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It was unnecessary, and Annani had agreed only because her daughters had insisted and seemed to have great fun preparing the room for the gods' visit. Annani would have preferred to leave the room as it was and accept the gods sitting on the couch, as she usually did when meeting with her clan members.
Her grandeur came from the inside—the power, the radiance, the regal bearing. She did not need external symbols of power.
Kian waited until she was done arranging the folds of her gown to her liking. "I would appreciate it if you did not mention your royal blood to your guests. They already know that you glow, so they know that you have some royal blood in you, but I don't want them to know that you are the Eternal King's heir. Not yet, anyway." He turned to the assembled company, which mainly consisted of his family and Guardians. "The same goes for you."
Annani regarded her son with a smile. "How am I supposed to become the heart of the resistance if they do not know I exist?"
"Did you change your mind about getting involved?" Kian put his foot on the coffee table and leaned his elbow on his knee. "I was very happy with your prior reluctance to become the resistance's alternative to the Eternal King. I think it was a wise decision. I want to keep your identity a secret for as long as possible. You know what will happen the moment your grandfather learns of your existence. It's not just your life on the line. It's the life of everyone on the planet."
"I know, my darling son." She leaned and cupped his cheek. "I have not decided anything yet. Let us play it by ear, shall we?"
Kian was about to respond when the doorbell rang twice, the signal he'd agreed on with Anandur, announcing that he had the guest gods with him.
Annani waved her hand, and Ogidu walked over to the door. Oshidu and Sari's and Alena's butlers stayed by her side. As a precaution, they had temporarily returned command of their Odus to Annani.
Ogidu opened the door and bowed. "Good evening, masters and mistress. The Clan Mother is awaiting your arrival. Please, come in." He moved aside and bowed again with his arm extended toward her.
"Thank you," she heard one of the gods say, and liked that he was polite toward the Odu.
As the three gods entered the room with a lovely young lady who she assumed was Gabriella, there was an intake of breath, and all four sets of eyes widened in unison. The gods dropped to their knees a split second later and lowered their foreheads to the floor. Following their example, Gabriella did the same, which was quite a feat with her tight evening dress.
"Your Majesty," the gods said in chorus.
Evidently the charade had worked, and her guests were impressed with her makeshift throne. A bit too impressed for the gods, though. Annani had expected the former human to react with awe to a glowing figure of otherworldly beauty. Still, gods should have been more reserved in their show of deference.
A simple bow would have sufficed.
"Please rise. It is permitted to gaze upon my face."
Their leader lifted his head but stayed on his knees, and a few heartbeats later, his companions did the same.
"Your Highness is a miracle," he whispered. "I had no idea." He dropped his forehead to the floor again, and his companions followed his example.
"Oh, enough of that." Annani rose to her feet and took Kian's offered hand to climb down from the coffee table. "Please, get up. I will not smite you with a blast of my power or any other means you fear."
"We do not bow out of fear." Aru lifted his head but kept his eyes downcast. "We revere the legitimate heir to the Eternal King's throne."
Kian
Kian's breath caught in his throat. How did they guess it so quickly? According to his mother, she had inherited much of her father's personality but not his looks. She claimed she looked a lot like her mother.
Motioning for him to stay where he was, Annani approached Aru and put a hand on his shoulder. "How did you know?"
Damn. Kian closed his eyes. She should have laughed it off, denied it, put doubt in their minds. Confirming their suspicions was the last thing she should have done.
The god tilted his head to look at her face and forced a polite smile. "Your Highness is the spitting image of her grandmother, the Eternal King's mate, and the only one whose descendants are considered legitimate heirs."
How could they know whether Annani was Ahn's daughter from his official wife or a concubine?
They were making assumptions, which happened to be accurate. Still, Kian hoped his mother realized she could lie about it if she decided not to get involved and use this as her exit card.
The only one who could attest to Annani's legitimacy was Toven.
Casting a quick look at the god, Kian offered a slight shake of his head. Toven nodded just as inconspicuously, indicating that he understood the wordless communication.
Annani smiled at Aru. "I might be the spitting image of my fraternal grandmother, but that does not necessarily make me a legitimate heir. I could be the daughter of a concubine or a paramour and not my father's official wife."
Annani was so petite that she was at eye level with Aru even though he was on his knees. The Odus and the Guardians were ready to jump in if needed, and so was Kian, but he had a feeling that his mother had things under control, and he was glad she had put doubt in the gods' minds.
