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I hadn t realized it was that bad. He frowned and kissed her temple.

They don t publicize it, but one of the women taken from the Stronghold had a sister who was handed over to a pack of seven alphas, and after her first heat, she killed herself.

That s horrific. What was done about it?

Regis shrugged, By the authorities? Nothing.

Avor leaned back and asked, What did she do?

I don t know. She hasn t gotten back here yet.

You let her go alone?

Regis sighed and rubbed her forehead. It isn t really a matter of letting these ladies. Now that she isn t pinned to a wall and her wounds have been healed, North is scary as hell. Even worse than Rex without coffee.

What is her full name?

Ibella North.

Her skillset?

Regis blinked. How would I know that?

The same way I know all of my men. It came with the crown. He grimaced. Who was her sister?

Leticia.

Right. Stay here. She s not going into a pack of seven alphas without backup.

As he moved back, Regis sat up. It s going to be a fair fight, and she is furious, so it will be fast.

He got his phone from his trousers and looked at her. You have a lot of faith in her abilities.

Ira does. When Ira was five, she was on a school trip, and they went to the zoo.

There was a young keeper on work experience there, and when a known angry camel got loose, she herded the beast away from the children before it killed for a second time.

She was smiling and gentle, walking the beast back using cold air to move it back into its enclosure.

I was stunned. It was the first time I had seen someone activate skills so early.

When the camel was back behind its gates and the zookeeper who had forgotten to lock it up was off to be reprimanded, North bought us all some cotton candy and praised Ira and the others for being calm.

Regis rubbed her forehead. The next time I saw her, she was bleeding on Honey and being helped through the portal.

Her arms, ribs, and shoulders shredded; they had pinned her to the wall in six places.

Upper body, not her- He looked at her with horror. Oh.

Yeah. She had only been there a few days, thankfully. Of course, even a moment like that is too much. She sat and ran a hand over her hair.

He looked at the phone and smiled. Good, the winds did not catch their match at the party.

She looked at him. Are you sure you want wind on wind?

Avor smiled. Four of them together are calm. Take one away, and they go wild. They were also in the restrained area of the Stronghold. They were the power supply.

Oh. Well, that might not be such a bad idea.

Avor looked at her with a narrowed gaze. Where did she go?

How would I know?

You have them all.

Oh. That. Toss me my phone.

He did, and she opened the maps and located her position. He checked the GPS coordinates and sent them to someone, slumping in relief when he got an answer.

You know, you really can t mother hen the ladies, Avor. If she had wanted help, she had dozens of us to choose from. She chose to go alone.

She sought revenge. That clouds thinking. He set his phone at the bedside and plucked hers from her hand. Avor took a position against the headboard and pulled her up, allowing her to rest against him.

Now, what colour horse do you think Ira would like?

She laughed. She s going to try and bring it home so it can sleep in her room.

I believe she is more sensible than that.

You are right. That is just what she tried when she was six. We had a petting zoo for her birthday, and suddenly, she and the pony were missing. Guess where they were?

In her bedroom?

Nope. In mine. It was bigger. She had hay and water and was hauling a bag of rolled oats from the pantry.

Avor chuckled. I am both impressed and appalled.

It was wearing my bathrobe so it didn t get cold. I have no idea how she got it on.

He couldn t hold it back; he burst out laughing.

She looked at him, and something suddenly struck her. Something similar was done by you, tall, dark, and flappy.

He grinned. It was. A batch of viper kittens.

I dressed them in a tunic and told the house guards that it was a little friend that I was taking for medical care.

I managed for three days until the housekeeper came in and got stung.

She wasn t injured badly, but my parents were not impressed, and I had to take the babies back where I found them.

They were stronger now, so it was a little more difficult, but I managed it.

Their mother was not happy with me, but she was so busy greeting her lost ones that I could make my escape.

She hasn t brought home anything deadly, yet. She s more interested in robotics, so I guess she might be building a horse. Your plan could save me money.

He laughed again.

Regis looked at his delighted expression.

She realized that she had never seen that look before.

There had been wonder when Tawney was pregnant.

Contained joy as it advanced and hope as she got close to term.

Fury and protective rage the night of the attack.

She had seen lust and indulgence but never this impish delight.

His soul was happy, and she could see it.

He saw her staring at him and caressed her cheek. What is that intent look for?

I think I saw you for the first time just now.

He smiled. I look forward to seeing all the facets of you as well. You have had all this weight on your shoulders for quite some time. I am ready to take on what you will surrender.

Great. You are responsible for getting us up and washed and dressed. None of that dragon fire. I want to feel clean.

He snorted. Fire is faster.

Yes, but there is nothing like rubbing soap all over you and getting your body nice and slippery, and then you returning the favour.

His eyes glowed, and he picked her up and hauled her to the standing shower. The bathroom had been designed with him in mind, and she had put in a huge soaking tub suitable for both of them as well. For now, the slippery shower awaited.

Clean, dressed, and wrapped in Avor s smugness, they headed down to the kitchens to scavenge for a meal.

Regis froze when she saw six of the dark elves moving around, cooking, baking, and saut ing.

Avor chuckled. They were energized after the party and asked if they could visit today. Well, aside from Kael and Ignis.

Yeah, they live here.

Her brothers-in-law grinned and kept working. Ignis said, Rex is picking Ira up from school.

Avor murmured, We may have missed morning and noon by a bit.

Regis snorted, and the elves grinned. She was sat at the long table while Avor got her some coffee and a pastry from her own bakery. It was fresh, so Amber had opened on time, and someone had stopped by to pick things up.

She ate the Danish and sipped her coffee while Avor got four pastries and his coffee.

Regis was on her last bite when she felt them in the drive. She finished her coffee and set her mug down. It was whisked away to be washed before she was more than two steps away. Avor followed her and took the hand she was reaching toward him.

They walked out to the entryway, where the car approached them. Rex pulled up, and Ira bolted out the moment that the car halted. Mom! Dad! You won t believe who I met at school today!

Ira launched herself at them, and a stunned Avor held his daughter after a day at school. Regis looked at his expression and memorized that one as well. It was going to be several lifetimes with him, so she needed to collect all the nuances of his emotions. She wanted to see them all.

Fortunately, she had all the time in the world.