“But?” Violet asked, knowing me too well.
“I don’t know what to do or how to act around her. She’s not at all how I imagined,” I said as I lifted Poppy to my shoulder. “Oh, you smell good,” I said to Poppy as I closed my eyes in baby bliss.
“The first part is simple. Be yourself.” Violet gave me a questioning look. “How is she?”
I thought about Neema Valen Probus. “She’s assertive and authoritative. Papa even minds her. She takes charge and gets exactly what she wants,” I said in a conspiratorial whisper.
However, spying was in the blood of House Aegisthus. Kaoti’s mother had listened to my whispered words and started laughing. We looked at her. She raised her hands apologetically. “That’s her alright. Emperor Probus is respected and feared throughout the universes, but he’s always been a soft ribbon tied around the Empress’ finger. He’ll do anything to please her and woe upon anyone who displeases her and lets him find out about it.”
Violet and I looked at each other. “That sounds about right so far,” I said.
Yukihyo came into the room, bowed to Violet, placed a small pink box on her knee, and took Peter from her. “Lady Aegisthus, please accept this small welcoming gift on behalf of Poppy from all of us,” he said.
“Oh, Yukihyo!” Violet said after opening the box. Inside, it was filled with loose pink diamonds. “This is too much.”
I said, “Not for you and Kaoti it isn’t. Now that you hold your own daughter, you know the love a mother has for her child. Had it not been for your husband, I would have lost what I cherish.”
Kaoti had saved me when I was pregnant with Neema. He had done so out of duty and honor, but now he knew how much more it had meant to Yukihyo. The two men stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment.
“Hiss! Hiss! Chitter! Chitter! Hiss!”
Frightened, I jumped. Thunderdrop had climbed the wall and appeared ready to attack.
“Oh! Oh, dear!” Kaoti’s mother cried as she picked up a furry creature. It had a collar around its neck with a tinkling bell.
“Boof! Boof!” The tiny dog managed as a bark before it sneezed.
I laughed so hard that I cried. I pointed at Kaoti. “That’s your pet? That? My fearless bodyguard has a little fur ball the size of a bowl of berries?”
Affronted, Kaoti said, “Princess, I’ll have you know that Puff is a formidable defense against intruders.”
Violet said, “Yes, he frightens away any birds that visit the garden.”
“Does Puff even have a face? I see some ears and paws sticking out of all of that tan hair.”
“Yes, right here,” Kaoti said as he pushed some hair back and showed me two little beady eyes.
I snorted.
“Where’s his hair clip? Oh, here it is,” said Kaoti’s mother. Then, she pinned the little dog’s bangs up.
Phillip, Zared, Nico, and Fitz excused themselves to go outside. I presumed they needed a good laugh. Thunderdrop went with them. A little while later, I caught Kaoti alone.
“Thank you for letting Fitz visit with us. I wasn’t sure how we would be received.”
Kaoti had his usual unreadable expression. “He did not know. He was not involved.” That was all I got out of my bodyguard. It hadn’t been only the lives of the Imperial family that Felix had tried to ruin.
We returned to the Palace in time for dinner. Neema had become so energized that I wondered if Yukihyo had stuck some photonic film on her. Niklos did his best to crawl after her, and Thunderdrop was a nervous wreck following them upside down on the ceiling. On more than one occasion, he had kept them out of trouble with lines of silk. Thunderdrop was an excellent spider.
After freshening up, I returned to my sitting room. There I found Momma and Papa seated with Nico, Fitz, and Drex. Momma watched over Papa’s shoulder as he made faces at Peter. Little clawed hands reached for Papa’s nose.
“There you are, my darling,” Papa said.
Zared had a concerned look on his face from where he sat in his hover chair. He was by the main doors. The table next to him held a new arrangement. A vase full of fresh pink roses from Drex sat atop it and filled the room with their fragrant scent. Stepping closer, I bent to sniff them.
“Did my loving parents enjoy their time out on the lake?” I asked.
“Yes, we did. Now, then, we have something for you. Yukihyo, bring it out. Teagan, come sit on the couch by your mother,” Papa said.
I went to Momma and sat beside her taking her hand in mine. Yukihyo brought out a large, gold, ornate, framed painting and turned it around so that I could see its subject. General Luca Braga had been brought to life and stood proudly in uniform with mischievous eyes twinkling back at me. Momma, Zared, and Yukihyo worked together to keep my emotions calm. They did their best to dull the pain that pierced my heart.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you. I’d like for it to go there on the wall near the doors so that I can always see him.”
Momma put her arm around me and kissed my temple.
After a family dinner in the main dining room, Momma said, “Teagan, I hear your husbands took you to visit your Imperial attendant.”
Smiling, I said, “Yes, but Violet is really more of a best friend to me than anything else. Papa gave her that title.” I shrugged. “Her daughter, Poppy, is the cutest little sweetie. I can’t wait for you to meet them both.”
“Chitter chirp clack,” Thunderdrop complained as he showed me an image of the Aegisthus family dog.
“Thunderdrop did not like their dog, Puff.” I patted my spider who sat on top of my head and observed everyone at the table.
Niklos got mad that Neema wasn’t paying enough attention to him and threw a handful of mashed carrots at her. Neema’s mouth made an “O” as she blinked a glob from her grey eyelashes.
“No, Niklos. You do not throw carrots at your sister,” Nico told him.
“Chirp! Chirp!” Thunderdrop laughed. He still remembered when Neema had thrown carrots at him.
With a fierce scowl, Neema hurled a fistful of potatoes at Thunderdrop. Being a very intelligent Arachnean Silk spider, he jumped to the safety of the chandelier. Warm potatoes slid from my forehead, down my nose, and splattered onto my chest.
“Sorry, Mommy,” Neema said in her sweet little voice.
“Neema, big girls don’t throw their food. They use their utensils and napkins,” I said as I wiped my face. Phillip was having a good laugh at my expense. Sighing, I excused myself to go and clean up. On my way back, I heard a quiet argument.
“Absolutely not! What do I care if they successfully coexist or not?” Papa said.
“If they are incapable of settling their own differences and learning to interact socially and economically, we know the inevitable outcome,” Director Larkin Sapor said.
When Papa saw me, their intense conversation stopped. “Darling,” Papa said as he smiled and put his arm around me. “I was just coming to look for you.”
“What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Papa, tell me.”
“Teagan, your mother missed what passed for your childhood, and now you have each other.” Papa held my arms and smiled down at me before he kissed my forehead. “Come along,” he said as he gave me his arm and escorted me back to the others.
“Well, I had something else in mind. I’m disappointed in your rather tedious attempts to amuse my daughter,” Momma was saying. My brow furrowed. “Oh, there you are, my sweet!”
“Momma, please don’t give them a hard time. I wanted to see my friends, and I like staying home.”
Momma scoffed. “You need fun and excitement.”
After the children had gone to bed, I paced and chewed my nail.
“Lady wife, what troubles you?” Yukihyo asked. He sat reading financial reports for Ponidi Propulsions with Zeth, one of our hybrid Laconian clan brothers. Zeth had become invaluable to Yukihyo. Zeth had let his mercenary lifestyle slip away and now enjoyed
being a husband and businessman. I wondered when my other adopted brothers would find spouses.
“You should not eavesdrop on private conversations,” Zared admonished me.
“It wasn’t on purpose.”
“Did you hear words and then become still and silent to hear more?” he asked.
“Well, yeah.” I shrugged my shoulders.
Zared watched me with solid black eyes. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Just go ask him,” Nico said absently.
Nodding, I said, “I will. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Leaving my wing, I walked down the quiet hallways to Papa’s wing which he now shared with Momma. She had handled coming out of stasis far better than the doctors had hoped. I thought it was romantic that Papa refused to let her out of his sight. Guards opened the doors for me as I approached. He had already dismissed his butlers for the evening, so I walked through the sitting room, peeked out at the patio, and kept searching.
“Papa, are you still awake?” I whispered at the master bedroom door. It opened slightly. I looked inside. Then, horrified, I covered my eyes, turned, and slunk away. After the guards closed the doors to Papa’s wing behind me, I jogged back to my own wing.
Yukihyo met me in the hall. “What’s wrong?” he asked as worried orange crept into his white eyes.
I shook my head at him. Yukihyo followed me into the sitting room. I kneeled down at Zared’s feet and looked up at him imploringly. “Husband, take this memory from me. I beg you.”
Zared’s laugh was loud and deep. “You should have knocked.”
“Teagan, what happened?” Yukihyo asked.
I grimaced and scrubbed at my eyes. However, I was unable to banish the sight of Papa’s bare rear moving in rhythm between my Momma’s legs. “I must wash my eyes with soap.”
“Let’s go for a walk outside,” Nico suggested.
Zared, between bouts of raucous laughter, began speaking in rapid Laconian to Yukihyo and Zeth. Their loud male laughter filled my wing. I took Nico’s arm and let him guide me from the patio out into the gardens.
“Let me guess,” my blonde giant said with a grin.
“It was awful.” Nico patted my hand. “Should she even be doing that? She has a new liver and has been in stasis for twenty years,” I said with a great deal of emphasis on the last four words.
“Yes, and popular belief is that Tavere has been faithful to her all of that time.” I looked up at Nico in shock. “Teagan, it is our way. There can be no one for me but you.”
The gardens were alive with crickets. Occasionally, when one jumped too close to the lake, a fish would leap up and swallow it. Phillip and Fitz were somewhere out on the lake fishing. My husband had a lot on his mind and needed a friend to talk to.
“I wouldn’t want you to spend your years alone if something were to happen to me. I’d want you to find any joy that you could.”
A frog stopped on the path in front of us and froze. Nico stopped and turned me to face him. His large hands covered my shoulders. “Isn’t that what Luca would want for you? Do you think he would want this shroud of grief to be woven tighter and tighter over you? I think he would be pushing his fingers through the weave to allow the light to reach you once more. Luca loved your laugh and the softness of your skin. He would go on and on about it, and I couldn’t argue.”
I huddled against the solid, safe mass that was Nico and held him. “I tried to give the necklace Luca gave me to Lucius. He refused it.”
“Luca wanted you to have it. Each time you wear it, and House Braga sees it, you will be honoring Luca’s memory.” Nico moved back and bent down to kiss me. Stepping around the frightened frog, we continued our walk.
“Quaid has left me to my grief. My marriage to Luca must have angered him.”
“Quaid is occupied. The Hadrian seeks to eradicate all target detonating pulse blades along with whoever is manufacturing them.” The memory of the blade sinking into Luca’s chest and then exploding brought me to a stop. “Luca wore chest armor just like the rest of us did. That weapon was barbaric, and its type could be used against Parvac soldiers, Militia soldiers, or Enforcers. They suspect a connection between the pulse blades and the thermo-resonator bombs used against our ships when Arlo Dano had the hybrids abduct you.”
Nico’s hands were so large that they covered my upper arms as he rubbed them to comfort me. His voice seemed loud in the dimly lit garden. Palace guards kept their distance from us but were vigilant in their duties.
“Eric would like to enlist their help. They have dealt with these illegal weapons dealers in the past.”
I shrugged. I knew it was important, but I didn’t want any of them to go. “You’d have to ask if any of them want to help in the hunt. I might allow a few of them to go, even though I need them with me. Under no circumstances will Zared, Jazon, Izaac, or Xavier go anywhere without me.”
I heard male laughter in my mind. Telepathically, Xavier said, “She needs us. Isn’t that sweet?”
He said it jokingly, but it hurt my feelings. I did need them, especially now during a time of such intense grief over Luca, worry for Zared, and ecstatic joy that I had a mother. “I don’t know what to feel,” I said out loud.
Nico lifted my chin. “You don’t have to know. Let us take care of you. Give your heart a rest.”
A fish flopped out on the lake as a toad bellowed nearby. Large wings created darker shadows in the night sky as it swooped down and grabbed its dinner. I nodded. If I let go for a while, my husbands would catch me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
During breakfast the next morning out on the patio, Rolf delivered a white envelope to me. Opening it, my cheeks turned red.
“What’s that about?” Nico asked.
I handed it to him. Momma had written that she wanted to speak to me immediately. “This is going to be awkward,” I mumbled. Fitz pulled my chair back for me. “I’ll go change.”
Rolf cleared his throat.
“What?” I asked when my butler didn’t volunteer anything.
“When one is summoned by the Empress, one goes immediately,” Rolf informed me.
“In my gown and robe?” I asked disbelievingly. Rolf just stood snootily with his hands clasped behind his back. “Fine. I’ll get it over with. Ugh,” I said as I scrubbed at my eyes. “It’s not like I wanted to see that, so gross.” I pouted all of the way to my parent’s wing. That made me smile, in spite of everything else. I had parents.
Guards saluted as I walked past. I blushed at Dario Galerius, Cormac Gordian, and Merick Carus. They saluted me. I smiled and clutched my robe tighter. Drex bowed low to me from where he waited his turn to go into Papa’s office. I stopped.
“Good morning, Drex.”
“Good morning, Teagan.”
I kissed his cheek to be polite and continued along down the hall. Guards held open the doors to the wing of the Emperor and Empress of the Parvac Empire. As I passed through, suddenly I felt very small and like an outsider. Stopping, I looked around at the opulent sitting room. Fresh roses of red, orange, pink, and white overflowed from vases on almost every available surface. A butler gestured for me to proceed to the bedroom. At least Papa was in his office.
“Teagan, come to me at once. Explain your feelings which I can only describe as consternation,” Momma ordered.
With heated cheeks, I entered the bedroom. Momma sat in bed against a pile of white pillows in a frilly robe with a breakfast tray over her legs. Her long hair had a lustrous shine to it, almost like burnished copper. It brought thoughts of Simon and Sherman to mind.
“You’re so beautiful. I’ve stared at your pictures so many times, wondering what you’d be like, but you’re so much better.”
Momma gave me a beautiful smile and patted the bed. “Come, sit and have coffee with me,” she said. A pained expression crossed my face. “What’s all of that about?” she asked as she waved a hand in the air at my face. I didn’t answer and sat on the edge o
f the bed nearest her. “Why do you feel guilty?” With burning cheeks, I confessed. Momma laughed. “Oh, Teagan, here have some coffee.” She handed me a cup. A new diamond bracelet glittered on her right wrist. Seeing my interest, she said, “Pretty isn’t it? Your father gave it to me this morning, and I think you know why.”
My jaw dropped.
Momma laughed again. “Teagan, you’re so serious all of the time. Your father and I love each other, and we love you.” In a quieter and less playful tone, she said, “I suffered at the hands of our enemies for two years. Then, I went to sleep. When I woke, it was to see my love staring back at me.” Momma reached out and stroked my hair. “However, you and Tavere lived through each of those days that I slept. Each of you were alone with your own pain until a few years ago. Now, we begin our lives together as a family. We will be as we were meant to be, and we will be strong.”
Her hand reached out and wiped away one of my tears.
“Teagan, you lost Luca to that same vile bastard who has caused us all such heartache. He has deprived us of our loves for the last time. Never again will he break our hearts. It is done.”
Her words resonated deeply within me. Never again. “Wait. Do you mean he has been executed?”
“Thank you for not speaking his name. Yes, he is no more. He can’t hurt us ever again.”
Concern furrowed my brow. “I had planned to sit by Papa’s side during the trial.”
“I know. I forbade it. I sat at Tavere’s side. It is our right to protect you.”
Through our bond, I felt that arguing with Momma would be unwise.
“Teagan, to honor General Luca Braga, your husband, publicly we awarded him most of the credit for my rescue. However, we all know that Inquisitor Eli Beck, Inquisitor Drex Licinius, and your magnificent Imperial Guards all worked diligently toward my discovery and rescue. Your father and I have rewarded them for their service. However, how we can ever possibly repay them for what they have done is incomprehensible. Oh, that it had been sooner. I intend to squeeze as much joy and happiness as I can from each and every day. You will do the same,” she said with a nod of her head. “Drex Licinius is your husband. You ignore him! I have been apprised of all he did to win you. Teagan, he stormed the Palace and swept you away. How romantic!”
The Spider Queen (The Space Merchants Book 5) Page 29
