Page 15 of Snapped
“Hector?” Ainee’s voice pulled his attention away from the boys.
“Yes?”
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes, why?” He was confused.
She laughed softly. “I asked how long you’d be staying with us…twice.”
Hector choked on the sip of wine he’d just taken. Ainee smacked him on the back, hard. “Sorry,” he sputtered. “A couple of weeks at least, maybe longer; Tanis’s parents are waiting until right before the ceremony to arrive. With the Samurai Li is sending to Greece from House
???rén zhi chu, Taryn, Thanos and I feel comfortable with all of us being here instead of there.” There was great concern about leaving House Orion without its rulers as well as their newly appointed Captain, but Rian had come up with an acceptable solution. He’d become very good friends with Li, the spouse of the current ruler over House???rén zhi chu, when he traveled there as a teenager. A simple request of assistance from the largest army in the world, the Samurai, which was led by Li’s husband, Sam, and the problem was solved.
Twenty of the House’s strongest were in route to House Orion at this very moment to stand guard while the royal family attended Tanis and Raven’s ceremony at House Gaeland. Another twenty had come with Li and Sam when they arrived the previous week at Lady Gabry’s request. No one knew yet how far Marcus’s machinations stretched. Therefore, leaving House Orion unprotected was not an option.
Hector and Ainee talked about mundane things as conversation started among the others at the table. A master at multitasking, Hector was able to talk with Ainee and still listen to what was being said around him. Cirian and Rian were huddled close at the other end of the table, too far away for him to hear with all the other chatter amidst the clanking sounds of utensils on dishes. Raven was still goading Tanis about the ass comment; Sawyer was telling Aiya he’d take care of their newborn that evening so she could rest, but what really caught Hector’s attention was the way Ainee kept stealing glances at Maeve. Judging by the split-second grin Maeve threw her way in return, the attraction was mutual. He’d make it a point to get Maeve alone later and pry.
Servants made their way into the room, some collecting the dinner plates, others carrying trays lined with cakes and other treats for dessert and the tiny infant in Aiya’s arms, who’d been quiet as a church mouse until that point, started whimpering and making noises of discomfort. Having only spent an hour at most with the new baby, it still struck Hector as odd and unusual for the newborn to act agitated or fussy. The look of confusion on his parents’ faces confirmed Hector’s suspicion. So what could be upsetting him?
Aiya held him closer, rocking back and forth. Apollo was standing in his chair leaning in and patting Ian on the head. “What’s the matter with him?” Pol asked Aiya.
“I’m not sure, Pol,” she whispered. “There, there…what’s wrong, baby? Momma’s got you. Are you hungry?”
One of the servants clearing the table reached around Aiya for her plate, a saucer of cake in his other hand, and Ian let out a loud shriek that bounced off every wall in the room. Several glasses shattered as the tiny bundle proceeded to scream at an octave Hector was certain would make a hound’s ears bleed. The smallest of Aiya’s mothers, Mia, jumped up and rushed over, gently shoving the servant holding both plates out of the way and reaching for Ian. Holding him close, she bounced the baby, but he didn’t calm down completely until all the servants had left the room.
Interesting,Hector thought, watching the servants as they scrambled for the door, arms holding trays of dishes barely slowing them down.
Chapter 10 | Almost There
Dinner continued with no further outbursts from Ian. Hector had spent time with many children and babies over the years, but never had he heard such a loud, large, obnoxious outcry from one so small. He’d been shown to a room on the other side of the hall from Raven, Tanis and Apollo’s rooms by Ainee. He was restless though, and something about the reaction the servant had to the baby niggled at him. Hector’s instinct was his greatest weapon, one he’d never doubted before, so he refused to start now.
The palace halls were quiet and still; many people already turned in for the night. Rounding the corner that would lead back to the dining hall, Hector almost ran right into a large, rotund woman wearing a food-stained apron. “Oh my goodness, my apologies…” The woman let her words trail off.
“Hector.” He gave his name and extended his hand to her.
“Ah yes, you arrived earlier today from House Orion.” She shook with a firm, steady hand, surprising Hector. “Were ya hungry, Hector? I can make…”
He cut her off with a shake of his head. “No, I’m fine, just taking a tour and getting my bearings is all.”
“Ah yes, well, if you need a snack or drink, the kitchen is that way.” She pointed down the hall behind her, said good night and stepped around Hector, walking back the way he just came.
He’d not gotten very far when muffled voices on the other side of a door that was cracked a few inches caught his attention. His intention was to keep walking, not wanting to disturb the people in the room nor eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation. But then he heard a very familiar voice, stopping him mid-step.
“Of course I still want the child to be all of ours. But with everything we’ve learned about Marcus and his manipulations, I feel like our child would be put under a microscope; people would fear him or her simply because of the implications of what Marcus did with splicing and manipulating DNA.” Maeve’s voice was strained, and if Hector could see inside the room right now, he was certain she would be crying.
“Maeve, darling, you need to give your new family here more credit than that.” A man’s voice, one Hector did not recognize, tried to reassure her. “Everything Marcus did under the guise of his title was wrapped in hate and confusion. You wanting to bear a child that would carry the DNA of Aiyan, Kaden and yourself is not, could not, be a bad thing because it comes from a place of love and devotion.”
The room beyond the cracked door fell silent for so long it was almost maddening. When Maeve spoke again, her voice was calmer, quieter. “Okay Richard, I’ll think on it and talk to them again before I definitively say no.”
“Good.” The man, Richard, responded and then Hector heard footsteps coming closer to the door. He quickly stepped around the corner as the door opened and Maeve stepped out, followed by a short, older man with graying black hair. Richard wore the symbol of The Order, which explained why he and Maeve were talking about babies and DNA; he must be the Geneticist.
Hector waited a few heartbeats before following them. “Ah Maeve, there you are. Where are you headed? I thought I’d take a walk around the gardens and the perimeter of the palace.”
Maeve shook her head and chuckled. “Of course you would.”
With an impish grin, Hector extended his arm to her and Maeve wrapped hers around it. “What ever do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said, laughing. “I remember, the very first night we arrived here both Tanis and Sawyer did the exact same thing. They went with Ian…” Maeve’s steps faltered, her voice breaking off.
