I was thinking I should find some way to shore myself against Apollo’s awesomeness should it happen that he gave me something I’d treasure just as much as his love—a baby—when Isis scampered across the rug between the two couches the women were sitting on.

She was being chased by Viktor, who had an unfair advantage. He was steady on his feet.

Therefore he caught her by falling on her, rolling her, and giving her a sloppy wet kiss on her giggling rosy lips.

“Dear God,” Finnie muttered and flopped back on the couch across from mine.

I couldn’t help but grin but did it turning my eyes to Meeta when she spoke.

She was looking to Finnie.

“Your son is healthy and strong and can survive a nip in the air. I know this because he did.” After delivering that, she then looked to Circe and pointed out logically. “And it is true. Your son shouldn’t tear at a woman’s clothes until he knows how to use his cock.”

“He’s barely a year old,” Circe replied.

Meeta arched her brows and inquired, “Does this make your king’s statement any less true?”

Circe shut her mouth.

At this juncture, Loretta threw herself on the couch on my other side me and asked, “You’re all laughing. What’d I miss?”

Everyone looked at her but no one said a word.

Then we looked to the ground for Isis was squealing and this was because Viktor was up and appeared to be attempting to lift her in his arms in order to do God knew what with her.

This meant Loretta still didn’t get an answer because before Circe or Finnie could make the move they were preparing to make to separate the young lovebirds, Lahn swooped in. He scooped up his daughter, and without a glance at anyone, sauntered away with both of his offspring held close to his massive chest.

Tunahn was squirming.

Isis immediately began snuggling into her daddy.

Loretta took this opportunity to change her question, this one uttered after tearing her eyes from Lahn and directing them to Circe.

“You say both Bain and Zahnin are taken?”

Again, she got no answer.

This time she didn’t because we were all too busy again laughing.

* * * * *

“And… at that…Princess Arianna stepped onto…the…cloud…”

No.

At that, Élan, who was reading to me, fell dead asleep in the middle of doing it.

When she did, (after grinning) I carefully tugged the book from her hands and set it on the nightstand. Then I leaned into her and kissed the top of her shining dark hair. Finally, I disengaged from her body leaning against my side.

I found my feet at the side of the bed and bent in to pull the covers high and tuck her in. After that, she snuggled deeper into them and turned to her side. Afforded a new opportunity, I slid the hair from her face and bent deeper to touch my lips to her cheek.

When I pulled away, I took the time to enjoy watching her little girl beauty in sleep. After long moments of doing this, I blew out the lamp by her bed, moved to the fire, pulled away the screen, threw a few logs on and moved to the other side of the bed. I blew out that lamp and left the room.

In the hall, I saw Gaston patrolling close to Élan’s room.

He saw me as well and, on a smile, asked, “Is she down?”

“After reading her book to me three times, yes, she’s finally down.”

Gaston approached, still smiling, and noted, “Lo reads to her.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Sorry?”

“Lo reads to her when he’s around in the evenings. I know this because she likes it when he does so she mentions it after he does. Often. But it is she who reads to you.” His smile got bigger. “Trying to impress you.”

Warmth swept through me at his words, though I figured something else was at play.

“And she has her father wrapped around her finger,” I returned.

His eyes lit and he murmured, “There is that.”

That sent more warmth through me as I looked down the hall and saw Frey’s man, Lund, standing sentry at the top of the stairs.

Weirdly, this didn’t feel like protection which would then be a reminder of danger.

Weirdly, it just felt like family.

And not weirdly, more warmth moved through me.

“All’s safe, Maddie, you can seek your bed,” Gaston told me.

I looked beyond him to the other end of the hall then back to him.

“Do you know where Lo is?” I asked.

“Still in with Christophe,” he answered.

“If he leaves Chris and heads to my room, can you tell him I’m in with Loretta?”

Gaston nodded.

I leaned in and rolled up on my toes to touch my cheek to his.

With it there, I said, “If I don’t see you again, have a good night.”

“You as well, love,” he muttered.

I pulled back, gave him a grin then headed down the hall.

I was in my nightgown and robe, fur-lined slippers on my feet, ready for bed as Loretta and Meeta, as usual, assisted me in being. Then came the request from Élan that I listen to her read so I headed to her room as my girls headed to theirs.

Meeta, no doubt, would by now be with Ruben in his.

That situation was continuing quietly, without fanfare, as was Meeta’s way. This didn’t mean she was entirely matter-of-fact about it. I often saw her search for Ruben on his mount with her eyes as we traversed the snow.

She liked him.

Alas, she was not a woman who would respond (at all) to me teasing her about it and since that would be a waste of effort (and good teasing), I didn’t.

But I wished I could.

Loretta, however, would be sleeping in an empty bed tonight.

Surprisingly, Hans had made no headway.

Unsurprisingly, as a great deal of time had passed, he’d backed off.

Though he didn’t do it happily and his near-constant glower often aimed Loretta’s way told me so. It also pretty much told the same to anyone who witnessed it.

And everyone witnessed it.

For some reason, this didn’t sit well with me. And although she did it jokingly, earlier that evening, her asking after Bain and Zahnin’s relationship status also struck me wrong.

She’d been into Hans.

I thought she’d cave (eventually).

She didn’t.

She also hadn’t shared.

Friends were supposed to look after friends—I guessed, since I didn’t have a lot of experience. But the friends I had now looked after me.

And I wasn’t sure I was looking after her.

So there I was, heading to her door.