"Falchani, do not let the opportunity slip away." A huge blue Larentii was placing a sleeping Reah in Lok's arms, her pretty face tear-stained. Lok knew the likely reason—he'd gotten word from Lendill of the Karathian heir's death at the hands of a Ra'Ak associated with the rogue warlock. He'd also been informed that Lissa had killed the Ra'Ak responsible for Wyatt's death, but hadn't gotten details. He hadn't known a vampire could kill a Ra'Ak. He was still learning things, he admitted to himself as he gazed down at Reah's sleeping face.
"Opportunity?" Lok ventured to ask the Larentii.
"Reah is your opportunity," the Larentii pointed out. "Will you toss it aside, because you desire darker hair?"
"No," Lok sighed heavily. "I was the biggest fool, saying that to her. How was I to know that everything I might want would come in such a package? I know now that it is beautiful. I was allowing my mouth to betray me."
"Wise," the Larentii agreed. "I will go, now. She will wake in four ticks—let the others know where she is. Now is not a good time for them to worry more than they should."
"I will—I'll send out messages as soon as I get her into bed."
"Very good. I will see you soon, Falchani. We may have things to discuss."
"All right." Lok nodded, even as he wondered what a Larentii might have to discuss with him. The Larentii disappeared.
Lok did send out messages—to Lendill, Gavril and Lissa, asking them to share the information with anyone else who needed it. He'd sent it from his comp-vid as he lay beside Reah—he'd pulled on silk sleeping pants and crawled in beside her after settling her as comfortably as he could. He'd been left at the house in Targis, keeping the guards around it and investigating anything that came along that might be connected to child disappearances. He couldn't regret being left behind on Tulgalan—the Larentii had brought Reah to him instead of one of the others.
"Little snowcat," Lok leaned down and nuzzled Reah's jaw, kissing it gently. Moving carefully, he settled her head on his shoulder, wrapped his arms around her and went to sleep.
My waking was disoriented—I couldn't say where I was, and then came the pounding heart, followed by pain and fear—Wyatt was dead. Is that how it is? You wake, and then you remember? Where does sleep take you, that you can leave things like that behind for a time, only to come back to consciousness and find it waiting, like a tiger crouching to pounce?
"Reah, hush now, the pain will pass," a soft voice, from above my head. My cheek was pressed against someone's chest, hardened with muscle. Opening my eyes, I blinked to bring red dragon tattoos into focus.
"It's just me, your Lok," he murmured gently against my ear. And then kissed and nuzzled the sensitive spot behind it. When had he become my Lok? When? I wasn't going to argue, relaxing against him instead with a sigh.
"See, you can relax, little snowcat." I lifted an arm to twine it around his neck. I'd wanted to do that so many times. But he hadn't wanted me. I almost pulled my hand away again.
"No, Reah. Don't pull away from me. I am yours. There is no doubt. And forget what I said about preferences. I can be every bit as foolish as the next one."
"Lok?" I leaned back so I could see his black eyes.
"Hmm?" The black eyes were smiling at me.
"I always wanted a Falchani. I watched the vids over and over again when I was in school, about the Falchani warriors. You don't know what those images did to a fourteen-year-old who was beginning to see boys differently."
"Now you have your own Falchani," his smile widened. "What are you going to do with him?"
"What does he want to do with me?" I asked, flushing slightly.
"He wants to make love to his little snowcat," he said, and lowered his head to kiss me.
"I need to talk to Teeg," I said later, after serving breakfast for Lok. Lok nodded, dipping into his shaved ham and eggs on a breakfast roll. He was eating it with his fingers, which was more than acceptable. Those fingers had stroked my skin earlier, and every fantasy I'd ever had about a Falchani warrior had come true.
"Lok," I went on, staring at my plate of food, "We may be in terrible trouble if what I think about this warlock is true."
"That idiot warlock managed to tap Karathia's core," Lendill appeared at my elbow. "Do we have more?" He eyed my plate of food.
"Take this, I'll make more," I sighed, slipping off my stool. "And I guess it's too bad that Wylend banished me, isn't it?"
"Reah, he just lost his grandson and heir." Lendill chastised me gently.
"I know." I rubbed knuckles against my forehead. "Will somebody contact Teeg to see if he has time for me today? I have to talk to him—ask him and Astralan some questions."
"What do you mean, see if he has any time for you?" Lendill huffed.
"I have to take what I can get from all of you," I said, putting more eggs on to cook. "We have sex and then you're off to work. I don't get any days where we get all day, now do I?"
Lendill dropped his fork. "Is that what you think?" He asked, lifting the fork again and cutting into his meal.
"It's what I get. What else am I supposed to think? When have we gone shopping, Lendill? Or went anywhere just for fun?"
"Did we wake grumpy today?" Teeg appeared with the requested Astralan. Lendill must have sent mindspeech.
"Sit down, I'll have a plate ready for you in just a few ticks," I said. I busied myself at the stove, preparing three more plates. I didn't tell Teeg what I thought until I placed his plate in front of him. Astralan was smiling as he ate—I hadn't cooked for him in a while. I almost missed those early days with Arvil San Gerxon—at least I'd seen Teeg and the others every day.
"What did you want to talk about, sweetheart?" Teeg asked as I took a stool next to his.
"I need to ask Astralan a question first," I said, cutting into my egg. Astralan gave me an expectant look. "How long does a soul-shift take, once you have the triangle drawn out?"
"Only a tick or two," Astralan frowned at the question.
"And does the targeted body have to be right there next to the warlock?"
"As I understand it, never having done it, of course, you have a bit of space—perhaps thirty or forty of Teeg's feet," Astralan replied.
"Teeg, how big were those rooms at the hotel in Sharaan, on Kareed?"
Teeg blinked at my question. And then blinked again. "Maybe twenty feet across, or so," he whispered. Yeah, he was about to become frightened, too. "What are you saying, Reah?"