Twilight's Dawn

Rainier started a pissing contest with Lucivar, he changed the subject. “How is Della? Is she excited about Winsol?”
    Karla laughed. “She’s more excited that I’ve agreed to let her start learning basic healing.”
    Daemon took a nutcake. “Training doesn’t usually start so early, does it? She’s still a girl.” A girl who had lost her mother when her entire village had been slaughtered by Eyriens working for Dorothea and Hekatah SaDiablo. A girl who had been rescued by Arcerian cats and spent months with them, living wild, before being adopted by Karla.
    “She’s not a natural Healer—wasn’t born to that caste—but she has good instincts and a keen interest. She wants to specialize in healing kindred.”
    He tried to keep a straight face—and couldn’t. “Does she practice her bedside manner on KaeAskavi?”
    “Every chance she gets. Which is another reason I’m here today. If you want to know about kindred, you ask Jaenelle. Of course, Della and KaeAskavi are only together these days when we’re at the country house. The house in Sidra is too frustrating for him.”
    “City streets would be hard for a cat that size.”
    “Oh, it isn’t the confined space,” Karla said, a wicked twinkle in her glacier blue eyes. “It’s the frustration of having all that prey wandering around and not being allowed to catch and eat any of it.”
    “We’re talking about horses, right?”
    “You know better than that.”
    Mother Night.
    “So,” Karla said, “we have a plate of goodies and a pot of coffee, and I have another hour to visit before I have to be heading back home. Why don’t you tell me all the things you don’t want the coven to know?”
    Since he’d rather chew off his own hand than get backed into that particular corner, he took the easy way out—he put the nutcake back on the plate and gave her all of the goodies.
    “Coward,” Karla said.
    “Damn right.”
    She laughed. “Even if you are a cock, you’re all right, Sadi.” She held out the plate. “Here. We’ll share. No gossip required.”
    “Why do you need to go back so soon? Glacia is on the other side of the Realm, and that’s a long way to come to spend so little time here. You and Jaenelle haven’t had an evening together in quite a while.” Putting a touch of persuasion and a hint of seduction in his voice, he purred, “Stay. You can head back early in the morning. I’ll arrange for a driver and Coach so you can work or nap on the way home. Stay.”
    She blinked at him. Then blinked again. “Hell’s fire, you’re good. I could feel my bones starting to melt.”
    He smiled at her and let the spells fade.
    “I had said I might stay over,” Karla said. “But I didn’t want to make it a certainty.”
    “Are you worried about Della being home alone?”Would any of the Blood who had supported Karla’s uncle and survived the fighting two years ago try to hurt the girl?
    “Yes, but not for the reasons you may be thinking. You’ve got that look in your eyes, Sadi. The ‘I’m ready to bristle and attack—where’s the enemy?’ look.”
    “So what is the concern?” he asked too softly. Because she was right—he wouldn’t think twice about going to Glacia and eliminating any problems that might be plaguing Karla or a young girl.
    “Prince Hagen, my Master of the Guard, likes children but has none of his own. So Della has found a surrogate father and he has found a daughter.”
    “Then what’s the problem?”
    “Rules have a way of getting . . . lost . . . when I’m gone for more than a day. It’s the most amazing thing. No one can remember why vegetables are supposed to be part of a meal. No one can tell time to figure out when a girl Della’s age should go to bed. On the other hand, the man can be so strict about other things, I’d swear he took lessons from Uncle Saetan.”
    “So while Auntie Karla is away . . .”
    “They’ll have a good time.” She sighed with too much drama. “Fine. I’ll stay.”
    “And I’ll be more than happy to entertain you with gossip.” Just not about me. He took the nutcake. “Why did Jaenelle go to the Keep?”
    Karla hesitated before answering. “I think she wanted a second opinion.”

    “Witch-child.” Saetan leaned against the blackwood table in the Keep’s private library and crossed his arms. He hadn’t known what would cause it, but he’d known this day would come. And because he’d known, he tightened the leash on his temper a little