Zemma looked up, a desperate hope in her eyes. Baralt sighed.
“I suspect I will regret this, but yes, of course she can come.”
“I have to send a message.” Zemma jumped up and rushed out of the room.
“You are a devious female, my aria,” Baralt said sternly, but his eyes smiled.
“Don’t you want your sister to be happy?”
“Of course I do. I’m just not sure that this is the path to happiness.”
“Everyone has to find that for themselves.” Izzie looked up to see Varga nodding at her words, a distant look on his face. Was he happy? she wondered. She and Baralt had found happiness with each other. Perhaps the big warrior needed a mate as well.
“This is quite some place you have here,” Varga said to Baralt much later that evening.
Isabel had gone to bed long ago, and the two of them were sitting on the balcony outside the bathing room, passing back and forth the bottle of Aldarian whiskey that Varga had brought. Varga had a sarlag fur wrapped around his shoulders, but he didn’t seem bothered by the cold.
“It is,” Baralt agreed. “I honestly never thought I missed it, but now that I’m here…”
“You don’t want to leave?”
“No. Although, we may be doing just that in the future. Njkall has started talking about diplomatic missions and hinted that I would be perfect for the job.”
“You? Because you’re known for your diplomacy?” Varga snorted.
“Because I have the most experience with life outside of Hothrest. Actually, I’m the only one with experience off world. And I suspect he thinks that having a human mate might be helpful now that the new Emperor has also taken a human mate.”
“Do you enjoy being mated?”
“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said sincerely. He still couldn’t believe that he had been so blessed. “Why?”
“I never thought I would want to be tied down. An occasional female in my bed and I was content. But seeing the two of you together, I wonder…”
“When you find your mate, you will not wonder. You will only regret that you did not meet her sooner.”
“You sound very sure.”
“I am sure. Will you stay with us for a while? Perhaps you will meet someone here.”
Varga shrugged. “A few days, perhaps.”
“Where will you go?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“You were so successful with your previous ‘accident,’ I wondered if you would like to try another.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“There is a Derian ship that needs to vanish from this universe,” he said grimly.
Varga grinned fiercely. “Tell me more.”
They finished the bottle as they made their plans, then Baralt rose to his feet, stumbling a little. “It ish time to mate my join.”
“What?”
“I mean, join my mate.”
Varga laughed and stood, equally unsteady. “And I will go to my lonely bed.”
Baralt showed him to a bedroom, then went to his quarters, wincing when he stumbled over a chair that he was sure was not usually there.
“Baralt? Is something wrong?” Isabel asked sleepily.
“No, my aria. The chair moved.”
“What?” She blinked up at him, then wrinkled her nose when he climbed into bed. “I see you and Varga have been enjoying yourselves.”
“He wants a mate,” he said sadly. “He is not as happy as I am.”
“I’m glad you’re happy now. I suspect you won’t be too happy in the morning.” She snuggled into his arms.
“Always happy with you.”
“I feel the same way. Love you, Baralt.”
“Love you too, my mate.”
And he fell asleep, smiling.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Izzie pushed the chair closer to the window, then nodded in satisfaction. The house Baralt had purchased in Port Eyeja was beginning to feel like a home, although she missed the caves more than she had expected. It was nice to have the option of returning whenever they wanted.
Varga had not remained long, anxious to get started on some mysterious business venture. When they had accompanied him back to town, they remained there to choose a house. She had been shocked when Baralt had picked out a massive stone house surrounded by a wall, but he had been so convinced that it was the safest option for her that she had agreed to his choice. She had been working ever since to soften the harsh lines and she smiled as she fluffed a pink cushion, the same color as the moss in the caves.
“Isabel?” Baralt’s familiar voice called from the bottom of the stairs, and she answered him eagerly, already anxious to see her mate even though he’d only been gone for the morning.
“How does it look?” she asked when he appeared in the doorway.
“Beautiful.” But he was looking at her rather than the room.
“I meant the furniture.”
“I’m sure it is very nice.” He advanced on her, his eyes burning with that familiar heat. “But I’m far more interested in you. I missed you.”
“You weren’t gone that long,” she teased before he picked her up and kissed her breathless. “I missed you too,” she admitted when he finally raised his head.
“Where’s Zemma?” he asked.
“Where do you think?” Since they’d moved to town, Zemma and Strax had been inseparable. Izzie had been shocked to realize that Strax was a huge bull-like alien with a startling resemblance to a minotaur, but he was quiet and polite and obviously deeply in love with Zemma.
Baralt frowned. “I’m still not sure I approve.”
“You can hardly object to a non-Hothian mate when you have one.”
“It’s not that. I’m just not sure that he is worthy of her.”
“Would you think anyone was worthy?”
He shrugged a shoulder but didn’t respond, and she hastily changed the subject. “How was the meeting?”
“Dull. Why do so many people like to hear themselves speak?”
He had been meeting with various trade groups to discuss prospects for trade other than sothiti, but so far nothing had seemed promising.
“Maybe we can find something more interesting to do…”
“Exactly what I had in mind.” He lifted her into his arms, but instead of taking her into the bedroom as she expected, he carried her to
