Page 41 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

"Yes."

His shoulders slumped as he let go of the tension. "I assume you communicated with her through their ship."

He was so smart.

Lifting her head, she planted a kiss on his cheek because she just could not help herself. "You were always one of the smartest gods I knew, and given that I was Ahn's daughter and Ekin's niece, that is saying a lot. The ship's communication apparatus is the logical conclusion, but that is not how I talked with my grandmother. All communications are monitored, so that was out of the question. We used the only sure method of completely confidential communication, which is through telepathic twins. Aru has a twin sister on Anumati, Aria, who works for Sofringhati, the Supreme Oracle. Sofringhati happens to be Ani's childhood friend and someone she can trust completely."

"Telepathic twins," Khiann repeated. "The one on Anumati transmits what the queen says to her brother, and he transmits what you say to his sister so she can repeat it to your grandmother."

"Precisely. But this is a great secret, and almost no one knows about it. You will need to guard it zealously, and if you cannot, try to forget it."

He chuckled. "That I can manage. Who else knows about it?"

"Aru, of course. Gabi, Aru's mate. My children and their mates. Aria, Sofringhati, and Ani are taking a great risk, and the Eternal King might have spies in places no one suspects. It is best that this knowledge be contained."

"I understand." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

"You are my truelove mate. There are no secrets between us."

He smiled. "Only five thousand years of knowledge that I cannot absorb all at once. It would have been nice if it were possible to just open my head and fill it with everything that I need to know."

"Patience, my love. I know that I keep saying that, but there is no way around it. We might be gods, but we are not all-knowing."

"So, that is how you learned about the assassins. And about El wanting you dead."

"El does not know that I exist, but if he did, he would want me dead. My grandmother has been telling me what she can, but our sessions are limited because every time she wants to speak with me, she has to go to the temple. She has made up a story about preserving old prophecies to explain her frequent visits, but I think El suspects something. He sent Ani on a tour of the colonies, and she has not returned yet. I am worried about her."

"Why? Is it unusual for her to go on a tour like this?"

She nodded. "El wanted Ani out of the capital for some reason. I just hope she is all right and that he did not get rid of her. I will not know until Aria hears from her in person and transmits to Aru."

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I hope she makes contact soon, and when she does, I would like to be there to witness this marvel."

The doorbell rang.

"Oh, my." Her hand flew to her chest. "It must be Ell-rom and Morelle with their mates. I did not notice how the time flew by."

He smiled. "It always does when you enjoy the company. Do you want to freshen up? I can entertain them while you do."

Once again, she was tempted to kiss his cheek, and once again she did not fight the impulse. "I do not need to do anything. But what about you? Did I tire you with all my stories?"

"You energized me." He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

17

KHIANN

As Ogidu escorted Ell-rom and Morelle in, Khiann tapped his earpieces on.

The twins were tall and slender, beautiful in their own way, and he sensed they were powerful before they even entered the room. They came with their mates, Jasmine and Brandon, and all four looked at him with curiosity, waiting for Annani to introduce them.

She stood to greet them, so small compared to all four, yet somehow bigger than all of them put together. It was her power and her spirit that filled the space around her.

"Jasmine and Ell-rom, Morelle and Brandon, please come meet my mate, Khiann. Khiann, I am pleased to introduce my brother and sister and their mates."

The voices in his ear were pleasant, switching between female and male voices as needed, and the translation was so fast that it almost matched the movement of their lips. He could almost forget he was hearing through the devices. He answered in the old tongue, and their earpieces translated for them.

Morelle sat across from him, folded her long legs, and studied him openly. Her mate, a handsome male with an easy smile, sat beside her. Ell-rom came around the low table with Jasmine.