Of course, as these were Constance and Neil’s children, some of them would wander off in search of cobras to befriend, while others would get stuck on a single panel of hieroglyphs and refuse to move until they had translated them in their entirety.
But that would be all right, Ellie decided comfortably as she nestled against the warmth of Adam’s shoulder—more than all right, really.In fact, Ellie found that the notion made her happier than almost anything she had ever thought of before.
A terrible new worry burst into her brain, and Ellie sat up.“What if they muck it up?Neil is terrible at this sort of thing!”
“He’s notthatbad.”Adam read her expression and let out a breath.“All right—maybe he is that bad.But Constance sure as hell gets what she sets her sights on.”
“What if she gets him and then realizes she doesn’t really want him?”Ellie fluttered with panic at the notion.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Why not?!”
Adam stroked his knuckles over her cheek.“Because your brother’s a damned good man, Princess.”
Moisture welled up in her eyes once more at the certainty in Adam’s voice.
“He might not always get it right the first time,” Adam continued.“Hell, he’s practically got a knack for putting his foot in things—but his heart always steers him true in the end, no matter what he’s gotta go through to get there.”
Tears streamed readily down Ellie’s cheeks.She couldn’t quite manage to speak at first, nodding instead.“You’re right,” she finally warbled out, her voice ridiculously uneven.
Adam laughed helplessly at the sound.He raised a pleading hand.“I’m sorry.I’m just not sure I’ve ever seen you like this before.”
“That’s because I am not prone to fits of feminine weeping!”Ellie protested stoutly—even as the cursed tears kept streaming down her cheeks.
“Nothing feminine about a good cry,” Adam asserted authoritatively.
“Youwouldsay that,” Ellie grumbled back irritably.
Adam’s hand smoothed over her back.“She’s your best friend.”
“She is!”Ellie wiped away more tears.
“And he’s your brother.”Adam’s hand continued to move in slow, tender strokes along her spine.“And not one that you had all along, which I’m guessing means you remember what it was like before he got there.”
Ellie couldn’t answer him.She gazed at him helplessly as the tears kept falling.
He brushed the pad of his thumb over the damp staining her cheek.“It all makes perfect sense to me.”
“Of course, it makes sense to you,” Ellie countered, warmth and a helpless irritation mingling in her words.“You’re Adam Bates.”
She kissed him, holding the rough texture of his cheeks gently between her hands.Her skin was cool with the echo of her tears as she grazed her lips tenderly over his own.
“Think you’re ready to face the party again?”Adam gently prompted when they were done.“Because it’s starting to feel like all these dead animals are staring at us.”
Ellie recalled herself.It did seem like the ostrich, the rhinoceros, and the tiger were pointing their beady eyes right at where she and Adam were sitting.“That is rather unsettling, once one notices it.”
“Let’s go get some treats,” he asserted and hauled her to her feet.
?
Forty-Two
Constance chased Neilthrough the palace.
The man’s legs were too bloody long.In his few seconds’ lead on her, he had managed to disappear, turning around a corner that led off in three different directions.
Thankfully, Constance wasn’t averse to a good sprint.
