No, Ry. The bed's big enough. We have enough room. You only snore a little. I smiled at him. Besides, the sofa's not long enough. It wasn't; Ry was six-three, in old Earth measurements, anyway. The bed was huge. As big as one of the beds I'd slept on at Teeg's or any of the others. "All right," I nodded to his spoken question.

"Good. C>&q at Teeg'sI'm going to clean up," Ry stretched and headed for the bathroom.

"I'll wait until the morning," I called. Ry flung up a hand and closed the bathroom door behind him. I didn't want to, but I pulled all my clothes from the case and hung them up, then placed underwear and other things inside drawers. I did the same for Ry's things—we shared one walk-in closet. His things were on one side, mine on the other, with shoes on the floor beneath. I then stowed both cases in a corner of the closet. We'd have to bring more clothing if this took a while. I shed my suit and wriggled into comfortable pajamas, sliding into bed. I had books loaded on the comp-vid I'd gotten from Pripps, so I was reading when Ry came out of the bathroom smelling freshly clean.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"A mystery," I said, turning the comp-vid so he could see.

"Any good advice in there?" he asked, scooting beneath the covers on his side. "At least the bed's comfortable."

"No good advice yet, and I'm done for tonight," I said, marking my place on the comp-vid and setting it aside. I'd leave it in the room, using the one supplied by Galedaro's while I worked.

"Goodnight, baby," Ry turned out his light, leaving us in darkness.

Chapter 7

"Reah, time to wake," Ry's arm was draped over me and he kissed my bare shoulder, whispering against it.

"Ry," I moaned, unwilling to open my eyes. I'd been sleeping so well.

"Come on, I have to get up too," he said.

"Yeah." I slapped a hand over my eyes. "I'll get cleaned up. Do we have time for breakfast?"

"Sure. I have to get to work earlier than you, though."

"All right. I'm going. Now. Soon." I wriggled toward the edge of the bed, with my eyes closed still.

"Poor baby." Ry came around to my side and pulled me up. "Here." He removed the stretchy band that held my braid and loosened my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders. "That's better," he said and leaned down to give me a quick peck.

"Thanks," I patted his shoulder and stumbled toward the bathroom.

"I'll get groceries from somewhere, to stock the kitchen so we won't have to leave to get breakfast," I said a little later. Ry had gone to buy breakfast sandwiches; they were waiting when I got out of the shower.

I left when Ry did so I could get a head start on the ice cream, fruit puree and sauces I'd need for the cakes and pastries.

"She's here now," Perdil spoke discreetly into his communicator as he watched Reah from across the kitchen. "She came in early to make up the sauces and start the ice cream."

"I'll be there shortly," Zen replied and cut off the communication.

"Do you have anything for a midmorning meeting?" Zendeval Rjjn was inside the kitchen, asking for personal service and disturbing my work. I looked up at him after pouring raspberry puree into a squeeze bot F>&q ad thtle.

"Do you want cakes, tarts or pastry?" I asked, masking my annoyance.

"Can you do all three?"

"Yes." I wanted to heave an impatient sigh, but I didn't. I filled three orders quickly before turning to what Zendeval wanted. Rude, just as I thought. He could have mentioned a midmorning meeting the day before, but he didn't. Instead, he was bothering me while I was trying to prepare for my shift. I wasn't officially on duty for another half-click.

"This is a sponge cake; it goes well with this sauce," I held up the container. "These pastries are best if they're slightly warm, do you have a zap oven at the site?" I looked at him. He blinked at me. "The tarts are good with fresh fruit," I went on. "And coffee or tea," I added.

"Can you come with me and serve it?" he asked.

"Yes." Stifling a sigh, I pulled out a tray, piled everything on it and lifted it to rest on my shoulder. "Lead the way," I said, preparing to follow Zendeval Rjjn to a meeting.

We rode up the elevator in silence. I wanted to glare at him but didn't. Instead, I kept my eyes straight ahead and watched the numbered floors light up until we reached the top suite. The elevator opened in Zendeval's private suite. Six men sat around his wide kitchen island, waiting for his arrival. Teeg had better inside his palace, but then he was Teeg San Gerxon. All six of the men looked as if they could have been Zendeval's brothers. All had dark hair and black eyes; I'd decided they were definitely black. I'm sure they could pick up any one of the young women cavorting in the bar downstairs if they had a mind to.

"We have cake, tarts or pastry," I offered, bringing my mind back to the task at hand. I grabbed the kettle for tea and put coffee on to brew in Zendeval's kitchen. At least he had coffee and tea available so they could be served fresh. I plated up some of each dessert I'd brought, along with freshly made coffee and tea. I'd found napkins and nice silver inside drawers, figuring that someone else came to clean up for Mr. Rude Rjjn.

"This is very good," one of the men complimented the cake. The others were too busy eating to say anything.

"Thank you," I nodded to the one who spoke while freshening his coffee. "Would you like cream or sugar?"

"No, this is good as it is," he said, taking another bite.

"Mr. Rjjn, will that be all?" I asked. "I need to get back to my prep work."

"That's all, Reah." I nodded, fuming that he'd used my first name, as if we knew one another. We didn't. And he was still rude, on top of everything else.

"Did Reah say anything when she came back down?" Zendeval asked Perdil later when Perdil went outside the kitchen to take a break.

"She didn't say a word, just came back and went to work. She makes a stair-step cake for special occasions; a couple arrived who'd just gotten married and they wanted something different. She cut the cake into little steps, iced it and then poured a redberry sauce that flowed down, garnished it with oxberries and mint sprigs and backed it all up with roses and edible lilies. The dessert was beautiful and the couple ate the whole thing, so it must have been good."

"Jerves says she invited him to dinner some K dinside drawnight when she's off," Zendeval said. "Have you seen her husband? Jerves says that Inkle couldn't take his eyes off the man."

"Inkle would know if anyone would whether he's attractive or not."

"I'd like it better if she were unattached."

"Multiple mates are recognized by the Alliance."

"I don't share well, Perdil."

"Ah."

"And if our guests tonight ask for the cooks, I expect you and Master Cook Crade to go out. I don't want Reah near two of them."

"For obvious reasons."

"Yes. For obvious reasons." Zendeval agreed with a sigh and walked away.

"It's such a treat to have all my sons here with me for dinner," Kaldill stood and raised a glass to Naldill, Faldill, Reldill and Lendill. Lendill watched his father's eyes as he toyed absently with his glass of thousand-year wine. "And I wish to make an announcement," Kaldill added.

Here it comes, Lendill thought. He wasn't wrong. "I will select my heir at the winter solstice," Kaldill employed power to make each son's glass rise in the air and come to him. He poured a bit of his wine into each glass, symbolically saying that he considered each of them equally. Lendill wanted to snort at the gesture. He was only half-elven and didn't have a chance against the others. His three brothers were pure-bloods and it was likely that Naldill, as the firstborn, would be selected. Lendill knew that if he still lived when Naldill took the kingship, he would never come to the Elven lands again.

"You have decided already?" Naldill asked as Kaldill sent the glasses back to all his sons.

"I think so," Kaldill offered his first son a beaming smile.

"Good." Naldill drained his glass. Lendill watched all of them carefully. Reldill would support Naldill without question, no matter what Naldill asked of him. Faldill might go along most of the time, but if Naldill asked something of him that went against his conscience, he imagined that Faldill would simply disappear, much like Lendill planned to do.

Lendill knew quite well that Naldill held humans in contempt and often wondered why Kaldill failed to see it. Naldill and Reldill certainly hadn't held back from torturing their youngest (and powerless at the time) half-human brother. That mistreatment was also the reason Lendill held back his burgeoning power. It answered readily when needed but he seldom employed it, worrying that his father might learn of it and make him a target for his two oldest brothers again.

Lendill had no idea what the extent of his brothers' power was and had no desire to discover it. Kaldill's announcement was barely three months away, and the human population always held a big celebration on Wyyld at the winter solstice. Lendill imagined that the Elven celebration would be well-hidden in the shadow of the human one.

"What do you plan to do after the announcement?" Lendill raised his glass to his father, who still hadn't taken a drink.

"I'm going to rest and make plans for my Prince-Heir." Kaldill smiled and drank.

"To you, then, father." Lendill drained his glass as well. "I have to get back; I have pirate attacks to deal with."

K;"I'll take you," Faldill rose from his seat after emptying his glass. Lendill nodded at the youngest of his pure-blood brothers. Faldill wasted no time folding Lendill to Ildevar Wyyld's palace.

"You think he'll select Naldill, don't you?" Faldill paced restlessly inside Lendill's office. Faldill, like his brothers, resembled Kaldill, their father, with shoulder-length golden hair, pointed ears and eyes the color of new leaves in the spring. All three had the glow of the Elven race about them. Lendill knew it was from the power they held.