"Oh, no." They were going to undress me right there in front of everybody.
"Reah, I don't think there's anybody here who hasn't already seen you naked," Teeg laughed. Yeah, he was on his way to drunkenness.
"Watch, I can do this," Lendill was almost as drunk as Teeg. He waved his hand and all my clothing disappeared. I shrieked.
"Baby, don't you worry," Teeg was nearly slurring his words. "We'll take care a'you." Stellan had already had one drink, Astralan was working on his first, now. I'd mixed up another double batch in a pitcher, and they were already working their way through that.
"Come on," Lendill lifted me onto the table while I was trying to pull the sheet off to cover myself. "Breah-mul, just lie down and relax. We promise not to give the masseuse alcohol until she finishes, all right?"
"No, don't cover that up," the masseuse was about to lay a towel over my buttocks.
"Teeg!" I was trying to pull the sides of the sheet over me.
"No, baby. We've seen it before."
"Not all at once," I hissed.
"Don't upset her." Lok laid the towel over my hips. I sighed with relief as the masseuse started working on my back. About halfway through, the hands changed. Became firmer. More sure.
"You don't know me, little girl, but I was giving massages to the Dragon Warlord a long time ago. I'm Rik, and I'm Kyler's ai yevu," his voice whispered next to my ear.
"Another Falchani I don't have a chance with," I muttered, my face down. I didn't even look up at him. I'd heard of Rik—his healing hands were almost legendary around Lissa's palace. He'd come to her shortly after Gavril had gone missing. Word had it that he could work wonders.
"Just relax, little girl. We won't worry about stupid Falchani men right now. Let's just worry about our little High Demon who needs better care. See, that little neck is full of knots. Now, how many of these men put those knots there and didn't take them away again?" His fingers on my neck were heavenly. Just the right amount of pressure and gentleness. "Look how pretty these shoulders are," Rik soothed. "Who wouldn't want that?" He worked on those. And then my ribs, hips and legs. Then, because I was so relaxed and boneless I couldn't move; he turned me over and worked on my front. I was asleep before it was over.
"Thanks, Rik." Gavril offered to pay, but Rik waved him off. "She's Aurelius'. She's entitled, just because of that. Do you want me to carry her to bed?" Reah was wrapped tightly in the sheet from the massage table.
"We'll take care of that," Gavril said. Rik nodded and disappeared.
"Want to flip for it?" Lendill asked. They'd all sat around drinking while Reah got her massage.
"I think it's my turn," Gavril observed, lifting Reah. Lok and Lendill watched as Gavril carried Reah toward her bed.
"You staying?" Astralan asked Lendill.
"I want to."
"You get the extra bedroom. Stellan and I will bring bedding in and sleep out here." He gestured at the sitting room.
"Good enough," Lendill nodded to the two warlocks.
"We need to find a house for Reah if she's going to stay here—a big one," Stellan said.
"Maybe Gavril and I will work on that tomorrow," Lendill grinned.
"Reah, I want to stay in bed with you all day." Teeg nuzzled my neck. "I never got to bite—I didn't want to give myself away," he murmured against my skin. "I shouldn't do it now—you have to work today. I want to, but it wouldn't be good for you."
"You bite?" Somehow, I hadn't expected that. Aurelius did, but then he'd been a vampire. I had to remind myself that Gavril had been born a vampire. To vampire parents.
"I got the urge around nineteen or twenty, I think. Dee had to show me how to do it properly."
"I don't know what to say." I sat up in bed, rubbing my forehead.
"You're not getting a headache again, are you?" Teeg sat up with me—he was just as naked as I was. Teeg is a beautiful specimen. I couldn't argue about that. I'd always thought him well-put together and muscular. Working construction had made his shoulders every bit as wide as his father's, too.
"Sweetheart, we have time—don't we?" He put his arms around me when I told him I didn't have a headache.
"Teeg."
"Come on, we do. You know we do. Then we'll have a quick breakfast and I'll take you to work. And one day this week, we'll go skiing and take the reptanoids with us."
"Really?" I hadn't done anything fun in so long.
"Yes. I promise. We'll take all eight of them. They love to ski."
"I remember." They did, from their very first time—Farzi, Nenzi and their brothers loved snowboarding, and could do it naturally from the very beginning.
"Come on, sweetheart. Let's make love." Teeg rubbed himself against my thigh suggestively. We did. And he did bite. He didn't take much and the climax was powerful and immediate. I may have fainted for a short while. Teeg was kissing and nuzzling when I woke; told me so many times that he loved me. Said the taste of my blood was powerful and intoxicating. I didn't know what that meant—Aurelius had never said anything, but then Aurelius hadn't bitten me in a while. Not since I'd lost the baby, anyway. In fact, we'd only made love once since then, a few days before.
"Come on, let's have breakfast," I sat up, looking around for my robe or something suitable to wear. I got a shower before making breakfast for everyone, and then dressed quickly. Teeg folded me to the restaurant and kissed me before seeing me through the employee entrance.
Silmor left a note for me on the prep table, asking for the fish stew. Everything was in the keeper already, so I got that started, the stuffed pork roast went into the oven and we started working on the river fish in a creamy citrus sauce. Bread was kneaded and set to rise again—stock was cooked and reduced for the sauce to go over the pork roast. I prepared the rice noodles last of all—Lok would come for those. We worked on the regular menu, too, but much of the prep had already been done for that. When we opened for the midday meal, people were lined up already.
"We have someone asking when you'll serve the ox-roast again," the waitress who'd taken me to Lok's table the first time told me. Her name was Marissa, and she had long, red hair that she tied back while she was working.
"Do you know who it is?" I asked.
"He looks important," she replied.
"I'll go talk to him." Marissa told me which table, so I removed my apron and went out to the dining room. The Governor of the Realm had come, after getting elected for another term.
"Governor, thank you for coming," I nodded respectfully to him.
"You know, there was a time when I thought you were dead to us, Reah." He smiled.
"And I would have agreed with you," I said. "I'll probably serve the ox-roast again next Eight-Day. I think I can fit you in for a reservation if you don't already have one."
"I'll get one," he smiled. "But this pork roast is just as good. The sauce is excellent."
"Thank you, Governor. Is there anything I can get for you? I think we have a bottle or two of Sun Vineyard Red in the kitchen." Sun Vineyard Red was an expensive wine that we served to special guests.
"I'd like that," he nodded.
"With my compliments," I smiled at him and asked his waiter to bring it out.
"I don't suppose I could hire you to work for me again?"
"Sir, I have other interests at the moment, so one day a week is what I can manage. If that changes, I'll be sure to let you know."
"Please do so. Have you met my wife and daughter?" I hadn't, so I smiled as the Governor introduced them. The waiter brought out the wine; I poured it for the Governor and his wife.
"I'll bring something special for you," I told his daughter, who was in her early teens and not old enough to have wine. I went to the kitchen and put a citrus fruit drink together for her and brought it out in a tall glass.
"Mother, this is really good," the girl took a sip and handed the glass to her mother.
"It is," she said. "What's in it?" I described what I'd put in it. It was very close to the rum drink I'd served the night before, without the alcohol.
"Don't forget to contact me if you become available," the Governor reminded me as I said good-bye and returned to the kitchen.
"That was the Governor of the Realm? I didn't recognize him without his formal robes," Marissa whispered.
"That's him," I sighed. I don't think I could ever work in his kitchen again without remembering Master Cook Vyn. Those weren't good memories. I turned back to preparing meals. It wasn't until about a click before closing that Marissa was back, telling me that another table wanted to speak to me. I went out again and got quite a shock. Fes, Aldah and Addah were there. They'd ordered several items off the menu, including the fish stew.
"Did you cancel your engagement with the King of Karathia?" Aldah sneered as I stopped beside their table, my heart thumping in my chest. I tried to breathe through my fear—they shouldn't be able to hurt me.
"No, Wylend and I are still engaged," I said. "He doesn't control every bit of my time and I still enjoy cooking."
"This fish stew is suspiciously similar to what we serve," Addah threw in. Did he think to threaten me? I'd designed the recipe to begin with, and Ilvan and Edan would likely support my claim now.
"Yet it is not the same." It wasn't, I'd added a few things and perfected it. Desh's couldn't lay claim to what I'd done. Where was the family I should have had? There sat my paternal grandfather, accusing me of stealing his recipes, when they'd never been his from the beginning. "Grandfather," I sighed, staring at Addah, "your customers will always come to Desh's. The food is exceptional and you always have a fine wine list and the best in décor and staff. Did you come here solely to make me miserable? Is that what you did? Because I can assure you, there is no need."
