Page 10 of Gairo

* * *

When I gotto the massive grand hall, there was a parade waiting for me. There were cheering groups of people. The noise was overwhelming, and I had to wave at too many people. Finally, Magdorian let us into a big palace and into a suite of rooms where we could wash up. He told us all, “A feast has been prepared. We have some people to get the females ready. I want a private talk with my brother.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Vi,” Rathgar reassured me.

Magdorian got me into a separate room. “I thought you were dead. I’m the second born from our father. Until I heard from Zyloxia about you running around with a surrogate, I thought that you were dead.”

“I didn’t know that you were looking for me. When I woke up with amnesia, I didn’t know anything about myself.”

“Let me get you up to speed on our family history.” He took a textbook off the shelf. It was hardbound, not a digital one at all. “It has the family’s story in it.”

It was heavy and looked like a dusty tome. “You expect me to read that?”

“Not all at once, but you can keep it in your chambers.”

PRESENTATION

VERONICA

“Idon’t want the bathing chamber to be closed to me. I promised to look after Vi.”

The servants looked at each other, but they got the picture. Even though Rathgar wasn’t my heart-mate, he probably had already talked to Gairo about my pregnancy. These alpha males were overprotective. A group of the servants got me pretty without saying much to me. There were robes for me to wear that were nothing like what I had in the human colony.

When we were done, one of the servants went to Rathgar to say that I was ready to attend the feast.

“Where’s Gairo?” I asked a servant. Rathgar noticed that the servants weren’t speaking to me.

“Answer her,” growled Rathgar.

“Gairo is there with his brother and fiancée.”

“Hell no,” said Vi. “Show me to the way to the feast.”

Rathgar chuckled, but he got the servants to get us to the feast. Gairo was seated at the high table, but he got to his feet and extracted himself from Zyloxia and Magdorian. “You can sit next to me. I’ll get Zyloxia to move.”

I walked with him to his seat. Zyloxia had her chin up, and she didn’t look like she was going to move. “I need you to move.”

“I don’t want to.” Zyloxia didn’t look like she’d budge an inch.

“You’ll move for my heart-mate,” snarled Gairo. Whispers broke out around us, but Zyloxia finally moved. Rathgar sat at the seat next to the chair that Zyloxia vacated. Another chair was called for by Magdorian, who seemed amused. We finally got to eat, which was great because I was pregnant, and I noticed how many people looked at me. When I finished eating, I was one of the last to do so. Magdorian got to his feet.

“I have a toast,” said Magdorian. “To Tyrlyn’s return!”

A roar broke out, and I saw a bunch of cups raised in the air. They were really glad that Gairo had come back. What role did I fit into here?

GAS CANISTER

GAIRO

At dinner, I kept a hand on Vi at all times. Rathgar got my silent signals. We had talked about it before we left, where I had shared Vi’s suspicions about my brother. Magdorian did a visual presentation of us as young children with our parents, but even the clues to my past couldn’t enrapture me in a way that it would have before my surrogate came. The hairs on the back of my neck told me there was something wrong. The photos clearly had not been edited, but there was danger here.

At the end of the dinner, some of the servants tried to take my heart-mate to a different room. I growled and pulled her close to me. “I want to go to my chambers.”

They froze for a moment, and then they bowed to me. “As our prince wishes.”

Magdorian had told me that my chambers were the same as they were before I got lost, but I felt no ties to the room. I wanted to go back to my normal life. Once I got to Rathgar, I’d make plans to take our ship back.

“Baby, are you okay?” She was a little cranky while pregnant.

---