“And I order you to open the door,” Lynx said in a quieter yet implacable tone.“Don’t make me order your soldiers to break down the door.”
Ellard stomped to the door and wrenched it open.His empty tunic sleeve flapped at his other side in silent mockery.“Say your piece and go.”
“Niran, the Incorporeal leader, has requested a meeting.He asks that you be present.The meeting takes place at one portion cycle.”Lynx looked him up and down.“Enough time for you to apply stop-beard and sanitize.”
Shiloh’s nose wrinkled in a fastidious manner.“You reek.”
Ellard opened his mouth to tell them to phrull off, but Lynx held up an imperious hand.His brother’s friend hadn’t taken long to get a king attitude.He snapped his mouth shut.
“You will attend.This is a chance to advance trade and public relations.We need to establish good relations with our neighbors.”
“Fine,” Ellard bit out.“Where is the meeting?”
“The morning room,” Shiloh said.“One portion cycle.Don’t be late.”
His brother and the king left, closing the door behind them.Ellard took a sec to mentally curse then headed for his sanitizer.
Two mins past the portion cycle mark, Ellard presented himself at the morning room door.He knocked, and Lynx answered, ushering him inside.Jannike and her friends had changed the furnishings, and the room no longer appeared cluttered.Instead, the sparseness of it, the new warmth and richness of the red-jewel tones, the comfortable gel-seating made it a suitable, if informal, place to host a meeting.Ellard took two steps and came to an abrupt halt, his nostrils flaring.His head snapped up, his gaze sweeping the rest of the light-filled room.
“Gweneth,” he said and was proud of his even tone.“I didn’t realize you would be here.”
“Niran requested her presence too,” Lynx said.
Ellard gave a curt nod and walked over to the window, an excuse to rip his gaze off her enticing figure.The city spread out below and beyond the vivid greens of the forest, but nothing about the view diverted him from Gweneth.She looked good.Beautiful.His pulse jumped into a racy beat, and his feline stirred beneath his skin—a ripple of protest at the distance between them.His cat didn’t understand.His handicap would drag Gweneth down, and she deserved so much more.
Unable to resist, he turned and caught the arrival of Niran as he shimmered into view.He wore his long white hair loose apart from two thin braids on either side of his face.Dressed in a frilly white shirt and tight black trews with boots, his white eyes scanned the room in a trice.An instant later, Leeam and Sheera appeared, their hands clasped.The couple wore color, so much color that Ellard blinked.However, their smiles eclipsed the bright reds, pinks, and blues of their garments.
“Greetings.”Lynx flashed a grin of greeting.“Welcome to Viros.”
“Thank you,” Niran said.“It is good to meet you in person.This is my nephew Leeam and his mate Sheera.”
“I am pleased to meet you.We have made a point of meeting our neighbors,” Lynx said.“Closer relations benefit us all.Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
While Lynx and Niran completed the polite courtesies, Ellard watched Gweneth.She didn’t watch him back.Instead, she said something to Leeam and Sheera and the three were soon in animated discussion.
“Ellard,” Shiloh said in a sharp tone.
Ellard blinked and realized Lynx wanted him to join the discussion.He stalked over to the three men and sat.
“Ransom and I were both impressed by the way Ellard and Gweneth protected Leeam and Sheera.You joined the search and ultimately found them, facing danger to keep them safe.”
“I’m a soldier,” Ellard said.
“No,” Niran said.“Not everyone would do what you and Gweneth did.My family and friends have prospered on Narenda with Ransom and his people.We have multiplied to such an extent it is now necessary to splinter and find a new home.Now that Leeam and Sheera have officially mated, I seek your permission to allow them to live on Viros.I requested Ellard’s and Gweneth’s presence because I would like them to be our liaison.”
Ellard glanced at Lynx and Shiloh and saw they didn’t fully understand what Niran was asking.He swallowed and led with the truth.“Gweneth and I aren’t together.We can’t—couldn’t provide sustenance for Leeam and Sheera.”
“I see,” Niran said, his pinprick glacier-blue pupils increasing in size as he scrutinized Ellard.“The Incorporeal race requires sexual energy to survive,” he said to Lynx and Shiloh.
“So Ellard and Gweneth kept Leeam and Sheera alive,” Lynx said with interest, finally understanding.
“Fascinating,” Shiloh murmured.
“If Leeam and Sheera came to live here, what would be involved?”Lynx asked.“Would they need to live in the castle?”
“That would be best, but they need to live near sexually active couples.”
