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She was laughing and batting at him, when the grand doors of the front entrance opened. All at once, escorted by a gust of cold spring air, the Brotherhood streamed in, their voices filling the space as much as their bodies did. But both the movement and the talk halted when they saw Rahvyn holding hands with Lassiter.
There was a shuffling of the males, and Sahvage stepped through the sea of broad shoulders.
His expression was reserved, and for a split second, she wondered if there was going to be trouble.
“Sahvage,” she told her cousin. “I love him. I want to be his shellan, properly—”
A sudden cheer exploded all around, and as Sahvage broke out into a smile and came in for a hug that swung her around, she glanced upward.
There were females all along the gold-leafed balcony. Some of them she recognized from when they’d visited Luchas House, others were not known—but as they rushed down the grand staircase, it was as if they were friends of hers: They were all so happy.
Just like the Brothers, who were busy high-fiving Lassiter.
Beth, the Queen, was the first of the females to step off the stairs, and as she reached for Rahvyn, the embrace was spontaneous—and a little overwhelming.
The Queen.
As Rahvyn held on tight and blinked away tears, she thought, At least I still have your pants on, Your Majesty.
When Beth pulled back, she took Rahvyn’s hands. Her face was so open, so gleeful, her clothing so casual, it was possible to forget who she was. Until that ruby winked.
“Do you have a dress?” the female asked.
“Ah, no?” Rahvyn looked down at the jeans and fleece. “But there need not be any—”
“Let’s get you one, come on!”
Immediately, the other females circled, all hugging and laughing and clapping, Sahvage’s shellan, Mae, chief among them. Before she knew it, Rahvyn was swept up the red-carpeted steps in a wave of friendship.
Unable to fight the ascension—and not inclined to argue, for it had been so very long since she had had friends, perhaps never—she glanced down to the foyer.
Lassiter picked that moment to look up at her through the congestion of powerful males.
For a moment their eyes met, and Rahvyn thought… at long last, everything was falling into place. Though the war was beginning again, and there were losses and stress, she knew, deep within herself, that as long as they were together…
… they could get through anything.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The daylight hours were a blur of pre-celebration, and Lassiter was all for it. He also knew why the buzzing levity was front and center. The Brotherhood was gearing up to go against the enemy for God only knew how many new decades or centuries, and the stress needed to be burned off: The mating ceremony gave them an excuse to laugh and play billiards and eat and drink all day long.
An unexpected shift off, when no one knew when the next one was going to be.
And people thought he wasn’t like GE, bringin’ good things to life? Come on.
On his side, because he was worried about exactly the same thing they were, he participated in all of it. Meanwhile, Rahvyn got pampered by the females of the house; and sure, traditional sex roles shouldn’t be taken seriously, but as he yukked it up with the guys, it was nice to think she was with a group of females getting her properly ready for the ceremony.
Then it was noon. With the sun at its peak, he broke off from the partying and snuck through the kitchen, ooh’ing and ahh’ing at the doggen who were frosting the biggest cake he had ever seen. There were also roasts in the ovens, and the aroma of baking breads, and enough green beans to feed an army—to say nothing of the silver polishing that was going on.
Jeez, his tennis elbow got triggered just walking by the lineup of three servants chatting happily as they worked the Gorham’s paste over forks, knives, spoons, candelabra.
You kind of worried that if you interrupted them for too long, you might get buffed like a platter.
Heading through the mudroom, where the boots were lined up and the parkas and windbreakers hung on pegs, Lassiter found the door into the garage and used it. Striding past the mowers, snowplows, and trucks, he exited into the backyard.
As soon as he felt the sun, he closed his eyes. The golden rays penetrated through his clothes and his skin, and replenished strength he hadn’t been aware of doing without—and though he’d intended to walk down the house to where the terrace had just been set up with patio furniture, he stayed right where he was, leaning up against the great gray stone wall.
He thought about how Rahvyn touching him was just like this… the feeling of warmth and kindling was the same. In fact, it was almost as if she were with him—
