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Was he implying what I thought he was implying? Naw, that was just my imagination running away with me again. Probably.
"Sounds messy," I said.
"No one said being this hot was easy," he said with a grin.
"I know, right?" I agreed, mostly joking. "It's hard being the shit."
"It really is." He sighed loudly. "Harder when they expect an heir. If the Alpha doesn't, then someone has to."
"You don't have one?" I asked. I eyed his groin speculatively. Men had fertility problems as often as women. Sucked if you wanted, or needed kids.
"Not for lack of him trying," he said wryly.
"I bet." He didn't seem like the kind of man to spend too many nights alone. "So there are some jealous women in the sanctuary, and you're afraid they'll start a war with each other unless a woman has a son to elevate her above the rest," I concluded. "Or unless you give up trying and settle down."
"Something like that," he agreed. "There are one or two…feistier women, but most of them are harmless. For now."
I grimaced. "Women can be horrid to each other." So could men, but they generally ended things quickly, with a claw, a sharp blade or an army. Or by sending people away to live with the enemy.
"You're thinking about home?" he asked.
"A little bit," I admitted. "Men sometimes did some dumbass things to each other for the sake of rivalry. I'm surprised they didn't go after each other with swords or knives. Although there was that one time . . ." I shook my head.
He chuckled. "I'm sure your family is an interesting one. It sure sounds like it."
"Yours too," I said. "Calista certainly is. How many women has she scared away from you?" I bet if she didn't like any of them, they'd be gone, no matter how much he liked them. There was a fine line between overprotective and controlling.
Dex stopped and turned to face me. "If we had a competition to see whose family was the most interesting, I'm sure we would have a tie. That includes some of the women, and men, here at the residence who I'm not related to by blood."
I suspected he meant Bain.
"But please," he continued, "don't worry about the jealous ones. I won't allow any harm to come to you, or any other women here. All right?"
"I know you won't," I said. I could smell several kinds of poison in a bowl of food in front of me. That was the most likely method anyone would use to kill me. Failing that, my power could knock an attacker flat, if I had enough warning. I would keep her guard up, at least until I was sure no one was coming after me. Even after that, I would be careful.
As far as I could tell, Dex had no power beyond the ability to shift. Maybe I should swear to keephimsafe. Although, if I ever lost control, who would keep him safe from me?
I asked Hades to make sure that day would never come. If it did, I might destroy us all. Even now the scent of him threatened to let power course through me. It pressed at the tips of my fingers, itching to be used for something. Anything. To soothe, to heal. To create. To destroy.
I forced it back.
"We should go and eat." The smell of food wafted up the corridor and for once it only made me hungry.
* * *
The scale layon a table beside the bed. It was the first thing I saw when I awoke.
I eyed it for a moment. Nothing happened. Perhaps I only imagined I saw or felt any power in it yesterday. Whatever it was, whatever it had been, I suspected it was gone for good.
"What about the other scales?" I wondered out loud. I got no answer. That reminded me, I still hadn't seen Izzy. I was so absorbed in myself, I hadn't asked Dex about her.
I felt a stab of guilt. I would ask him or Bain about Izzy the first chance I got.
I considered marching up to Dex's room, or the audience room where I first met him, but I would get hopelessly lost. Better to wait a few more days before I made a fool of myself.
Instead, I had a long shower in the bathroom attached to my suite, and dressed in another outfit the tailor left, this time black jeans and a grey blouse.
"I can do your hair," Czari offered. She picked up a brush from the table and started to run it through my damp tangles.
