"I don't know what I would do, if Harvel or Rhett didn't remember me," Cleo said. "That would break my heart."
"Lissa's was broken, long ago," Kyler said. "That's why she doesn't trust anybody now."
"Gram Amara cried after we went shopping the other day," Cleo nodded. "She says Lissa might not ever consider her and Em-pah as parents."
"At least Mom loved me, and Em-pah loved me when I was little," Kyler said. "And your adoptive parents loved you. A lot."
"I know Em-pah had his reasons for splitting us up, but that doesn't make it easier to deal with now," Cleo observed. "And neither of us had to live with what Aunt Lissa did, when we were little. She must look like her mother," Cleo added. "I don't see much of Em-pah there at all."
"I wonder if Em-pah will ever learn who his father was," Kyler sighed. "He said his mother refused to tell him, and there's a wall of power surrounding the information. He can't get to it."
"It bothers him, but we may never know who our great-grandfather was," Cleo agreed. "Em-pah says he didn't ever Look to see who Lissa's Elemaiya grandmother was. He says the wars between Bright and Dark have almost destroyed the race, and she may be dead anyway. Is Flavio still mad?"
"He asked me to spend the night with him, so I guess not," Kyler hid a smile.
"Yeah, he's not pretty or anything," Cleo snickered, bumping her shoulder against her twin's.
* * *
Cleo was right; I was well rested after a long sleep—I'd slept right through breakfast and Drake and Drew showed up after sparring with Dragon and Crane, hauling me out of bed, shoving me in the shower and then herding me toward the kitchen. Mike was waiting, and I had a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of me in very little time.
"Lissa, we heard you had a tough time, last night," Devin walked in, receiving a peck from Drake and Drew as she sat down beside me.
"I still don't know what to do," I muttered, accepting a fresh cup of coffee from Mike. He'd added cream and sugar, just the way I wanted it. I sent mindspeech, telling him he was a god in the kitchen. He snickered and went to make a cup of tea for Devin.
"M'Fiyahs are never easy at first, especially if there are several manifesting at once. Kiarra had an easier time, since Pheligar muted his for thousands of years, and hers with Merrill was muted by Griffin."
"They can be muted?" I stared at Devin in shock.
"Not anymore, Belen has forbidden it," Devin stared at her hands. Mike placed a cup of tea in front of Devin and she thanked him absently. "Belen says there has been too much damage caused by muted and destroyed M'Fiyahs. In the past, some have been muted or destroyed, because one party or the other decided, without consent or knowledge, at times, of the other party. The ability has been removed from all of the Saa Thalarr and only Belen can do it, now. He says he will only consider destroying a M'Fiyah if both parties agree."
Devin's skin was flawless as I studied her face—she was fair-skinned and light red hair framed her delicate, oval face. Her blue eyes were troubled as she focused on me. "Kiarra wants Gracie and me to bring you over this morning. Gryphon Hall, Adam's ancestral home, is only a few miles away. We'll fold you over. Kiarra wants to talk to you. There's something else you should know, too. I'm her daughter. She and Adam are my parents."
"But the scent," I said before I thought.
"I know about that. Mom and Dad aren't my birth parents. But they're still my parents."
"Got, it," I said. "Didn't mean to upset you."
"I know, and you didn't," Devin rubbed my back and smiled. "If they were my birth parents, it would make things awkward with Justin. They are his birth parents."
That admission made me blink—I hadn't thought about that. Justin, Adam and Kiarra's son, was one of Devin and Grace's eleven mates.
"M'Fiyahs are usually easier on the guys—the love hits them immediately and they always want to hop in bed right away; that's just the way they are," Devin shrugged. Drake and Drew, sitting beside me, snickered and pretended to look the other way.
Schmucks, I sent to both of them.
We're crushed; Drake sent a smile with his mental words. And it wasn't awkward to be sitting there, discussing sex with the mother of the two who wanted to do the bed hopping.
"So, how should I dress?" I'd slipped into jeans and a pullover earlier.
"You're fine," Devin said.
That's how I ended up at Gryphon Hall later, after I finished eating and brushing my teeth. Devin wouldn't allow Drake and Drew to come along, though I was wishing they might come for moral support. I had no idea what Kiarra might want, and if my guesses were correct, she was the Queen Bee for the Saa Thalarr, even though Dragon and Grace were now Co-Firsts.
"I just ate," I waved off Kiarra's offer of something to eat or drink. She and Fox were in Adam's library—it was as large as Merrill's had been when I'd lived with him, three centuries ago. It made me wonder what his manor looked like now, and whether it had changed through the years.
Comfortable furniture was scattered in a seating area, surrounding a wide, low table. Everything—from the sofas and chairs to the table and the handmade rugs beneath our feet screamed money—lots of money.
"I wanted to talk to you about several things, before we get to the difficult matters," Kiarra's platinum blonde hair was pulled back in an attractive braid. If she'd left it loose, it would probably hang to her waist. Her blue eyes held concern and a slight frown tugged at her pretty mouth. She wasn't tall—maybe an inch or two taller than I. I didn't measure her might in her stature, though, and anybody who did might have a real surprise coming their way. Power clouded about her—it was so tangible I could almost see it. If I turned to mist, I would definitely see it.
"What things?" I asked. I felt pain coming, and twisted my fingers together.
"Stop that." Fox sat beside me and pulled one of my hands into hers. I'd sat by myself on a small sofa, while Grace and Devin sat opposite me. Kiarra had been standing the entire time, but she sat, now.
I stared at Fox—she knew I was shaky. "We quarter bloods have to stick together," she offered a perky grin.
"Wlodek must have gone crazy when he first met you," I blurted.
"He did. He had no idea how to handle this," she laughed, her short, black curls bouncing a little. "But we had a M'Fiyah, and he figured out soon enough he couldn't do without me."