His eyes went from my chest to mine. “Quiet, my golden doe.”

His strange tone and that gorgeous look on his face which hadn’t faded made me quiet. He didn’t wash off all the paint but he made certain to wash off all the blood. Then he dropped the cloth in a bucket by the bed, scooped me up and put me on my feet. He walked to grab my robe from where it was hanging on the back of a chair. He was already in hides. He held it out for me; I slipped my arms through and tied it around my waist.

Then he took my hand and guided me to and through the cham flaps.

I saw it was just dawn; the Daxshee was still, most were asleep.

With his hand in mine, he took me around the cham to the back where the creek flowed passed.

But I saw it before I got there and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

All along the banks of the creek was a riot of flowers like the one I’d put on Mahyah’s pyre. They had been there before but not nearly as many and most of those had been cut by the Korwahk to give to Mahyah. Now, those cut blooms had been replaced, overnight, and their number had more than tripled.

And they weren’t just the vibrant orange of the bloom I gave Mahyah but also there were white, yellow and scarlet, as far as the eye could see, trailing along the edges of the creek. The willows dotted along the sides drooped their bowed branches, the ends dipping into the gentle flow of water.

It was astoundingly beautiful.

Lahn stopped me on the rise behind our cham just up from the creek and pulled my back to his front, one hand on my belly, the other arm slanted across my chest, hand curled around my neck the same as he had held me to him on his horse when we were riding.

I vaguely noticed that there were people about, not many, here and there on our side of the creek and on the opposite one, all of them silent, all of them staring at the spectacle.

Then Lahn bent so his mouth was at my ear and he spoke quietly as he pressed my belly lightly.

“I see we did not make a warrior last night. My golden goddess, I would hope, would not create a riot of flowers if my seed produced a warrior.” His voice dropped, his hand pressed deeper and his arm tensed. “We made a daughter.”

A shiver slid across my skin at his words, another one following when it dawned on me he was not disappointed at the thought of a girl… not at all.

He touched his mouth to the skin of my neck then his head lifted and he rested his jaw at the top of my hair and held me as I stared at what he thought I created.

Then something unbelievably cool happened.

Without me thinking them, memories sifted through my head.

Lahn relenting when I wanted Ghost.

Lahn lifting me to his back to carry me to the games.

Lahn grinning down at me the first time I drank the zakah.

Lahn holding me while I was trembling with sunstroke.

Lahn preparing medicine for me and holding it to my lips to drink.

Lahn checking on me during the day after I was sick.

Lahn giving me Zephyr.

Lahn holding me on his horse, asking me about my mother, my father, telling me I was beautiful, explaining to me how my claiming, something that had been hideous for me, had been, to him, a gift he held precious.

Lahn’s eyes holding mine, asking nonverbally if I was all right after Dortak extended his challenge.

Lahn taking care of me after Mahyah’s death.

Lahn offering me the greatest gift I’d ever received, more than once, his spirit.

Lahn telling me he was pleased my heart guided me back to him.

And Lahn telling me last night he couldn’t have dreamed a better me.

And as each memory shimmered in my brain, I watched in stunned silence as a new blossom sprouted out of nothing and bloomed in a flash of color somewhere along the bank.

Except for the memories of Lahn giving me his spirit and the last of him telling me I was better than a dream, both of which caused dozens of flowers to explode and grace the banks with astonishing vibrancy.

Holy shit. I totally had magic.

And it wasn’t noble.

It was awesome and it was freaking beautiful.

The eyes of those sharing this turned to me in wonder and Lahn’s arms gave me a squeeze as he murmured over my head, “My wife thinks happy thoughts.”

Yes. He was right, I did.

I… so… freaking… did.

And I did because I was in love with a savage, warrior king and I knew straight to my soul that he loved me.

My arms crossed over his hand at my belly and stared at the beauty I created.

That made me happy too.

And I smiled when a bloom burst to life at that thought.

Lahn chuckled.

He was happy too.

Another bloom burst open.

Freaking cool!

“Loolah,” I heard the tired mew and twisted my head to look around Lahn and my bodies to see Gaal emerging from the tent she shared with all the girls, Ghost padding toward us, still blinking sleep from her beautiful blue eyes and I noticed with the weeks passing, my cub was becoming less of a cub and growing into a tigress.

“Poyah, kah teenkah lahnahsahna,” I called to her, she made it to us, bumped her head against Lahn and my legs then her booty collapsed and she sat leaning against them.

Lahn’s arms gave me another squeeze and I knew another bloom had opened but I was looking down at Ghost and didn’t see it.

One of my hands twisted so I could wrap my fingers around his at my belly.

Then I whispered, “I love you, my Lahn,” and heard the swift hiss of his intake of breath.

Then he buried his face in my neck and whispered back, “Loot kay hansahnalay na, my Circe.” And I love you, my Circe.

At his words, the banks of the creek burst forth in a riot of blooms, so many, no bank could be seen as one blossom crowded the next.

And that was when I knew, I loved my father, I loved my friends, I had a good life at home in Seattle and I was happy there.

But nowhere near as happy as I was here.

And I was never going back.

* * * * *

Life carried on as normal for the next two weeks. I wandered amongst my people with Bain and Zahnin. I spent time with my girls. My Korwahk improved to the point I no longer needed lessons. My mornings were spent with my husband in bed then at his bath, my evenings with him at our table then back in our bed.

And I was not content, I was gloriously happy.

Dark moments drifted through as I considered exploring my magic, maybe finding out if I could go home and explain things to Pop, say good-bye to him, his boys and my friends and come back, maybe even plan trips back and forth but there would be time for that, I decided. And I would know when that time came; I would then speak to Lahn and Diandra and plan for it. But my worry was, if I went home to Seattle, I couldn’t get back to Lahn.