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“Aculus, when…” Axilla began.

“Weakness, he is not wrong.” Tellar interrupted Axilla, putting a hand on her arm.

“But his conclave…” Axilla insisted.

“Let it be.” Tellar cast a conspiratorial glance to Aculus.

“Thank you.” Aculus smiled at Tellar.

“Let me apologize for this display,” Merus said to her as he waved to his extended family.

“Don’t apologize. I’m actually right at home with all the banter. You should see how my family carries on. My poor dad has five daughters. Add my mom and he too was always outnumbered by a bunch of women. He could never get a word in, or a moment of peace,” she chuckled.

“That is the plight of being male.” Tellar shook his head sadly, reminding her that Osivoire women outnumbered men.

“You are such a martyr,” Bregma laughed.

“Indeed. You know you miss all your little females,” Axilla added.

“I do. It’s a shame you missed your other siblings last night,” Tellar commented to Aculus.

Hearing that her meltdown pulled Aculus away from the rare occasion he got to see his siblings made her feel terrible.

“Oh, I’m sorry you missed seeing them because of me.” She frowned apologetically at Aculus.

“Don’t.” Aculus shook his head emphatically. “My sorus and sisters keep in contact,regularly.”

Nadzia chuckled at his expression. Apparently, his sisters were gabby, if she was reading him right.

“They’ll be back to see you,” Axilla commented, swatting Aculus on the arm for his deprecating comment.

She laughed when Aculus winced, feigning pain and Axilla swatted him again for faking it. Last night, she hadn’t been sure what to think of his family after what Aculus shared with her. The expectations placed on him made her sad. But she was starting to see his family wasn’t that different from hers. Besides the weird harem thing and ruling an empire, it was a total three-ring circus full of different personalities, laughing, arguing and everything in between.

“I have no doubt they will. They live with their conclaves, but most of them are here in the city,” Aculus added, pulling her back to the conversation.

“But you live here?” she asked Merus, trying to understand the unusual family structure.

“Yes.” Merus nodded.

“Males stay at home since there are less of us. Females leave, making room for the male’s conclave,” Aculus explained.

“Oh.”

“Is this not how your people do it?” Lacuna asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “When we’re adults we get our own home.”

“You live alone? That’s so sad,” Costa said, making it sound like she was some old maid living alone and collecting cats.

Of all Aculus’ harem, Costa was really starting to get on her nerves.

“Not really. It’s kinda nice. I can get up in the morning, crank my music and walk buck naked to the kitchen, singing at the top of my lungs as I make my morning coffee,” she countered.

“I need to try this morning coffee.” Aculus arched one brow, the corner of his lips tipping up ever so slightly.

There was something about that cocky randy expression that always tantalized and antagonized her at the same time.

“That’s what my neighbor said after I forgot to close my window blinds. I’ll tell you what I told him,just this once,” she countered, her expression deadpan as she stared straight at him.