Viregruz shouted his displeasure, and the echoes could be heard from blocks away.

* * *

"Lissa, if I didn't know you better, you'd frighten me." Those were Norian's words as he nuzzled my neck.

"Norian, this probably isn't a good time," I sighed.

"Are you saying you didn't do the right thing?" He and I had already talked about what I'd done, except for the part where I gave Giryoth to Ildevar for dinner. Norian thought we'd executed Giryoth. That was true; it was just in a manner he hadn't expected.

"I did my best," I muttered. "That doesn't mean it still doesn't upset me."

"I know. Breah-mul, I know you are not used to this, and that is fine. I want my mate to have a soft heart. Where I'm concerned, anyway."

"Honey, I wish I could have been with you when you were growing up." I tucked a lock of hair away from his eyes. It had fallen down and was tickling his eyebrow.

"I wish you could have been there—especially when I was in my teens and my hormones were raging."

"Uh-huh." I looked into his green eyes—they had flecks of gold in them. They were the same eyes he had as a lion snake, only those eyes were slitted. Norian smiled at me and settled his mouth over mine.

"Lendill asked if we were going to marry, while we were here. I told him I wanted to and that Ildevar wants it, too. He told me earlier, breah-mul. He wants me to be his heir, but only if you give me the gift he mentioned. What gift is that?" he was nuzzling my neck again.

"My blood." I pushed him away. "I have to give permission for you to take it. Is that what you want? How much do you love me, Norian?"

"Lissa," Norian blew out a breath. "You have no idea what was going through my mind when I saw you the first time. And I yelled at you anyway. You just grabbed my arm, hauled me off to Twylec and proceeded to show me what you could do, taking care of my worst problem immediately, when you should have just slapped me through a wall. The second time I saw you, I knew I was gone. You were pouting at me, cheah-mul. If you hadn't been surrounded by your mates in that hot tub, I would have been all over you, although I was half-afraid you'd shred me. You're the only one who has ever touched me with affection while I am my other self. I cannot describe what an ecstasy it is to be stroked while I am that. If you doubt my love, deah-mul, tell me how I can prove it to you."

"Does drinking blood frighten you, Norian?" I had to know—we could put it in juice or something, if it bothered him.

"I will do this and walk through fire for you, if that will keep you with me."

I ended up taking a wineglass and nicking my wrist. Norian got my blood mixed with red wine and I gave him his ring and the words of permission. He drank and fell asleep. That is the way of it—the body goes through a transformation during sleep. Norian would sleep for a while and when he woke, he would be immortal. I carried him to bed.

* * *

"Rolfe, you are not the one responsible." Kiarra looked at the vampire-turned-Spawn Hunter. "I have no idea if Giff intended to harm the Queen, but that is between the Queen and your mate. I don't believe the Queen will be overly harsh, especially if Giff was unaware that she was divulging sensitive information. Have you told her what happened?"

"I have been unable to," Rolfe hung his head. "I did place compulsion for her not to reveal anything else concerning the Queen or anyone at the palace."

"How is Yoff?" Kiarra changed the subject, asking about Giff's child.

"Yoff is well and growing." Rolfe gave a half-smile, but Kiarra knew it was forced. "When do you think we will be called out to kill spawn again?" Rolfe asked.

"I don't have an answer for that. Nothing has come to our attention lately," Kiarra replied. "Be assured we will let you know." Rolfe nodded and folded away.

* * *

"I asked. That's how I know," Markoff said with a shrug. Roff stared at his brother. He'd sought Markoff at the winery his brother helped run. Roff hadn't been able to stand it any longer and had gone to ask Markoff if he thought Giff intended to harm the Queen. He couldn't bring himself to ask Giff; he dreaded hearing what the answer might be.

"Giff said she thought of Pearlina as a friend, and didn't hold any information back. There was no specific intention to harm the Queen, although I think she knew in the back of her mind it could turn out that way. I did not tell her what that information cost Trell."

"I am afraid to say as well and I have no idea what Lissa will do when she finds out."

"You cannot let this devour you," Markoff placed an arm around his brother, though Roff was much taller than Markoff now. "Dariff just shakes his head in confusion over the whole thing." Dariff was Markoff's child and close to Giff's age. He and Giff had grown up together.

"The difficulty is that we were all warned by Gavin, Tony and the Falchani not to reveal any information regarding the Queen. Giff knew better. I do not know what she was thinking."

"Things have been unsettled since Toff was taken."

"Yet I hold hope that my child will come home one day. As does the Queen."

"Yes, betrayal by a member of your family is the hardest to accept, is it not?" Markoff patted Roff's shoulder and moved away. "Lissa's own father placed Toff in harm's way and now she barely speaks of him. I hear he is not welcome on Le-Ath Veronis."

"That is true, although she has not formally banished him. I worry for my child, Markoff. I don't think the Queen will be unjust in her judgment; it is the Council I worry about. This may be treason in their eyes, and they may not be kind."

"I had not thought of that," Markoff blew out a sigh.

"There are a handful of crimes that the Council is compelled to vote on and those are treason, murder and drinking from a child. The death penalty is involved in each of those crimes. Markoff, I am frightened."

"How would you feel, brother, if this were not Giff, but another who almost caused the death of our Queen?" Markoff was attempting to be objective, though it was also causing him pain.

"I would be angry, and out for blood." Roff rustled his wings. "But this is my child and my heart bleeds."

"I know it does. Dariff and I are holding our breath until the Queen returns. Do you have any idea when that might be?"

"None. And Rolfe goes about the palace like a ghost. This has brought great harm to him. How did this happen? Tell me what brought this to our door?"

* * *

Ildevar Wyyld wasn't taking any chances. He was performing the ceremony himself, just as quickly as he could. Norian and I stood in front of him as he gave the words of binding. Norian got his ring—I placed the gold claw crown signet myself. Norian had a ring for me—don't ask me where he got it. It slid onto the finger where Gabron's had once been.

Yes, I knew that Aryn had once been Gabron. Kifirin had accomplished that, somehow. But he had done too much harm to our relationship, and I didn't know if things would ever be right between us. In the meantime, I pretended not to know. Ildevar smiled at Norian and when the ceremony was over, the Twenty Charter members folded in and witnessed Ildevar's naming of Norian as his heir. Norian received a second ring for that—it bore the crest of Wyyld. Ildevar wore one identical to it.

"Congratulations, honey," I gave Norian a peck on the cheek.

"Is that all I get?" He pretended to be hurt.

"Norian, the Twenty Charter members are watching," I muttered. Norian grinned.

"Perhaps you should take some time for yourselves," Ildevar suggested, placing a hand on both our shoulders. He was smiling benignly at us. It boggled my mind, seeing a Copper Ra'Ak act in a civilized manner. The others were the same—they were sipping wine and talking. Lendill was there, of course, and he was beaming.

"I never thought to see Norian mated," Lendill said. He had a glass of wine, too.

"And I have my doubts about you," Norian teased his second-in-command.

"I thought I was going to have to call you Rych for the rest of your life," I did a little teasing, too.

"Thank the stars that didn't come to pass." He still kept the face that we'd given him, though. He said he liked it better. Well, it certainly drew more women.

"Norian, let's go looking for your family." I don't know why it came out of my mouth, it just did. I suppose it was my way of ignoring the fact that I was expected on Le-Ath Veronis—a betrayer had to be named and an accounting taken, and I didn't want to face that pain right away.

"I don't even know what planet I came from," Norian muttered.

"Honey, I can find that. We'll just have to locate your family after that. All right? Do you want to do this?" I couldn't believe the hope in Norian's eyes. "Come on, pack your bag and we'll go." I dragged Norian away. Lendill was smiling and talking with Ildevar Wyyld when we left.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Norian glanced around the hotel suite we'd booked. Phinerris boasted good food, great wine and provided grain crops to many Alliance worlds. They were blessed with rich soil, a mild climate over most of its surface, three large oceans, plenty of seafood and the usual humanoid population. With a few exceptions.

A thriving community of shapeshifters lived there. They resided on the outskirts of the city where we'd rented our hotel room. They had farms there, and raised wheat. Yeah, lion snake shapeshifters grew wheat. I thought back briefly to the wheat field I'd dug Winkler out of, shortly after being turned vampire. The sun had come along after I'd gotten him out and almost fried me. I couldn't recall being in a wheat field since then.

I'd Looked to find Norian's birth planet, but intended to go through regular channels after that to find his family—I really wasn't in any hurry to go back to Le-Ath Veronis. "I almost died in a wheat field once," I said as Norian hung his shirts inside our small closet. We'd brought enough clothing for four days; I hoped it was going to be enough. My thoughts had turned back to lion snake shapeshifters and the wheat they grew on Phinerris as I watched Norian perform mundane duties. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'd just added to the mate department, too. I had enough mates to field a football team, with a few reserves.