"Good idea." Carol stood and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'm going to get ready."
"You're ready as you are." He caught her hand before she could move away and pulled her down for a kiss. "You are gorgeous."
She laughed. "Thank you, darling, but I have an image to uphold. Don't worry, I will be ready on time."
"I know you will."
Twenty minutes later, she appeared in the living room with her face and hair done and wearing a pair of brown slacks with a pink fitted sweater and a pair of high heels.
"Are you sure about those?" He glanced down at her shoes. "We are walking to Tula's house."
"I know." She threaded her arm through his. "Since when do I have a problem walking in high heels?"
That was true.
"If you get tired, I can carry you the rest of the way," he teased.
"Not going to happen, darling."
When they arrived at Tula and Esag's house, the place was filled with the scent of fresh fruit and the soft murmur of female voices.
The blonde sat in an armchair by the window, a physics book abandoned on the side table beside her, and her blue eyes tracked Lokan as he entered. That was Sarah, if he remembered correctly, and she was a smart lady, but her coloring wasn't the same as Losham's.
The one named Raviki had claimed the corner of the sofa, and her dark coloring matched Losham's, but her face didn't. She might, however, be Kolhood's mother. Her posture was straight, and her expression was fierce, but there was also hope and excitement in her eyes.
Two other ladies sat together on the other end of the sofa, their bodies angled toward each other, but he didn't remember their names.
He remembered Tamira, and he wondered if Elias had come with her.
Rolenna hovered near the refreshment table, and he was betting on her being Losham's mother. The coloring was right, the face was close enough, but it was the calculating look in her eyes that was almost identical to Losham's.
"Please, make yourself comfortable," Tula said as she emerged from the kitchen with a tray of sliced fruit which she put on the coffee table. "Everyone is here, and they are all anxious to hear what you have to say."
"Thank you for organizing this so quickly," Lokan said. He remained standing, aware that all eyes in the room were fixed on him. "There is no point in long preambles, and I'll get straight to the reason for this gathering. I don't know if you are aware of the fact that I was a member of the Brotherhood until only a coupleof months ago, and I know all of your sons. Those who are still alive, that is."
A ripple of distress washed over the ladies as they realized that not all of their sons might have survived. Even immortals got killed in battle, not often, but it happened, especially since Navuh didn't really value their lives. The term 'cannon fodder' had never been more apt than in the Brotherhood.
"I won't go into the details of why and how, but I spoke with my brother Losham this morning, and he asked what happened to you all. I understood right away that he was inquiring about his mother, and I promised him that I would find out which one of you it is."
"How would we know?" Raviki's tone was challenging. "We don't know what names our sons were given after they were taken away from us."
Lokan took a breath. "I know the names of all twelve of Navuh's surviving sons who are still in the Brotherhood. I also know their approximate ages, so perhaps that will help you identify who belongs to whom. In addition, Dalhu, Amanda's mate, has drawn portraits of most of them, and they are displayed in a gallery in the office building. Perhaps you might recognize something familiar in their faces."
The silence that followed was profound.
"I want to see them," Rolenna said. "I want to see all of them. Even if I can't identify my sons, I want to see what all our sons look like."
So, Losham had a real brother.
Lokan wondered who it was. Probably one of the junior warriors, but none of them had exhibited Losham's brilliance, so perhaps he had gotten that from his human father rather than his immortal mother.
"So do I," the blond said quietly.
One by one, the others nodded their agreement.
"We can go now, if you like," Carol said.
Lokan pulled out his phone. "I'll let Kian know that we're on our way. He may want to meet us there."
