"No sex for a week," Karzac laid down the law.
"Honey, you enjoy that, don't you?" I wanted to throw an uneaten piece of toast at my Refizani physician mate. Karzac threw the term sex around as if it didn't embarrass me in the least. With as many mates as I had, I suppose it shouldn't embarrass me. It did.
"I do not wish to be forced to heal the debilitating headache afterward," Karzac grumbled at me. "And you do not wish to have the headache either—be honest."
"Fine," I muttered. If I were honest, as Karzac said, I was still feeling shaky.
* * *
The hot tub was where Rigo and Thurlow found me later, only seconds after my posse and I had gotten into it (all naked, of course). Then new guy showed up, just as Rigo and Thurlow were shucking clothes to get in, too. I slapped a hand over my face.
"I am sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier; I am Norian Keef, Director of the ASD," new guy said and started shucking his clothes, too. Well, he might fit in, after all. He slipped into the water on the other side of Thurlow. "This is nice," he said. "Why didn't I know about this before?"
"Uh, Lissa, your new assignment for the Alliance is working with the ASD Director, here," Tony jerked his head toward Norian Keef.
"ASD—Alliance Security Detail?" I asked, my voice almost a squeak. "How the hell did that happen?"
"The Founder and twenty members of the Grand Alliance Council always choose who works as Liaison, and the Liaison's world always houses the ASD for a period of thirty years," Norian cracked a smile, as if his current circumstances pleased him in some way. At least he was calm and relaxed today. Not only was he relaxed, he was naked, sitting in hot water up to his ni**les and smiling. Nice. "Don't worry," Norian held out a hand, "we're paid by the Alliance, and our housing costs are reimbursed. I've already worked that out with Kyler—I understand she's your niece?"
"Yes." I wasn't thrilled with her father at the moment, however. I still wanted to slap Glendes and Raffian through a wall. "The Founder and Twenty Charter members decided?" My question was flat and resigned. It was one of those things—you don't show up for the meeting, you get the assignment. Didn't matter that I'd been separated—body and spirit—at the time. The assignment and Norian's words brought worries and suspicions to my mind, but I shoved them aside before any of my mates picked up on them. This was my concern, and I didn't want to trouble the others with it. I'd just wait and see how it all played out.
"They haven't lost sight of what happened on Refizan three centuries ago, even if the others haven't studied their Alliance history," Norian said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
"The Governor of the Realm on Refizan hasn't forgotten," Karzac muttered.
"I have copies of that footage, now. I didn't know what they were talking about—wasn't sure it was possible, even. I know differently, now." Norian lifted his head and stared at me.
"Don't make me place compulsion not to spread that around," I grumbled.
"Don't worry," Norian held out a hand. "I'm just looking forward to the next time. I sent out my agents this morning. I'll be getting information within days."
"Lissa will not be going out again for at least two weeks, and that may be pushing it," Karzac glared at Norian.
"Calm down, I was planning to ask when she might be able to help out," Norian replied. "And I'll depend on you to give me status reports in the future, if our Queen isn't up to these activities. I wasn't looking forward to this when I was notified of the assignment to Le-Ath Veronis. After yesterday, my heart rate and my stress level dropped dramatically. Not that they won't rise again," he offered a brief, roguish grin, "but for now, things are so much better."
"You might ask me if I'm prepared to go off with you," I huffed. "Difik." I misted right out of the hot tub and into my suite.
* * *
"Not a good idea to press those buttons," Drake and Drew said together. Norian's eyebrows lifted in surprise. These twins were identical, except for the color of ink on their dragon tattoos.
"She called me an idiot, didn't she?" Norian grinned.
"That is the closest you can get to a direct translation," Garde agreed. He lifted a hand from the hot water—his fingers were wrinkled. "I'll go check on Lissa," he said and skipped away.
* * *
I was standing in my closet, wrapped in a towel when fifteen males, all in various stages of dress, trooped into my bedroom. I don't know how Norian thought he rated just walking in with the rest of my mates plus Rigo and Thurlow, but he was there, too. I'm not sure they'd even noticed he'd followed them.
"Lissa, tell me what you intend to do," Karzac spoke first.
"I was going to see Cheedas," I muttered. I was tired and wanted a nap right after I got something to drink. And I wanted to ask Cheedas to find somebody who could take Giff's place. I'd gone Looking while I searched for something to wear. I knew how things stood on that front, now. Giff's permanent defection was one more blow in a long line of others.
"What did you want to see Cheedas for?" Roff was working his way through the others.
"Honey," I was wiping my face, now, "I know Giff doesn't want to come back and I know she doesn't ever want me to see the baby. I was going to ask Cheedas if he knew somebody who could take her place."
"Fuck," I heard Tony mutter off to the side. Roff stopped three feet away from me, a stricken expression on his face.
"I'm not mad at you," I stifled the sob that came. "I just need to see Cheedas." Right then I might have had thoughts of just dropping to the floor and sobbing. I didn't have my wizard and I didn't have Giff. And I wasn't going to get to see her baby. Ever. My life since waking had been nothing but crap. I jerked a shirt and jeans off hangers and slammed the bathroom door behind me. I did my best to straighten myself up while I dressed, and then stomped out while fifteen males watched.
Rolfe was standing guard outside the door to my suite, so I made a huge production of slamming that door, too, before anybody had a chance to come out behind me. I think I heard the thick wood crack as I ran down the hall. That meant I was breathing heavily when I made my way into the kitchen, my breaths coming in gasps and sobs. Cheedas stood patiently while I rushed toward him, threw myself into his arms and wept.
If I'd thought to worry whether Cheedas might be uncomfortable while I cried, then my worries would have been unfounded. Honestly, I was wishing we didn't have an audience right then. Cheedas was doing his best to stop my tears, but that was easier said than done. He murmured nonsense to me and rubbed my back while everybody else watched silently. I was shaking by the time Cheedas sat on a barstool and pulled me onto his lap. A glass of juice was handed over and he helped me drink. When I got myself under control after a while, I wiped my face with unsteady fingers and looked up at Cheedas. "I need somebody to take Giff's place."