Page 38 of Battling Bright
“That lightning had licked up my spine?Yeah.”
“We will save that for our third date.”He leaned in and kissed her.
She gripped his shoulders and pulled herself tight to him.
* * * *
Vaia could see thecoach house from the window, and it seemed that Krys was in deep conversation with her accountant.“Whew.They were putting out a ton of pheromones.”
Azreen hugged her and kissed her neck.“Don’t mention it to her.She thinks it was us.”
“Ah.How do you know Reynal again?”
“He’s my great nephew.My father had a bride four centuries ago.She had a daughter, which meant my father wasn’t sure it was his.”
“Right.The dragon boy thing.”
“Yup.Well, she didn’t shift, but she married a gargoyle, and their daughter married a djinn, and that is how Reynal came into the world.”
“So, his grandmother is your...sister?”
“Yes.”
Vaia laughed.“So, I am her cousin and her great aunt if she marries Reynal.”
Azreen chuckled.“I suppose.Why does that amuse you?”
“All my life fighting to feel like I belonged to someone who actually wanted me around, and now I have a bunch of cousins who are in similar situations to me.The Depfords are real buttheads.Well, except for my aunt Mirrin.She was put into a similar situation that I was, but at least I wasn’t the seventh child.I don’t know why she didn’t kill him.”
“It was in her contract.She had just to keep having son after son.It’s why Imara is so powerful.She inherited all that magic because of the lack of forethought as to what would happen if a girl were born in the coveted position.”
“So, are you wary of having a family?”
Vaia looked at him and smiled.“No.Not with you.You took action when you realized what I was doing, and you stayed when you could have just signed paperwork and made your way back to wherever you had been for the last fifteen years.”
“The coast, where father’s first family made their home.”
“Ah.When do you get wings?”
“Around the age of fifty or so.”
“Hm.I wonder what I will look like then?”
“Much the same as you are now.After last night, we are sharing energy.You won’t need to dance for your meals anymore.I can answer your call day or night.”He nuzzled her neck.
It tickled, and she giggled before watching Krys and Reylan still going at it.“Wow.They are still making out.”
He grumped.“Less voyeurism, more paying attention to your husband.”
Vaia laughed and kissed him.He picked her up and headed back to their wing of the mansion.It was more than they needed, and it would be years before their family grew to the point where they expanded beyond the eighteen rooms on the one side of the building.
She didn’t know how much longer she wanted to spend on her honeymoon, but taking breaks for dressmaking would help her extend the warm feeling that she got when she saw Azreen.If she were careful, it could be a lifelong honeymoon.
* * * *
When they eased apart, Reynal’s gaze was searching hers for hesitation.Whatever was on her face must have been the right thing because he smiled and ran a thumb over her lips.
“What’s left on the list?”
