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He turned around, sat on the bed, and took her hand. "There is nothing to worry about. Modana's yacht is in his private dock, he's back at his mansion, and our people who stayed behind to monitor the situation are back on board so they can come to the wedding. We are meeting in Turner's cabin to get an update from Theo, who was in charge of that team."
The Silver Swan had docked in Puerto Vallarta a while ago, but it had taken the yacht longer to get there.
So far, Carlos was a no-show, and Kian wondered what Turner's people were reporting from Cabo and from Ensenada, although he doubted that the Doomers had found out about the ship or where it was heading. If he was lucky, and he prayed to the Fates that he was, the Brotherhood hadn't zeroed in on his ship and was still in the dark as to where the force had come from that had demolished their team and their cartel minions.
"You should put on the tux." Syssi sighed. "I guess I will be meeting you at the event."
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I'll come back here to get you. There is no way I'm letting you enter the dining hall without me."
She gifted him with a bright smile. "In that case, you can put the tux on when you return for me. That way, it will look crisp for the wedding."
"That's what I'll do." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips. "I wish I could stay in bed with you."
"Yeah, I wish you could." She glanced at their daughter, who was sleeping peacefully in her portable crib. "I think I'll leave her with Okidu tonight. My mother offered to watch her, but I don't want her to miss the wedding." She smiled. "I want her to have as much fun as possible on this cruise, so maybe she will change her mind about finally retiring and moving into the village."
Kian doubted anything would make Anita retire. The woman was going to work for as long as she could. For her, being a physician was more than a calling. It defined who she was, and the day she stopped doing what she loved, she would probably wither away and die.
"What about Lisa?" he asked. "Can't she come over and watch Allegra?"
"Lisa is babysitting Evie at Amanda's, and I don't want to wake Allegra up by moving her to Amanda's cabin. Cheryl is babysitting her brothers and sister, and Parker is too inexperienced to watch over a baby."
Kian no longer thought of their daughter as a baby. Heck, he often considered her an adult. Allegra was unlike any other young child he had ever seen, and it wasn't just because she was his daughter. Sometimes, he could see such wisdom in her eyes that it was startling.
He pretended to frown. "Parker is more than capable of watching over Allegra. Okidu is here, so it's not like he's going to be on his own, and he needs to start getting experience if he hopes to get babysitting gigs in the future. Don't discriminate against the boy because of his gender."
"Yes, sir." She saluted. "It shall be done."
He snorted. "That was easy."
"When you are right, you're right." She shrugged. "I don't want to be accused of misandry."
"I get accused of chauvinism almost daily." He pushed to his feet and pulled out a pair of jeans from the closet. "But I don't care." He pulled the jeans on.
"By whom?"
"Today, it was Toven." Kian took a shirt off a hanger and shrugged it on. "He said that my mother was just as capable a compeller as he was, and yet I preferred to choose him to defend our clan time and again."
"He has a point. You turn to him because he's a male."
Kian started on the buttons. "If I had a powerful female compeller available to me who wasn't my mother, and I also had Toven, I don't think that I would have chosen him over her. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I would have chosen the female. My mother is the most important member of our community, and I prioritize her safety, but Toven is also important because he's the oldest being on Earth, and he knows so much more than he has shared with us so far."
"You think?" Syssi pushed up on the pillows. "Why would he hide things from us?"
"He's not hiding things to keep them from us." Kian pushed his feet into a pair of loafers. "He just doesn't like to talk about a past that he's not proud of."
Syssi's eyes softened. "I don't blame him. Not everyone is made from the stuff your mother is made of. Her resilience is awe-inspiring. To live through all that she's lived through, to lose as much as she did, and to still retain a positive attitude is even more extraordinary than all of her other attributes. She's a true queen."
Kian tried to control the shudder that coursed through his body. "As strong as she is, I don't think she will ever be ready to take over for her grandfather. My mother is not ruthless enough, and I don't want her to be. She's perfect the way she is."
"I agree, but it's not up to you or me. It's up to her."
"Wise words as always." He leaned down and kissed the top of Syssi's head. "I need to go, but I promise to be back on time to put on the tux and escort my gorgeous wife to the wedding."
25
NEGAL
Negal drank two more shots of whiskey before shuffling back into his room and pulling on some clothing. A pair of clean jeans, a gray T-shirt, and a pair of flip-flops that he usually only wore to the pool.
