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"You got her into this, didn't you?" I had my arms crossed and went to stand in front of him.
"Do not stand too closely to this filth," Garde skipped in and glared at all three, smoke pouring from his nostrils.
"Are you a vampire?" Ari asked Garde. I'm sure the information provided by Solar Red had given her a description of vampires in general, and breathing smoke wasn't anywhere in that description.
"I am High Demon," Garde growled. "You are threatening my mate. Do not threaten her further, or I shall allow the Thifilathi to come."
"Garde, honey, back up a little, okay?" I misted to his side and grabbed his arm. We didn't need heads twisted from bodies. That wouldn't be good, especially since their apparent crime didn't warrant a death sentence. Not yet, anyway.
"How did you get?" One of the males asked, but he didn't get a chance to finish the question. Aryn took over immediately.
"You will forget what you just saw. Now, let's see what you know," Aryn placed compulsion, so I pulled Garde from the room. The farther away from the interrogation room we went the calmer he became until his eyes cleared and his skin lightened. He was still blowing smoke, though, as he turned me in his arms and gave me a possessive kiss. The Thifilathi was still not far from the surface.
"We found a few things, and asked the hotel staff to pack up the rest," Drake and Drew appeared beside us. Garde pulled back and accepted what Drew handed him. They'd found a portable computer with information on the space station orbiting Le-Ath Veronis, plus specs for the shuttles, the landing area and the casinos. I was going to have to call in Adam and Merrill. We were being scoped out and I was worried that Solar Red might be planning an invasion. Garde, Drake and Drew thought so, too.
"They're not on any Alliance worlds, not in any numbers, anyway," Drake growled, looking at the images of the space station's interior. "That means Solar Red is based on a non-Alliance world and able to grow as fast as they can recruit thugs and criminals."
"And they want to take us out," I muttered, staring at the images of the casinos. They'd only gotten one or two interior shots—casino security was pretty tight.
"You, at least," Drew looked grim. "Erland showed us the old footage from Refizan."
"How fast is that army coming along?" Garde asked my twins.
"We're in good shape, but we need to know what kind of weapons they have, so we can prepare for that."
"Yeah? I hadn't thought about that." It made me rub my forehead.
"Baby, don't worry, all right?" Drake pulled my head against his shoulder.
"I'm not worried so much about me; I'm worried about my vampires and my comesuli, not to mention the guests."
"We'll take that into consideration," Drew said, rubbing my back while his brother pulled me tighter against him.
"They aren't organized enough, yet; these are only scouting parties," Kifirin folded in. I hadn't seen him for days. "Come, Avilepha, you have not been energy for a while. We will take care of that now." Kifirin folded me away before I had time to argue with him.
* * *
"Solar Red is scouting Le-Ath Veronis?" Dragon scowled as his sons gave him information they'd gotten from the three spies.
"Aryn wiped the information from their minds and we put them on a ship back to Rorda under guard shortly after that. We kept their computer and everything else they had, but they'd managed to send out some information before we caught them. We transmitted our records to the authorities on Rorda and to Alliance headquarters. The Alliance isn't happy with Solar Red, right now; I think they blew up White Light temples on Oblerik. That means they're scouting other worlds, too."
"I fail to understand how they keep recruiting," Dragon snorted.
* * *
"Erland, what have you done?" I had my hands on my hips, now, staring with distaste at the dress he’d laid across my bed.
"You should wear this to the Century Ball," Erland flashed a smile that could melt hearts and cause general swooning. "It will go perfectly with my suit."
That meant, of course, that Erland was wearing white to my grandfather's shindig. I liked white okay, but this dress was a blinding white, with crystal beading. Just the reflection of light off it could cause blindness. "Honey, I'll look like a chandelier," I said as tactfully as I could.
Shadow, who'd come in to pick up oxberry wine for Grey House, was gazing speculatively at the dress, too. He snickered and nodded at my chandelier comment.
"Will you settle for white satin, then?" Erland was being patient with me.
"I think I'll need to see it, first," I offered dryly.
"Very well," Erland sighed dramatically. "I had no idea I had such a demanding mate."
That caused me to blink at him in shock. He turned his smile on me. "I was merely teasing you, my beautiful Queen." He came to kiss me, waving one hand while he did so. When he pulled away, a second dress was on the bed. It was white satin, just as he said, and much more suitable than the other.
"I'll wear that," I sighed in resignation. The second dress was still going to draw moths, it was so bright, but not as many as the first one.
"You'll be beautiful," Erland kissed me again.
"Not as beautiful as you," I poked at him when he let me go.
"Few are," he tossed back his black hair and laughed.
"And he's not insufferable or anything," I smiled at Shadow. "I'll wear my Tiralian crystal with this." Shadow had made a complete set of Tiralian crystal jewelry for me, and all of it held protection spells. He was a real honey, all right.
"When is this blow-up?" Shadow grinned at Erland.
"The Ball is tomorrow evening. My mate had best not be late. The King of Karathia is not noted for his patience."
"What will Toff wear?" I asked. We had to take him; Wylend had requested it.
"I have provided the outfit already," Erland sniffed. I’d hired two comesuli nannies to care for Toff when Grant, Davan, Giff and I weren’t available. "How well do you dance, my love?" Erland gave me a skeptical look.
"Merrill and Franklin taught me the foxtrot and the waltz. Anything outside that and you may get your toes stepped on."
"Just follow my lead," Erland was trying not to laugh.
"You're leading? In this century?" I went after him. Few ever realized that the Karathian Witches and Warlocks switched attraction from males to females and vice-versa every hundred years or so. Erland was on the downside of a female cycle; anyway, that's what he called it.
