. Purely because it was fun to silently communicate that Ashlynn’s attempt to intimidate her wasn’t successful. But there was really only so long Havana could tolerate this crap. Her inner bullshit meter went off because in truth, yeah, she could absolutely tolerate it—she was good at ignoring such pettiness. She simply didn’t want to keep ignoring it, and her animal certainly hoped she wouldn’t.
Elle set her half-empty glass on a coaster. “So, a devil, a bearcat, and a mamba formed a clan.”
“I feel a joke coming on,” said Havana.
“It’s just such an odd mix.”
Bree tipped her head to the side. “Your animals don’t struggle to get along or anything?”
“My bearcat has little patience for Bailey’s mamba,” said Aspen. “But that’s only because the snake deliberately pisses her off for shits and giggles. Bailey and her serpent do lots of things for shits and giggles.”
Elle looked at Bailey. “Your mamba doesn’t bother Havana’s devil?”
“No, she sees Havana as her Alpha,” replied Bailey. “My mamba challenged her in the beginning, but the devil whooped her ass. You should seriously never get in a devil’s face, no matter if they’re in their human form or animal form.”
Aspen nodded. “They’re freakishly strong, and their bones are super tough. That’s why Corbin won’t let her spar for fun at the center.”
Havana sniffed. “I still say it’s an unreasonable rule.”
“You broke one guy’s jaw with a bitch slap,” Aspen pointed out.
“He shouldn’t have laughed when I got in the ring … as if he was so sure he’d wipe the floor with me.” Cocky bastard. “He should have known better. It’s not like devils are mistaken for harmless. Which is why landlords are often rather disinclined to accept me as a tenant.”
“Did Tate seem put off by it?” asked Elle.
Havana licked her lower lip, her stomach hardening—something it did each time the redhead mentioned her brother, which was often. “No. He didn’t seem fazed at all.”
“Little fazes Tate,” said Elle. “He’s always been like that. I’m kind of bummed that you two broke up. I got a little excited when he didn’t seem interested in extracting himself from whatever you two had going on. I thought that just maybe Ashlynn’s betrayal hadn’t fucked him or his cat up too badly. And you seemed to make him happy. I want him to be happy.”
“I don’t think I necessarily made him happy, Elle. I just made him come really, really hard.”
A chuckle burst out of Elle. “God, Havana, I like you. I really do.” She sipped her drink. “You suit him so well. Ashlynn didn’t. Not really. There was just something missing from their relationship. I feel bad for her on one level, because it has to be hard to have your true mate reject you, and watching him imprint on another female had to be just as hard. But she hurt my brother, so for that alone I’d hate her even if she was an angel sent directly from heaven.”
“On the subject of Ashlynn,” began Aspen, “I might just explode if she doesn’t stop glaring at you, Vana. When she’s not trying to kill you with her eyes, she’s striving to get Tate’s attention. Which isn’t working. He’s too focused on you. That’s probably why you’re repeatedly finding yourself on the receiving end of her glare.”
Probably. Havana’s devil kept letting out eerie little growls, done with the skank.
“She’s going to pick a fight at some point—maybe tonight, maybe some other time,” Aspen predicted.
Bailey looked at Havana. “Want me to bite her?”
It was tempting, but Havana wanted to have some fun with her. It would be a good stress-reliever, if nothing else. “Not right now.”
“We can have her thrown out if you want,” Elle offered.
Bailey frowned. “You wouldn’t rather watch that bitch get her ass handed to her by Havana?”
Elle’s entire face lit up. “I’d totally be up for that. But I don’t want your night to end on a bad note.”
Aspen snickered. “For us, ending the evening with a barfight is a common and much-loved practice. Tradition, even.”
“I gotta warn you that Ashlynn won’t be easy to take on,” said Bree. “She’s a strong alpha, and she’s very well trained in combat.”
Pleased, Havana said, “Even better. It’s far less fun to beat someone who’s hopeless at defending themselves. As Aspen said, she may not issue the challenge tonight, but it’ll come at some point.”
If they were anywhere else, Havana might have struck first. But she had more respect for the pallas cats than to start shit in their hangout. She’d defend herself, but she wouldn’t pick a fight here. Which disappointed her devil, and since the animal’s mood was becoming a little too precarious, Havana decided to change the subject. “On a cheerier note … I’m jealous that you have Valentina Devereaux for a mother-in-law, Bree. I think she’s plain awesome.”
The pallas cat grinned. “I agree. You can’t not adore her. I love working with her and her mate, James. They argue over the craziest stuff.”
Bailey leaned toward Bree. “What’s it like being mated to a wolverine? I heard they don’t make easy mates.”
“Oh, they don’t,” Bree confirmed. “He hates being away from me. And I mean hates it. He’d be sitting right at this booth if I hadn’t made it clear that we wanted privacy for girl talk. So he settled over there with Tate, sulking. Wolverines are more protective and possessive than most shifters. It makes me crazy at times, but he’s worth every moment.”
Elle smiled. “It’s so cute how devoted Alex is to her. Especially because he pretty much despises a large percentage of the remaining population.”
“You imprinted on each other, right?” Havana asked Bree.
“We did, thank God.” Bree blew out a relieved breath. “I was worried it wouldn’t happen for us. The imprinting process is a powerful thing, even in its earliest stages. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for Tate when the threads of it snapped. I admire him for ploughing through that.”
Havana tilted her head. “Why do I feel like you guys keep purposefully going back to the subject of Tate?” Seriously, Elle and Bree had done it over a dozen times.
Elle gave a sheepish look. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “Bree and I really want you and Tate to make another go of things. I know you want more than a fling—he told me. And I think he wants that too; he’s just holding back for what he believes is a good reason, but I don’t think he’ll manage that for much longer. I get that you want to move on, but I’m asking that you not write him off just yet.”