"Reah and the baby are fine this morning," Aurelius sat on the chair next to mine; I was seated between him and Teeg. I knew where I was, now—the reptanoids' plantation. I'd only visited it once before, but the kitchen and dining area hadn't changed much.
"Farzi, Nenzi, your new table is very nice," I touched the wood of the table with a finger. The piece was beautiful and made of solid wood. I figured one of their brothers had shaped the wood; Chazi and Perzi were both good with their hands. Farzi and Nenzi broke into smiles that might have rivaled the sun that morning. I'd spoken to them first.
"Breakfast is coming," Teeg said. "Try not to be too critical."
"I won't," I muttered. I had no desire to destroy the happiness I saw on my reptanoid mates' faces.
"Reah stay with us," Nenzi said. "Can go anywhere on plantation. Help if she wants. We take her wherever she wants to go."
"What's ripening?" I asked as a plate of food was placed in front of me. The woman was middle-aged and smiled at me when she set the plate down. "Thank you," I said. She nodded and set out a plate for Aurelius.
"Oranges," Farzi smiled. "Lemons, too. We try pineapples this year. They come along. Avocados next month."
"I love fresh avocados," I said. I did. I liked to slice them up with a bit of salt and fresh tomatoes and eat that at times. I'd craved it with my last set of twins. Of course, nobody at the table even knew that. They'd all been elsewhere most of that time.
"We want you to rest, too, Reah. You look tired," Ry said. "Laze about. Sleep out by the pool. The weather is nice and warm out."
"If you want anything, or want to go anywhere, all you have to do is ask, baby," Tory said. I blinked at him.
"Sweetheart, your food is getting cold," Teeg called my attention to the food sitting before me.
"This is good," I said, pointing the fork at my plate. Breakfast was ham and eggs, and the eggs weren't over or undercooked, plus the ham was delicious. I wondered where it came from. "Where is the ham from? It's really good," I said, cutting another piece.
"I order it from Fizerali's," the cook was back with more plates and a basket of rolls. She'd named a popular shop in Campiaa City, where they sold cold cuts, smoked meats and specialty cuts of meat. I broke a roll apart and it was flaky and hot. "This looks promising," I said, buttering it generously and tasting it. "Yes. This is very good," I sighed with pleasure. "A little blackberry or redberry jam and this would be incredible."
"I have some," the cook was still smiling and went off to get it. I ate three rolls with redberry jam and a glass of milk.
"That was wonderful," I complimented the woman when I was too full to move. "What is your name?"
"Mathilde," she said. "If you want anything between meals, let me know."
"I will." I liked her already, and I couldn't explain that. She was a little on the plump side and seemed a good-natured soul.
"Let's get you dressed," Aurelius said, pulling me from my seat and herding me down a hall. "This will be your bedroom, unless you want to visit one of us," he added, leading me into the spacious bedroom he'd taken me from earlier. The bed had already been made up and I found clothing inside a closet.
A few things hung there that were appropriate for pregnancy, but I wasn't ready for those things yet. Garwin Wyatt was barely making his presence known. Unsure what to do except allow it, Aurelius helped me dress. Then he knelt and kissed the sensitive tops of my feet before slipping socks and shoes on. He knew what that did to me. I loved having my feet kissed. It was erotic to me. I shivered as his warm lips caressed my skin.
"Kevis says not to push, because of the attack." Aurelius was putting what happened to me in blander terms as his fingers touched my ankles before pulling up my socks. I could still see the pink marks on my shoulder where Zendeval Rjjn had sunk his canines into my skin. Greater Demons. Hah. There wasn't anything great about them.
Kifirin had made them. Just as he'd fashioned High Demons and Lesser Demons. Only everybody said that all the Lesser Demons were gone. Just as well. I hadn't fared well at all at the hands of either of the other two kinds. And Kevis? I knew I shouldn't blame him for what two of his nurses had done, but I held him accountable anyway.
Aurelius offered to carry me to the back of the plantation house where a large, curving pool lay, surrounded by multicolored flagstones that had been fitted carefully together. Lush plants in pots dotted the flagstones, with trees and other greenery surrounding the pool area, giving way to a beautiful, deep-green lawn that employees manicured weekly.
The water was pristine and sparkling in the pool, while an occasional breeze rippled the surface, making it opaque for a few seconds before releasing it to become a clear blue again. I walked, refusing Aurelius' offer. I didn't need to be carried everywhere. What I needed was for the holes in my heart to heal and go away. I felt numb most of the time. My mates had left me, for reasons I thought were my fault, only to discover recently that it hadn't been like that.
How many times over the past twenty-five years had I examined every word, conversation or action, in a vain attempt to determine what it was that I'd done wrong? Now they were hovering, and I didn't know if I had anything left to give any of them. I'd written them off years ago. How was I supposed to pretend it hadn't happened? Maybe their eyes had been opened when Kifirin waved his arm, releasing whatever it was he'd done, but I hadn't been under that spell. There would be no revelation, no opening of eyes for me.
"Reah?" The last person I expected was the one to show up. Wylend Arden, former King of Karathia appeared. Well, I hadn't asked him to abdicate. He'd done that on his own. And I wasn't happy to see him, either. He'd hurt me—hit me when I was at one of the lowest points of my life. And then punched me again while I was down, by telling Tory a half-truth afterward.
"I suppose you're here to tell me that Kifirin influenced your doings too?" I wasn't giving him the best or most polite of welcomes. This wasn't my home, after all. I wondered who'd invited Wylend. And his son, Griffin—the meddler, as I liked to call him—stood right behind his father. They looked very much alike, those two. Tall, brown hair, hazel eyes. Handsome, too, if you didn't despise both of them.
"Reah, I came to offer my apologies. While I realize they won't be accepted, it's something I feel compelled to do." Wylend settled on one of many plump-cushioned chairs scattered about the pool area. Aurelius, standing behind me, moved me toward a seat. Working through the urge to fling his hand away, I sat roughly six feet away from Wylend.