Kessie hugged her.“A whole bunch of those men are waiting outside the door.”
Hemma nodded.“Of course they are.”
She pushed to her feet, and Kessie helped.Vallu darted over with a robe that matched the nightgown.Vallu said, “We will get you something to wear.There was blood all over your outfit.Did you know it doesn’t come out?”
“Yup.Sorry.”
“And it’s blue.”
“Knew that, too.”She stroked Kessie’s hair.“Right.If the talk gets adult, cover your ears.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Vallu smiled.
“Lady Daycross is backing us up.Everyone will be polite.”
They left the guestroom, and Vallu steered them down the hall to the dining room.There was a table full of men with three spaces available for them.Vallu helped her sit, and Kessie sat at her left.
When they were all seated, the man who had thudded through her brain said, “I am very sorry.You didn’t say I was causing pain.”
“One, you didn’t ask, and two, you should have been able to feel it if you hadn’t been rolling around in salacious details.”
His skin darkened.“You could have mentioned the failsafe.”
“Would you have listened or just thought that the Uraddan spy was trying to stop your investigation, Official Chilar?”
He jolted.“You know my name?”
“You were in my head for over a minute.I am fussy about who I let inside.Your name was the least I could do.You don’t want to know what kind of info I pulled out of you at the same time.”She smiled and covered Kessie’s ears.“Unlike most alphas, I can pull out.”
She let Kessie’s ears go, and the men looked sheepish.
“So, gentlemen, you go back where you came from, and I am going back to my life as a housekeeper.”
Etgar was holding the baby and said, “They want to know if you are registered with the BDC?”
“Nope.What I have learned about that kind of interaction isn’t particularly fun or welcoming.”
The alphas muttered, and one said, “We cherish and protect our omegas.”
“Having experienced what you do with a female you feel isnotan omega, I would beg to disagree.”She made a face and shuddered.
He opened his mouth and then closed it.
“Also, my brother is applying to Hyreno next year, and I am not going to have him associated by relation with anything of this nature.”She sighed.“I am also trying to apply for genotyping so that we can learn which Hyreno grouping we are related to.”
The men froze.She smirked.“Hadn’t figured that part out.My brother has unopened gills; I have markers that have been scarred shut.That means that, willing or not, we are related to at least one Hyreno out there.”
The Sethir smiled.“But not one of the dessert people.”
“We were both creche-raised.We have no idea what we are made of.We just know we are siblings.”She inclined her head.“So, gentlemen.I believe that concludes this discussion.Vallu, when did you say Salat would be arriving?”
“He’s on his way.”
“Okay.And clothing?”She looked to Vallu.
She smiled.“I will grab you something.We are the same size.”Vallu left and took the baby after touching Etgar’s cheek.
