Chapter Twenty-Four

Det chuckled at that comparison as he ushered her into the house. A dragon in human form certainly described his grandmother to a T.

Det watched Loralie as she took in his family home. He knew House Adain was among the great families of the enclave, and their home looked the part. Fine furnishings had been crafted for this place and chosen by his grandmother, who had impeccable taste. Loralie's wide eyes and admiring glances around the house as he led her toward the dining room made it clear she appreciated the effect. He felt a bit of pride that he could finally bring her to his family home and show her the way he lived—and the generous lifestyle their children would enjoy.

A small part of him hoped that she would like it enough to stay.

Though she had plans that were counter to that, he hoped he could convince her to reevaluate her ideas. He wanted her to stay. To give them another chance. To see how good they could be together. He wanted her to stay for him. And for their children. He wanted her to love him enough to want to try to find a better way to accomplish her goals for the Citadel and then come back to him.

He shook his head as he escorted her into the dining room. He was getting too far ahead of himself. He had only a few precious days—maybe even less than that—to convince her to look for another way. He wasn't sure he could do it. He wasn't sure the love between them was strong enough to make her want to try.

If she wouldn't do it for their children, why would she do it for him? He had even less hold on her heart than they did, judging by past events.

Discouraged, he settled at the table next to her, and they ate quietly for the first few minutes. Belinda bustled around making sure everybody was happy then got herself back to the kitchen to oversee dinner preparations.

At least Belinda wasn't giving Loralie the evil eye, though she was staring at her a bit more than necessary whenever she was in the room. Det supposed the kitchen was rife with gossip about their unexpected guest, but that couldn't be helped. They didn't have a lot of staff in the house, but he thought everyone who did work here was at the least loyal and kind to the children. Det thought they would all give Loralie the benefit of the doubt, though he would be watching carefully to make sure nobody hassled her in any way.

She may not be his wife, but she was the mother of his children, who were both heirs to House Adain. Nobody in this house would disrespect Loralie. If they did, they would answer to him.

Feeling a bit better with a task in sight, he listened to the children chattering to Loralie. Well, Penny was chattering a little in her sweet voice, and Petr just stared at his mother with those big blue eyes of his. He'd really started growing and putting on muscle since Penny had been freed and was no longer even the slightest drain on his energy. The twins had been working with the mages every day to make sure they had complete control over the way they could share their energy between them.

It was a magical bond that seemed to only occur with twins, and even then, it was rare, but one of the elder mages had seen it before and was able to help them. Thank goodness. Petr had been a weak and sickly child and had faced difficulties with the other children in the enclave because of both that and the fact that he was half-human.

But things had been changing since Penny's arrival. Together, the twins were stronger magically than any of their year-mates in the mage school that all children with a magical talent attended during their formative years. Loralie's innate power had bred true in her children. House Adain had never had many mages in the family, so the incredible power the twins would grow into had to have come from their mother's influence.

"Tell me, Loralie, do you plan to stay with us long?" Lady Adain asked the loaded question, jolting Det out of his reverie.

He looked at the children, who were watching their mother with big eyes. How could Loralie not want to stay as long as possible with two such adoring faces gazing up at her?

"I can stay long enough for Gebel to be tried, but then, I have pressing business," Loralie replied.

Det glanced at the twins again, seeing Petr's face crumple. But Penny took his little hand in hers and whispered just loud enough for the adults to hear, though she probably thought she was being quiet.

"Don't worry, Petr. Mommy always comes back. She can't stay all the time, but she always comes back when she can."

Petr seemed to take heart from his sister's words and nodded back at Penny. Det noted that Petr didn't let go of Penny's hand, though.

Loralie looked stricken for the split second she allowed her reaction to show on her face. Det saw it, and he noticed that his grandmother had seen it as well. Lady Adain's eyebrow rose. Yes, she had seen Loralie's reaction and had made note of it.

"I have called a special meeting of the Council later this afternoon," Lady Adain went on. "Detlif will make his proposal that we try Gebel, and we will vote on his petition. I am confident that it will be approved, and we can get on with the trial tomorrow. Luckily, Luc and Shilayla are here and will be traveling back to Valdis Maj in a few days' time. They can carry word to King Alric of what we have done, and King Alric can get word through to Draconia via his guests, so our new allies will know what has occurred here. I believe Gebel has been sought by Draconia for a while now, based on my conversations with Leasharra. I believe King Roland will be pleased to know that the rogue mage has finally been caught."

Leave it to his grandmother to think through all the political angles of this event. Det had given some scant consideration to telling King Alric, but he hadn't thought much beyond that. Which was why it was a good thing his grandmother was still around to lead House Adain. Det needed more time on the Council to train himself to think of all the political contingencies of their actions, though he was better at it now than he had been before. Perhaps he was finally maturing into the leader his grandmother had always hoped he would become.

Still, he was in no hurry to lead House Adain. He was more than content to have his grandmother's wise counsel and leadership for as long as she wished to do so. Considering the longevity of his species, he fully expected her to lead their House for decades to come.

"Now," Lady Adain went on, "I expect you'd like to freshen up after your travels. I have asked that the bedroom across from the children be prepared for you, Loralie. Belinda has probably already organized having your packs delivered there, and Detlif and the twins can show you the way. I have a few things I need to do before the Council meeting, so I will see you in the Council chambers later."

The lady rose and bent to kiss the children before she left the room. Loralie just watched, nodding respectfully as Det's grandmother glided out of the room. Then, Loralie visibly sighed. Det knew how she felt.

"She is a force to be reckoned with," Det murmured to Loralie, enjoying the way she looked at him in surprise then smiled gently.

"That, she is," Loralie agreed.

"I can show you to your room, if you like. And show you where the children sleep. I'm sure you'll want to spend as much time as you can with them while you're here," he went on, reminding himself that she wasn't going to stay.

Still, somewhere in the back of his mind, he hoped she would find a way to return. His job now was to convince her that this life was worth fighting for.

"Thank you, I'd like that, and perhaps have a few minutes to rest and prepare for the Council meeting," she admitted.

They stood, and all four of them trooped into the family wing of the big house. The children chirped happily, each holding one of Loralie's hands as they dragged her along to see their room.

They were young enough to share a room. Being twins who had been separated for so long, yet magically connected, it was important for them to be together. At least for now, while they were still very young. Det suspected that as they grew and became more sure of themselves and their twin bond, they'd want their own spaces, but he'd let them determine when the time was right. This house certainly had enough rooms in it to accommodate them.

The kids drew Loralie into their room and showed off the twin beds that had been placed, one on either side of the room. They each had their own small desks and closets, and a bin with toys and games. A soft rug had been spread on the floor between their beds so they could play quietly in comfort, and a lamp hung high near the door that was kept lit at a low level all night. Belinda or one of the other staff or family members would check on the children and make sure their nightlight never went out, so they would not wake to utter darkness in the middle of the night.

Det's bedroom was next door, and he often peeked in on the children. Having Penny here was still a new blessing to him, and he loved watching his children sleep, safe and sound and protected in his home.

Det watched as they showed their mother all their toys and the drawings they had made that sat on their desks. He noticed how Loralie's eyes sparkled with joy as she took in the comfort of the place he had created for their babies, and she looked at him a few times with tears in her eyes. Happy tears, if he was any judge.

After the children had showed her everything, Det interceded.

"Your mother needs a few minutes to prepare herself for the Council meeting," he reminded the children. "She will be just across the hall, and then, we will be going to the Council together. We'll be home in time for dinner, I don't doubt."

Loralie clearly didn't want to leave the kids, but she went with Det when he ushered her through the door. He left it open so the children could watch him open the door directly across the hallway. He went in to show her around but stayed near the open door. The children watched from their own room.

"I hope you will be comfortable here," he said formally, wanting to say so much more, but knowing this was not the time.

"It's lovely. Thank you," she replied cordially. "I just need a few minutes to refresh my appearance. I want to look my best in front of your Council."

"You look lovely," he said before he could really censor himself. A slight flush came to her cheeks, charming him, but the little eyes watching their every move stopped him from taking Loralie in his arms and showing her just how lovely he thought she looked. "I'll knock on your door when it's time to leave."

"Thank you again," she replied. He went out and smiled at the children. Loralie closed the door behind him with a smile and a wave for the kids.

He went to them after she shut herself away and gathered them into his arms for a big hug. Lifting them both in his arms, he held them close for a long moment. Walking into their room, he lowered them all to sit on the soft carpet in the center of the space, and they cuddled into his sides. He loved that they wanted to be close to him and sought his reassurance. This had to be a scary, puzzling situation for them, as well as a wondrous time of seeing the mother they had been denied for so long.

"Does she have to go away?" Petr asked in a small voice.

"Your mother has a vital duty to the safety of all people," Det said gently. "I will not lie to you. Ever. We just stopped the bad mage who hurt your sister and mother. Justice must be served, and he will be punished. But his master is one of the evil wizards imprisoned in the Citadel, and he is still a threat. Your mother is the hereditary Guardian of the Citadel. Her mother and all her grandmothers, back to the beginning of the Citadel, have been tasked with keeping it safe and keeping those wizards from hurting anyone."

Petr seemed to catch on quickly. He looked at his twin. "Does that mean Penny gets to be the Guardian after Mommy?"

"Yes, Petr," Det replied, hoping that fact wouldn't come between the twins. Det watched his son's reaction carefully.

"Then we have to make sure she's ready to do whatever a Guardian does," Petr said a moment later, his head tilted as he considered the problem. "I'll help you any way I can, Penny," he said directly to his sister. "It seems like a really hard job."

"It is, I guess. At least, it's kept Mommy away and really busy for a long time," Penny admitted with a shrug. "But she says I'll grow into it. Like she did. Thank you for offering to help. I love you, Petr."

"I love you too, Penny," he said.

Det felt tears want to gather behind his eyes, so touched was he by their innocent exchange. How could his children be so good and pure, after all they had been through?

"And I love you both," Det added, squeezing them to his sides. "You are such bright lights in my life." He couldn't say much more around the lump of emotion in his throat.

"After Mommy does whatever she has to do at the Citadel, will she come back?" Petr asked, probing further.

Det felt uncomfortable. He would not lie to his children but wasn't sure what to say. He settled on vague reassurance. "I know she will do her best to come back to you."

They'd have to cross whatever bridge they were presented with when they came to it. He still had time to try to make Loralie come up with a different plan. Between the children and himself, he hoped they would be able to convince her.

"She always comes back," Penny said, laying her head against her father's chest. "It may take a while, but she always comes back."

Det just held his children for a long time, getting up only when he had to, leaving them to play in their room with the door open. They would likely ambush Loralie the moment her door opened across the hall, and he wouldn't deprive them of the pleasure of seeing her, even for a short moment.