The two laughed awkwardly and hugged each other.
“Did someone mention a drink?” Avery grumbled.
Raven sighed. “These gifts weigh a ton.” She set the stack down on the table.
Sarah did a double take. “Why aren’t you pregnant anymore?”
The room grew quiet. Sarah’s eyes darted from Raven to Avery to Clarissa and then finally to Gabriel and the bundle in his arms.
“Wait, is that…?” Sarah pointed at the red plaid burrito.
“That can’t be our grandchild,” David said.
Gabriel loosened his grip and gently rolled Charlie to expose her sleeping face.
Sarah approached tentatively, her features betraying her confusion. “But…”
Raven could practically hear her mother’s mental calculator working. Sarah reached out and brushed a finger across Charlie’s cheek.
“Mom—” Raven raised both hands as Charlie’s eyes popped open and she took one look at her grandmother, burst from her blanket, and flew around the room, through the grasping hands of Avery, Clarissa, and Gabriel, before landing in a squat on top of the refrigerator. Her red velvet Christmas dress bunched over her bare toes.
Sarah looked at David and then back at Charlie. She pointed, then pressed the finger to her lips.
“Charlie, stay there!” Raven held out a hand to her daughter. “Mom, I can explain.”
“Oh shit, she’s going over!” David rushed forward and caught Sarah before she could hit the floor.
Chapter Twelve
Asfolk Palace
Rogos
Colin’s room in Asfolk Palace faced west, giving him a fabulous view of the setting suns as twilight enveloped Rogos. He smoothed the lapels of the suit he’d been given to wear, a black-and-white affair that was more formal than he was used to and a little tight in the shoulders. Tonight, he’d wear a burlap sack if Niall asked him to.
He needed Rogos to align with the Defenders of the Goddess against Paragon, and he hoped this recent engagement meant an end to Rogos’s neutrality. Darnuith, after all, had never been neutral; their tentative peace with Paragon had been fraught with tension and political positioning. That said, Queen Penelope had avoided an alliance with the Defenders of the Goddess with as much passion as she’d evaded a close relationship with Eleanor. It was well known she didn’t trust dragons. It didn’t matter which side they were on.
The match between Niall and Penelope made him uneasy. Was it a political marriage, or was romance involved? Only a fool would underestimate the power and influence of the witch queen of Darnuith. As much as he appreciated that Rogos might benefit from an alliance between the two kingdoms, it had to be a bit like grabbing a tiger by the tail.
A knock came on the door. “High Lord Niall requests your presence in the ballroom,” a male’s voice announced.
Colin slid his feet into his shoes and opened the door. The elf on the other side was elderly and small—his head only reached Colin’s bottom rib, and his pointed ears bent at the tips.
“Hello again, Grindel.”
The little elf bowed. “If you’ll please follow me.”
Colin allowed Grindel to escort him to the ballroom and then to what appeared to be a staging area near the front of the immense hall. But when he passed through the door Grindel indicated, Colin pulled up short. It wasn’t Niall waiting for him inside but Queen Penelope, and she was alone.
“Apologies,” Colin murmured, backing toward the door. “The elf who brought me here said I was to meet Niall. He must have put me in the wrong room.” He reached for the door handle, but with the sweep of one hand, he heard the door lock before he could open it.
“He told you what I asked him to tell you.” The queen’s voice was warm and melodious. Instantly, he wanted to gather her in his arms and give her a friendly hug as if she were a long-lost acquaintance. He was resistant to her magic but not immune to it and felt himself relaxing under her influence.
“Why did you want to see me?” He leaned his back against the door, keeping as much space as possible between them. Relaxed as her magic might make him, there was no mistaking he was in a dangerous situation. Simply being alone with her in this room could cause a diplomatic mess with Niall, and he’d be a fool to trust her after the way she’d lured him there.
Her icy blue eyes locked on to his, and her wide mouth spread into a smile. “I heard something interesting recently from a mutual friend of ours, and I thought you’d be the best one to confirm the rumor.”
The scent of honey filled the room. Colin had the distinct impression that the air was wrapping around him like a cozy blanket. She was just so nice. He hadn’t remembered what a kind and welcoming person the queen was. He shook his head to clear it. “Which friend? Which rumor?”
