The Shadow Queen

book aside, since even reading seemed too much effort tonight.
    As she pulled the covers up and tried to find a comfortable position, she heard Craft-enhanced scratching on her suite’s door.
    *Cassie? Cassie!*
    To avoid getting out of bed, she used Craft to open the door to the suite and the glass doors that led into her bedroom.
    *You are not downstairs with the males,* Vae said as soon as she entered the bedroom.
    “Needed some quiet time tonight,” Cassidy replied. And needed some time to think about what she was going to do in the morning when every male around her would react to the scent of moon’s blood—and to the fact that she would be vulnerable, unable to use her own power during the first three days without causing herself debilitating pain.
    *You are not well?* Vae asked.
    An odd hesitation in the question, and the same phrasing a human would use to ask about such a personal subject. But why would the Sceltie know, or care, about her moontime?
    “Want to keep me company?” Cassidy asked.
    Vae jumped up on the bed and lay down next to her. Cassidy put her arm around the dog and cuddled closer, the warmth of that furry body soon easing the ache in her lower belly as her muscles relaxed.
    Sighing, she shifted her head to a more comfortable spot on the pillows, and fell sleep.

    Vae dozed on and off throughout the night, waiting for the change in scent that would tell her for certain if Cassie was moody because her sire had gone home or if it was the blood time that meant Cassie wasn’t safe around males. Even the males who were supposed to protect her.
    It wasn’t sensible for human females to come into heat so often, but there were many things about humans that were not sensible. That was why Scelties had been looking after humans for such a long time.
    Cassie was a Queen, and her court should protect her. Theran should protect her.
    But Yas did not trust Cassie’s court, did not think the males would defend her properly. Ladvarian saidYas knew how to protect a Queen. Ladvarian said Yas was a human the kindred could trust.
    Ladvarian had learned his Craft from Jaenelle, who was the special Queen, even for kindred, and Ladvarian had taught other kindred what he had learned. So Vae knew her Craft, and she knew Yas understood things about the males here that she did not. Even Theran.
    Well before dawn, Cassie’s scent changed.
    Vae wiggled backward until her head was level with Cassie’s female place. Then she sniffed to confirm the scent.
    Human females did not like to be sniffed there by anyone but their mates, so it was good that Cassie was still sleeping.
    Jumping off the bed, Vae padded out of the bedroom and used Craft to pull aside a curtain on one window in the living area.
    Early. No one awake yet. But when the first birds woke up and began to chirp, Cook and her helpers would wake up too and start making food for the day. Then the Blood who took care of the house would wake up.
    But not yet. No one but Talon would be awake now, and he did not come to Cassie’s rooms, so he wouldn’t know about the change in her scent. Not yet.
    She wore Purple Dusk. Since she couldn’t ride a faster, darker Wind than the Purple Dusk, the Keep was far away.
    Cassie needed protection now. Cassie needed Yas.
    Cassie would be safe enough until the males smelled the blood.
    Vae leaped through the window, using Craft to pass through the curtain and glass. She landed lightly on air, two stories above the ground, and floated there for a minute.
    Going up was faster than going down and around, so still floating on air, she trotted up one side of the roof and down the other before leaping away from the house and gliding over the ground and locked gates.
    Landing lightly, she trotted over to the landing web and took a moment to make sure of her direction. Then she caught the Purple Dusk Wind and rode to Ebon Askavi.

Ebon ASKAVI
    Wanting nothing more than to spend an hour with the novel currently intriguing him before he retired earlier than usual, Saetan turned away from his suite and retraced his steps to one of the Keep’s private sitting rooms, where Lucivar was doing a slow prowl.
    “Is there a reason why you’re showing up here every morning?” Saetan asked.
    “I can count,” Lucivar replied.
    “And that’s significant because . . . ?” He could think of one reason for the edgy prowling. “Is Marian pregnant?”
    “What?” Lucivar jumped as if he’d gotten jabbed in the ass. “Hell’s fire, no! Although she’s working on