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But Jaenelle was loved.
So Cassandra hadn't responded. Tersa had.
"Something's wrong," Saetan snarled as he passed the couch and low table Tersa hunched over while she arranged puzzle pieces into shapes that had meaning only for her. "It doesn't take this long."
Tersa poked a puzzle piece into place and pushed her tangled black hair away from her face. "It takes as long as it takes."
"An Offering is made between sunset and sunrise."
Tersa tilted her head, considering. "That was true for the Prince of the Darkness. But for the Queen?" She shrugged.
Cold whispered up Saetan's spine. What would Jaenelle be like when she was the Queen of the Darkness?
He crouched opposite Tersa, the table between them. She paid no more attention to him than she did to Lucivar's silent approach.
"Tersa," Saetan said quietly, trying to catch her attention. "Do you know something, see something?"
Tersa's eyes glazed. "A voice in the Darkness. A howling, full of joy and pain, rage and celebration. The time is coming when the debts will be paid." Her eyes cleared. "Leash your fear, High Lord," she said with some asperity. "It will do her more harm now than anything else. Leash it, or lose her."
Saetan's hand closed over her wrist. "I'm not afraidof her, I'm afraidfor her."
Tersa shook her head. "She will be too tired to sense the difference. She will only sense the fear. Choose, High Lord, and live with what you choose." She looked at the closed door. "She is coming."
Saetan tried to rise too quickly and winced. He'd overworked his bad leg again. Tugging down the sleeves of his tunic jacket and smoothing back his hair, he wished, futilely, that he'd bathed and changed into fresh clothes. He also wished, futilely, that his heart would stop pounding so hard.
Then the door opened and Jaenelle stood on the threshold.
In the seconds before rational thought fled, his mind registered her hesitation, her uncertainty. It also registered the amount of jewelry she was wearing.
Lorn had gifted her with thirteen uncut Black Jewels. An uncut Jewel was large enough to be made into a pendant and a ring, as well as providing smaller chips that could be used for a variety of purposes. If he was estimating correctly, she'd taken the equivalent of six of those thirteen Jewels in with her when she made the Offering. Six Black Jewels that, somehow, had been transformed into more than Black.
Into Ebony.
No wonder it had taken her so long to make the descent to her full strength. He couldn't begin to estimate the power at her disposal now. Since the day he'd met her, he'd known it would come to this. She was traveling roads now the rest of them couldn't even imagine.
What would it do to her?
His choice.
The thought shocked him with its clarity. It freed him to act.
Stepping forward, he offered his right hand.
Wild-shy, Jaenelle slipped into the room, hesitated a moment, then placed her hand in his.
He pulled her into arms, burying his face against her neck. "I've been worried sick about you," he growled softly.
Jaenelle stroked his back. "Why?" She sounded genuinely puzzled. "You've made the Offering. You know—"
"It doesn't usually take three days!"
"Three days!" She jerked back, stumbling into Lucivar, who had come up behind her. "Threedays?"
"Do we have to observe Protocol from now on?" Lucivar asked.
"Don't be daft," Jaenelle snapped.
Grinning, Lucivar immediately wrapped his left arm around her, pinning her arms to her sides and holding her tight against his chest. "In that case, I propose dunking her in the nearest fountain."
"You can't do that!" Jaenelle sputtered, squirming.
"Why not?" Lucivar sounded mildly curious.
The reason she gave was inventive but anatomically impossible.
Since laughing wouldn't be diplomatic, even if it was prompted by the relief that wearing Ebony Jewels hadn't changed her, Saetan clenched his teeth and stayed silent.
Tersa, however, finally stirred herself and joined them. Shaking her head, she gave Jaenelle a poke in the shoulder. "There's no use wailing about it. You've taken up the responsibilities of a Queen now, and part of your duties is taking care of the males who belong to you."
"Fine," Jaenelle snarled. "When do I get to pound him?"
Tersa tsked. "They're males. They're allowed to fuss and pet." Then she smiled and patted Jaenelle's cheek. "Warlord Princes especially need physical contact with their Queen."
"Oh," Jaenelle said sourly. "Well, that's just fine then."
Tersa stretched out on the couch.
"All right, grumpy little cat, you have a choice," Lucivar said.
"Not one of your choices," Jaenelle groaned, sagging against him.
"Does either of those choices include food and sleep?" Saetan asked.
"And a bath?" Jaenelle added, wrinkling her nose.
"One does," Lucivar said, releasing her.
"Then I don't want to know what the other one is." Jaenelle rubbed her back. "Your belt buckle bites."
"So do you."
Saetan rubbed his temples. "Enough, children."
Amazingly, they both stopped. Gold and sapphire eyes studied him for a moment before they left the room, arms about each other's waists.
"You did well, Saetan," Tersa said quietly.
Picking up a blanket draped over a chair, Saetan tucked it around Tersa and smoothed back her hair. "I had help," he replied, then laughed softly when she batted at his hand. "Males are allowed to fuss and pet, remember?"
"I'm not a Queen."
Saetan watched her until she fell asleep. "No, but you are a very gifted, very extraordinary Lady."
3 / Kaeleer
Telling himself he wasn't nervous, despite the pounding heart and sweaty palms, Saetan entered the large stone chamber that Draca had indicated was the place where the invited guests were to wait until they were summoned to the Dark Throne. Except for the blackwood pillars that contained the candle-lights and a few long tables against the walls that held assorted beverages, the room was bare of furniture.
Which was just as well since threading their way through seating designed for humans would have made the kindred more tense than they already were, and some species—like the small dragons from the Fyreborn Islands—needed a generous amount of space. Saetan noticed, with growing uneasiness, thatall the kindred, not just the ones who had had little or no contact with people, weren't mingling with the human Blood, even though most of the humans present were friends-—or had been before the slaughters. That they were in this closed, confined space at all said a great deal for their devotion to Jaenelle.
