“Chemar—”
“Don’t call me that. If you can’t give it the meaning I want, then I don’t want to hear it at all.”
Challen ran a hand roughly through his hair in exasperation. “Remain where you are, woman. I will bring my uncle here to explain, since you will not listen to me.”
“Don’t bother. All he can tell me is where you’ve stashed her. But let me tell you something, warrior. I don’t go in for threesomes. You try bringing that woman near me and I’ll tear her eyes out!”
“Who?”
“Oh, that’s funny. Who else was crawling all over you today, and her naked?”
“Laina?” Challen suddenly smiled, then he laughed. “All this because of Laina?”
He laughed again, so hard he didn’t even see Tedra get up to push him right over the backless couch. But even sprawled on the floor, he still chuckled.
“Keep it up, warrior,” Tedra growled, “and I’ll do to you what I did once before.Thatwill shut you up, won’t it?”
“Tedra,chemar.”He grinned over the couch at her. “You have no reason for female jealousies. Have I not stopped drinkingdhayawine? Have I not given my life to you?”
“Whatisit with this life giving? It didn’t stop you from bringing home a new captive, did it?”
“She was taken merely to end the dissension Falder was causing, not because I wanted her. I donotwant her. She is to be Tamiron’s.”
“Then what was she doing onyourlap?”
“She rode with me only because Tamiron went to arrange for the food supplies for the journey to Kystran. Now you have your army, there is no reason to delay the leaving.”
“The Rover has all the food necessary to feed two armies,” Tedra replied, but with a lot less heat and a good deal of feeling horribly foolish.
Challen came around the couch and drew her unresisting into his arms. “This Martha told us, but you have nothing of real meat, which a warrior must have. Our supplies will be included, else you will not get my warriors on your Rover.”
“The Food Processor won’t know how to cook it,” Tedra said softly, kissing his neck, his bare chest.
She didn’t see the couple who came in from the balcony at that point, but Challen did. What Tedra saw was her barbarian looking suddenly ill at ease, extremely so.
“Before this becomes more embarrassing than it is, best we make ourselves known.”
Tedra turned with a start, but then she thought she understood what was wrong with her warrior. She’d blown it but good.
“I didn’t know we had an audience,” she said. “Maybe I should apologize for pushing you over.”
“No,” he choked out.
“For screaming at you, then?”
“No.”
Now she frowned. “Then whatareyou disconcerted about? That’s just your uncle. Do you think he doesn’t know what we do in here?”
He merely groaned in answer this time, and Tedra turned to glare at Lowden and the woman with him. The woman was smiling. Lowden was for once not looking disapproving. Tedra could have sworn, in fact, he was trying not to laugh.
“Haven’t we seen enough of each other this week, Lowden uncle? Much as I enjoyed it, I’ve got other things to—”
Challen’s hand cut that off, plastered flat to her mouth. “Woman, that isnotmy uncle. Those are my parents!” he hissed in her ear before letting her go.
“But he’s identical to Lowden,” Tedra pointed out, as if Challen couldn’t see that. “You do cloning here and never bothered to mention it?”
“Lowden is my twin brother,” Chadar Ly-San-Ter interrupted at that point. “And may I make known to you Haleste, the mother of my children. We welcome you to our family, daughter.”
