Saber explained, then said, “I’m not sure what we’ll do with her men.Two survived the zylon attacks.”
Betrys wrinkled her nose, risked a glance at Leo then focused on her hands again.“Zylons?”
“Cute fluffy creatures with a poisonous bite,” Leo said, his scrutiny intense.She hadn’t mentioned her unexpected shift yet “It’s the reason we have the fence around the resort, to keep our guests safe.”
“What do you think we should do with the two guards, Betrys?”Saber asked the question, and they all stared at her, waiting for her reply.
“Ricci is safe now?”Betrys studied their faces in a search for reassurance.“Your brothers are bringing him here to the resort?”
“He’s on his way,” Saber confirmed.
“I need to find a new home,” Betrys said.“A job.”
“You—” Leo broke off as Eva’s fingers squeezed his forearm, her nails digging into his flesh like sharp talons.
“I hoped you’d stay and take a job here,” Eva said.“I need administrative help with menu planning and purchases, and I know that Scarlett is stretched thin in reception.She needs more time to do the special tasks that Saber sets her.The poor girl hasn’t had a day off for ages.There are other children here, and we have the beginnings of a school.It would be good for your son to play with others his own age.What do you say?Will you stay?”
Leo held his breath and waited for Betrys to speak.He refused to let her leave.She just didn’t understand that yet.Saber and Eva knew, but they thought Betrys deserved a choice.There was no choice for him.If she insisted on leaving, he would go with her.
A crease formed on Betrys’s forehead, and she focused on him.“Why did I turn into a cat?Will it happen again?”
“I—we—don’t know for sure, but I suspect it is because I bit you.I didn’t know this would happen, but I’m not sorry.”Even he heard the note of defiance, backed by determination, in his voice.“I’ve come to like and admire you, Betrys.”
“Even after what I did?”she whispered.
“Yes.I want you and Ricci to stay.”Fuck, he loved her.Now that Iseult was gone, he needed to woo her around to his way of thinking.The addition of a child thrilled him, filling him with a wave of joy.“Ma would enjoy having another child around the resort.”
Betrys nodded—finally—and his breath eased out in an audible hiss.“We can stay for a while, see how things work out.Maybe reading my cards will help.”
A knock came at the door, and Felix and Casey entered.
“Your room is clear,” Felix said.“We’ve taken away the broken furniture.”
“Iseult?”Saber asked.
“It was the weirdest thing.”Felix shook his head.“All the Spiderus bodies faded away until there was nothing but piles of black dust.”
“Several races do this on death,” Betrys commented.“They believe they go back to nature and await another rebirth.”
“God forbid,” Leo muttered.“The idea of Iseult returning is gonna give me nightmares.Felix, Casey, thanks for the cleanup.I’m knackered.”He caught Betrys in a yawn.“You look tired too, sweetheart.Come on.”He wrapped his arm around her waist and urged her toward the door, but she balked.
“I want to see Ricci.”
“I’ll contact Joe and Sly and ask them to escort Ricci to Leo’s rooms as soon as they land,” Saber said.
“Promise?”Her tone was fierce, and something squeezed in Leo’s chest.His little warrior.
“You have my word.They won’t arrive until morning,” Saber added.“You can meet them yourself.”
Betrys gave a curt nod and let Leo guide her outside.
“Your siblings are fun,” she said.“I wish I had a family like yours.”
She did, Leo thought.She just didn’t understand it yet.
Chapter Fifteen
Theywerefree.
