"Wow. Maybe I need to do that—build a summer home near the ocean." I hadn't even thought of that.
"Adam and I can help put it up for you, if you'll let us use it from time to time."
"Merrill, you can do whatever you want, I don't care. How's that?" I held my arms out in sweeping gesture.
"Lissa, I do love you. I hope you know that. It might not be the kind of love you wanted once, but it's there anyway."
"Merrill, there's a lot of things I have to deal with, including Karzac becoming a father. You and I both know I'll never get children, so that's been a bit of a blow. I'm dealing with it the best I can."
"I know, sweetheart." Merrill touched my cheek. "You are covered in dust," he said, when he drew his hand back. "Go clean up. We'll talk later."
I went to clean up and Kiarra had set some of Fox's clothes out for me when I stepped from the shower. I washed my hair three times, I think, just to make sure I got all the dust out of it. Drake, Drew, Hart and Nima were waiting on me when I walked inside the kitchen. I was the one who bent time and folded space to Le-Ath Veronis.
Chapter 6
"Raona, you are not dressed properly for your meetings." Those were Giff's first words to me when we arrived at the breakfast table. Those of us who'd come from Kiarra's were getting breakfast (again) for lunch. Hart and Nima looked around them, both with stunned expressions on their faces.
"Sit down, another breakfast is on the way," I said. Gabron was already there with Gavin, Tony and Roff. I went to give each of them a kiss.
"Lissa, why do I get the idea that you have been somewhere?" Gabron eyed my clothing with a critical glare.
"It's a long story. We'll talk later," I said and followed Giff so I could change clothes.
* * *
"We went to Falchan," Drake shook out his napkin after getting Hart and Nima settled at the table. He introduced the two women and informed Tony and Gavin that they would be training them to add to the palace guard.
"This is where Lissa lives?" Nima asked.
"Lissa is Queen here," Gabron replied. "All males here are members of her Inner Circle and mated to her. She has other mates, but they are absent at the moment."
Nima stared at Hart, her eyes wide. "We thought at first she was only a warrior and Tava held her in contempt because she seemed so small and weak," Nima said, turning back to Gabron. "We have seen her fight. We no longer think this."
"Have I mentioned that all here except Drake, Roff and I are vampires?" Drew smiled wickedly. "Don't worry, you are in no danger. Although I hear the bite can be quite pleasurable."
"I can arrange a trial bite for them," Gabron offered.
"We'll save that for later," Drake grinned.
* * *
"What's this about a trial bite?" I was frowning when I returned to the table, dressed properly this time, according to Giff. At least she'd let me wear a silk tunic and pants in an emerald color with gold embroidery on the cuffs and hem. Giff had also insisted I wear the simple gold coronet I had instead of the heavy claw crown, after she'd dressed my hair. I preferred to go without a crown or coronet, saving both for more formal occasions, but Giff had her way this time.
"I offered to arrange a bite, if these two young women are interested," Gabron said.
"I think you should explain it carefully before you let them decide," I said. "What's on the agenda today?"
"We are hammering out the final law on the age limit for the comesuli to receive the bite, plus a few other things."
"Great. Another day of fun-packed meetings. How many people did I kill, yesterday?" I asked Drake as I cut into a sausage link.
"More than ten thousand, I think," Drake said. "I just want to tell you how much I love you, baby."
"You speak of these things at the table?" Hart asked, staring at Drake.
"They speak of everything at the table," Gavin growled.
"Honey, that growl almost sounded good-natured. Is something wrong? Are you feeling all right?"
"I hear you have been gone from me for days, while it is only seconds for me. I am happy to have you back, cara."
"Where has my granddaughter been?" Wylend Arden and Erland Morphis folded in, causing Nima to shriek. Griffin folded in immediately after, followed by Amara. Amara was smiling. I got a good whiff of her and found myself standing, suddenly.
"Daddy, what the hell have you been doing?" I asked.
"What are you talking about?" Griffin turned his gaze on me.
"Mom's pregnant, that's what I'm talking about. How did that happen?"
"What?" Griffin and Amara said at the same moment.
"Check for yourself," I grumped. Griffin did a little Looking, as did Amara. Amara was shrieking and throwing herself into Griffin's arms. Wylend was beaming while Erland came to return me gently to my chair.
"Love, it is fine—Wylend needs an heir and Griffin has already declined because of his Oracle status." Erland was making sense, I knew, but really. Now two people were pregnant. I blew out a frustrated sigh.
"Are you a vampire, too?" Nima asked Erland, who was busy searching for an empty seat at the table. She was staring at the second most handsome man I'd ever met and liked what she saw, I could tell.
"I am a Karathian Warlock," he announced with an imperious wave of his hand and then laughed.
"Did you leave any for us?" Garde folded in with Jayd and Glinda, each parent holding a tiny baby. Amara went to Glinda immediately and lifted the baby girl from her arms. They sat at the table, too, and the servants soon had plates of food in front of them.
"How are the new ones working out?" I asked.
"Lissa, we only got them yesterday," Garde smiled. "I hear you were gone," he held up a hand before I could explain my unplanned stint on Falchan.
"Then eat something before you cave in," I said.
Should I tell Gavin you were shot with an arrow? Drake teased mentally.
You want me to suffer, don't you? I sent back.
"Lissa took an arrow through her arm," Drake announced. I wanted to throw my napkin at him. Maybe a few plates and the salt and pepper shakers, too.
Gavin was sitting next to me, as was Tony. "Lissa, tell me what happened," Gavin demanded, helping himself to another sausage. Drew was the one who told the story; I wasn't in the mood.
* * *
"These are the plans for the new theatre and the shopping district," Flavio unrolled architectural plans and laid them out on the conference table. I was hearing quite a bit, today. The age vote had been approved unanimously—the legal age for the comesuli had been set at twenty-nine. Then we turned to other things. The vampires wanted entertainment. They wanted work to keep them occupied and they wanted female companions.