“Ryolas! Basilla!” Dareena cried, jumping out of her chair. She hurried around the table to hug all three of them. “I’m so glad you’ve arrived. Did you run into trouble on theway?”
“Only this one,” Ryolas said, his eyes twinkling. Smiling broadly, he wrapped his arm around Tariana’s waist and drew her close. “As soon as she stopped scolding me for scaring her half to death, she demanded I marryher.”
“Is that right?” Drystan lifted a brow. “Without consulting mefirst?”
Tariana tossed her bright red hair over her shoulder. “Especiallywithout consulting you first,” she said, and everyonelaughed.
“I am very much looking forward to planning your wedding,” Dareena said, grinning so hard that her cheeks hurt. There was so much happiness in the room, she felt as though she overflowed withit.
“Their wedding?” Basilla asked, sounding amused. “What aboutyourwedding?”
Dareena and the brothers shared a glance. “I suppose we haven’t quite figured out how to have a wedding amongst the four of us,” Alistairconfessed.
Tariana snorted. “It’s just a matter of rewriting the vows a bit,” she said. “As the dragon god has truly blessed your union, he won’tmind.”
“Half the nation will be scandalized,” Lucyan said wryly, “but we’d best get it done soon, so they can get used to it. The dragon god said that the four of us are needed to break the curse. I have no intention of disappointinghim.”
“Neither do I,” Drystan said with a smile. He came up behind Dareena and put his arms around her. “But we can worry about the wedding later. Right now, you need to take it easy. You’ve been through quite an ordeal,andyou’repregnant.”
Tariana and the elves joined the rest of them at the table, and they finished their meal in peace, trading stories, making jokes, and enjoying the easy camaraderie between them. Ryolas and Tariana were glowing, and Taldren and Basilla looked like they were getting on quite well together. He looked quite smitten with the princess already, and Dareena wondered if Basilla already had another suitor on herhands.
“We heard that the delegation my father sent had arrived ahead of us, and we spoke with them before coming here,” Basilla said as they worked on polishing off the chocolate torte the cook had broughtout.
“Oh?” Lucyan asked. “Were they shocked to seeyou?”
“Very,” Ryolas said with a wrysmile.
“We had a bit of a talk with them, and they’ve agreed to return home and speak to father personally on your behalf,” Basilla said. “With any luck, this next set of negotiations will go well, and we will finally be atpeace.”
“Good,” Drystan said. “It’s about time we put aside this silly feud and deal with the realthreat.”
Dareena smiled at Basilla and Ryolas. “I am so glad you two came with us,” she said. “There is real hope for our future, now that we are all workingtogether.”
Ryolas lifted his glass to her. “Thatis something I can drinkto.”
After the meal, Dareena expected to return to her quarters, but the brothers led her in the opposite direction, up a flight of stairs and toward a tower at the end of the westwing.
“What is this place?” Dareena asked as Drystan unlocked the heavy woodendoor.
“The royal suite.” He opened the door to reveal a tastefully decorated salon in shades of red, gold, and white—the house colors. There was a seating area in front of the fireplace, a fully stocked bar, and a large dining table. Several other rooms branched off from this one, though with the doors closed, Dareena couldn’t tell what they were. “Father lived here, of course, but we’ve had it redone to suit our collective tastes. We’ll be living heretogether.”
“Together?” Dareena asked as Alistair led her across the room. Lucyan opened one of the doors, and she gasped—there was a giant bed, big enough to sleep six people comfortably, and the room was done in shades of green, her favoritecolor.
“Yes, together,” Lucyan said, a smile in his voice as he nudged her toward thebed.
“We’ve converted two of the other rooms into bedrooms for nights we may not all want to sleep together,” Drystan added, “and the third into anursery.”
“A nursery?” Dareena gasped, her hand flying to her belly. She hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “I can’t believe you had time to do this!” She threw her arms around Drystan and hugged him fiercely.I am the luckiest woman in the world,she thought as she buried her face in his chest, inhaling his sexy, masculinescent.
“I didn’t, but that’s what servants are for,” Drystan said, laughing. He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. Dareena’s blood heated as he stripped off her clothes, and she reached for the brothers as they climbed into bed with her in nothing but their underclothes. She stroked Drystan’s chest, then ran her hand down Alistair’s arm, but the feel of the soft bed beneath her made hersleepy…
“Don’t worry,” Lucyan said, pulling her back against his chest. His hard cock pressed against her rear, but he merely draped a hand over her belly while Drystan stroked her face, lying on his side so he was facing her. “There will be plenty of time for love play later. For now, we’llrest.”
Dareena smiled, then put her arm around Drystan. Alistair, who was on Drystan’s other side, laced his fingers in hers, and together, they slipped off into a deep, dreamlesssleep.
35
The next morning,Dareena and her mates rose with the sun, then gathered around the dining table in the royal suite to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. The four of them had slept soundly last night. As Dareena feasted on poached eggs, bacon, fried tomatoes, and buttered toast, she had a hard time remembering the last time she felt this well-rested andcontent.
