Pixilated (27 page)

Twisting one of his blessing braids around
her finger Kayseri formed a new question. "Is there anything they
don't teach you at your temple?"

Kree pretended to consider it, raised his
head, and kissed her nose. "Nothing comes to mind. Anything else
you want to know?"

Kayseri studied his beloved face for a
moment, leaned over, and pressed a kiss to his eyebrow. "Where did
you get this scar?"

"In a tavern brawl when I was—" His eyes cut
to the right. "Fifteen."

"And this one?"

"A lesson in humility courtesy of Chana
Falconer."

"This?" Kayseri kissed the slight bump on
the bridge of his nose.

"I got that one when your father broke my
nose."

Kayseri levered herself up enough to see his
expression. "My father broke your nose?"

Kree smiled at her, sleepy eyed. Her heart
melted. "I deserved it."

"Were all your scars inflicted by your
friends?"

"I will have you know I have taken nine—no
ten, counting this trip, honorable wounds. But if you want to see
those scars you will have to look—" Kree cut his eyes evocatively.
"Lower."

Kayseri’s erotic kiss-and-tell exploration
of her husband's body continued until his answers came in gasps of
pleasure, and he was hard with desire. She took him into her mouth
doing for him as he had done for her before she straddled his hips
taking him inside her. She marveled at the way her body stretched
to accommodate his. This was true magic. Resting his hands on her
hips, Kree helped her find a rhythm that soon brought them both to
a shattering climax. Sweaty and tangled in the sheets, she rested
her head on Kree’s chest. "Did my father really break your
nose?"

His heart hammered under her ear. "Uh huh."
His voice was heavy, satisfied, sleepy. "He probably will
again."

Chapter Twenty-one

Their banding breakfast took place the
following morning. A king’s ransom in crystal, gold, and silver
tableware filled long tables arranged under the tall trees. Kree
and Kayseri sat at the high table alongside Rian and Sandahl.
Although this was technically the First couple’s banding breakfast
the captain and his lady were the couple honored.

The guests were in high spirits, and the
jokes and well wishes flew. Everything was perfect except for the
empty place at Kree's left reserved for his first lieutenant.
Tardiness was not part of Duncan's make up. Then again, his man had
been uncharacteristically sozzled last night. Likely, he had a
tremendous head this morning. Kree had just leaned in to ask Rian
to send someone in search of the first lieutenant, when a chorus of
whistles and applause erupted from the elves and from Red Fist.
Duncan approached the high table resplendent in a Nhurstari tunic
and hose of deep sapphire. The cloak woven of spider web fine blue
silk fastened at his shoulders by gold oak leaves. Some sort of
intricate sepia tattoo encircled his right biceps.

"Oh look, Kree!" Kayseri squeezed his arm
urgently. "Isn't Duncan beautiful?"

She said it as if she had only just noticed.
Maybe she had. Kree covered her hand with his, and leaned toward
Rian. "You said he’d be safe."

"I said my cousins would not ill-use him,"
Rian laughed.

There was an odd bit of Nhurstari logic.
Kree decided to measure Duncan’s discomfort before becoming angry
on his behalf. "You’re out of uniform, First Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir." Duncan took his place beside his
captain going a bit greener as the servants pile his plate with
food. "The terrible twins took my uniform...t-to
play
with.
Pray, take them into your service, sir. I crave requital." Duncan
shot a hopeful glance at Kree. "I have spare uniform in my tent,
sir."

"You do look a little tattered around the
edges, Shug." Kree grinned. He could not help himself. "Are you
unwell?"

Duncan eyed his plate. "There is an
excellent chance I may cast up my accounts at any moment, sir."

"Would you like to be excused?"

"Not if my absence causes us to lose face
with the Nhurstari, sir?"

Kree chuckled. The man was funny in
unexpected ways. "Not nearly as badly as we will if my first
lieutenant punks on their Majority."

Duncan slowly got to his feet. "Then I am in
your debt, sir."

"Duncan," Kree called after him. "Have the
cadets start folding tents. I want to move out as soon as we’re
done here."

"I will give the order to strike tents at
once, sir." Good-natured hisses catcalls protested Duncan's
departure.

The captain and his lady took their leave
shortly after noon, a good deal later than Kree had hoped. The
twins persuaded him that their lives were worth nothing if they
could not be cavalrymen. Kayseri and Sandahl’s goodbyes were longer
and soggier than Kree expected. He finally pried the weeping girls
apart by promising to visit. Stepping outside, he found Garen
mounted on Katie's mare. Garen carried a letter from the Majority
Apparent to the Thallasi apprizing them of Sandahl's safe arrival
and expressing Nhurstari’s grief over Prince Eldren’s death. Kree
said nothing of this arrangement. Kayseri must have offered the elf
her mare, and Kree did not mind the idea of sharing his saddle with
his new wife in the least. There was another short delay while
Duncan instructed the twins in basic horsemanship. It was a total
failure. Finally, Kree appointed a cadet to lead them, declaring
they could learn as they rode.

"This is going to be so much fun, sir."
Duncan muttered to Kree as he made his way to his own spotted
gelding.

They rode slowly due to the twins' general
ineptitude. Garen, however, proved a surprisingly strong horseman.
Kree dropped back to ride beside him.

"I understood Nhurstari didn’t ride."

Garen gave him a bright toothy smile. "The
Houses do not sin they can access the ways, but I was not born a
Lord of Nhurstari."

"How does that happen, if you don’t mind my
asking?"

"Not at all, Rian and I have the same
mother. My sire was a gardener on my grandsire’s estate. Mother saw
him and loved him. It happens that way with us more often than not.
Anyway, Mother was of the First House and my sire was—not." Garen
glanced at Kree riding at his shoulder. "The mate bond cares
nothing for station, but of course Mother’s family did. So the
lovers met in secret stealing moments together among the trees and
flowers my sire caused to grow. That’s my talent too, growing
things. I hope you both enjoyed my roses. Anyway, this arrangement
worked well enough until Mother conceived, then of course, they
could not conceal their relationship. Mother’s parents sent my sire
to one of their outlying farms, and they sent me to live with him
once I was born.

"My sire died in an accident some years
later. Now, Rian’s father had loved my mother from their youth. In
due time, he offered for her hand and she accepted him. He was—he
is the kindest of elves. For a bride gift, he restored me to my
mother and reared me as his own. Even after Rian’s birth, his
affection for me never wavered. And I—I became the champion of my
beloved legitimate brother."

Kayseri sighed and leaned her head on the
captain’s shoulder. "That’s so romantic."

"But I thought Wilderkin mated for life,"
Kree said.

"Ah. You are thinking of the mate bond which
is a once in a lifetime pairing." Garen’s gaze touched Kayseri’s
face and lingered for a moment. "But its loss does not render us
unable to love in ordinary ways. Imagine the bitterness of a
lifetime stretching for millennia with only a single chance at
love. If it were so, many of us would not wish to continue long
after losing our bonded mate."

***

Kree reined in before the Bruin cabin hidden
deep in the pixie woods. Eager to tell her news, Kayseri slid from
her mare’s back and dashed inside shouting for her mother. The
captain dismounted slowly, followed by Garen.

Seated on a stump by the front door Lathan
greeted Kree "My daughter returns home none the worse for wear it
seems. What took you so long?"

"Things happened I didn’t plan on." Kree
cleared his throat. He was ridiculously nervous. "We need to
talk."

"I surmised as much." Lathan nodded toward
Garen. "What is this stranger you’ve brought to my door?"

"He’s a Nhurstari elf. There is a mountain
range full of them only an eight-day ride north of here. Who'd
believe it?"

"Who is he?"

The captain blushed. "Your pardon, Lathan,
meet Garen Nhurstari. Garen is here as an envoy from Rian, Majority
Apparent of Nhurstari. I’ll explain all that later. Garen, this is
Lathan Bruin. Lathan is our god-worker and Katie’s father."

"It is a pleasure, Mister Bruin." Garen
offered his hand after the human fashion.

Lathan eyed the elf's outstretched hand.
"We’ll see."

Kayseri burst from the house carrying an
infant in her arms. Her five brothers tumbled out on her heels. She
introduced the baby to Garen while the younger Bruins crowded
around him. Strangers did not visit their home often, and this
stranger was stranger than most. They all wanted to talk to
him.

Kree took advantage of the distraction.
"Come aside with me will you, Lath?" After they had walked a few
yards into the surround woods, he cleared his throat. "Lathan, you
know you mean more to me than any man—

"Sweet lord." Lathan interrupted. "When you
rode up, your expression told me you had something appalling to
say. You’ve never been good at hiding your feelings, but I never
imagined anything horrific enough it needed to be prefaced with
that." He glanced back at Garen. "That creature—what did you say he
was? Nhurstari? He is in love with my daughter. Anyone can see it.
Have they put you up to persuading me to give my consent to a total
stranger?"

"No. Lath. Just let me get this out without
interrupting, will you?" A note of desperation had crept into
Kree's voice he hoped Lathan didn’t notice.

Lathan folded his arms across his chest
while Kree stared at the toes of his boots. "Come on, Kree. As you
are fond of saying, we’ve known each other too long to piss
about."

Kree took a deep breath. "All right. Here it
is. Garen is in love with Katie, but she is not in love with him.
For some crazy reason, she loves me and well, Lathan, it turns out
I love her too."

"Are you asking permission to court my
daughter?" Lathan replied with a doubtful little chuckle.

"No. I’m telling you I married Katie in a
Nhurstari ceremony eight days ago. I’m just not doing a very good
job of it."

Lathan stared at him, opening, and closing
his mouth like a beached fish.

"You need to understand this was nothing I
set out to do. I know I’ll die in battle someday, and I don’t want
Katie left alone and broken-hearted any more than you do. But then
I met Garen. Do you see?" Kree nodded toward the elf. "Suppose for
a minute, I am killed. He'll be there for her. Or, let’s say I live
to the end of my days. What's fifty years or so more years to the
likes of him, a blink of the eye? I’ve been a fool for Katie since
she was a girl. Is it so surprising I might be a bigger fool for
her now she’s a woman grown?" He stared at his friend, distress
rolling off him in waves. "Say something, Lathan. Punch me in the
nose. Anything!"

The subject of Kree's confession chose that
very moment to join them, leaving Garen to the mercy of her
brothers and a growing crowd of curious pixies. Kayseri took Kree's
hand lacing her fingers with his, a gesture at once possessive and
loving. She studied her father’s stunned countenance, and then
gazed up at the captain with her heart in her eyes.

"You told him?"

Kree nodded.

"Is he going to break your nose?"

"It’s too soon to tell."

Kayseri fixed her gazed on her father. "I
told him you think him the best man of your acquaintance. I told
him you’ll be happy for us, but he does not believe me. He thinks
he's too old for me. I can't imagine why. Tell him age doesn't
matter. It didn't matter to you and mother. Can't you see how
anxious he is? He has no sparkle at all."

Her reference to the Wilderkin mating-bond
snapped Lathan out of his stupor. He started to chuckle and then to
laugh. "So you caught your captain as you always claimed you
would!" He laughed again. "I will not pretend this will be an easy
adjustment—thinking of Kree as my son, but you look happy daughter
and that’s all I ever wanted. Where will the two of you live?"

"I hadn’t thought much about it." Kree
shrugged. "I still have a town house."

"I won’t live in that house," Kayseri
said.

Kree was surprised. It was a very pretty
house. "Why not?"

She looked up at him. "Because you hate that
house. It is full of bad memories for you. I want us to make new
memories. Good ones."

"All right, what are your thoughts,
wife?"

"The officers’ quarters will do for us." She
caught her lower lip between her teeth for a moment. "I do wish we
could have a parlor and our own dining room."

"You see why I love her, Lath? She’s smart
and low maintenance." Kree hugged Kayseri to his side. "I can
manage a parlor and a dining room. Go rescue Garen while I finish
my business with your papa."

"If anyone can tame my wild headstrong
daughter, you’d be the man, Lathan said as they watched Kayseri
sprint toward the house.

"Tame her? Why would I want to? I love her
the way she is. I don’t her to change."

Lathan laughed. "No, I guess you don’t.
You've always loved a good brawl. I’ve never met a more stubborn
man in my life. But let me warn you, my daughter is just as
stubborn. Only she’s sly where you are high-handed. This is a great
match. If you don’t murder each other inside a year, you should
both be very happy. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it
myself."