Page 24 of The Lamb and the Llama
Amira’s face registered shock, revealing she did not, in fact, know.
Luckily, the others didn’t seem to notice as Lear piped up, “Not sure that name fits the grump, but he is a great matchmaker for sure. Harriet is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
“Yeah, yeah, and Erika’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,” Quinn added. “Can we stop laying on the factor fifty and show these two where they’re staying?”
Lear nodded. “We’ll give them the guest house. Since they’re Stan’s latest love success, I don’t think any of us want rooms nearby. We need our sleep.”
Amira’s cheeks flushed. Lear gestured for them to follow him, but as they walked, he started to look at her curiously. “Did anyone ever tell you that you look like you could be from Skyros?”
“I think my mother had roots from this area of the world, but she never really talked about it.” Amira shrugged.
“What was her maiden name?” Lear asked.
“Barclay. She was Christine Barclay.”
Lear’s brows shot up his forehead. “My Great Uncle Alexander was married to a Christine Barclay! That can’t be a coincidence! That would make us all cousins if it’s the same Christine Barclay!”
Quinn’s brows now shot up his forehead. “This is so strange, but if we are family, it would make a whole lot of sense.”
“Why?” Amira asked.
“Because Zagan targets royalty,” Richard said, tightening his arm around her.
“I’m not really royalty!” Amira objected. “Just maybe a distant cousin from what mom and dad told me growing up. What was it you said, Quinn? A spare to the heir? I’m no big deal.”
“You’re royal enough for Zagan to target you. Us.” Quinn offered her a sad smile.
Lear escorted them as far as the back door. “I’ll let Quinn show you to the house. Take your time to freshen up, and we’ll see you for dinner in the main dining room at six. And it’s a working dinner, so wear your blacks.”
Quinn led Richard and Amira down the driveway that wrapped around the back of the palace. The guest house wasn’t, by any stretch of the means, modest. It looked like a mini-mansion next to the palace, sure, but it was huge compared to Amira’s apartment.
“Welcome to your new digs for the next week.”
“This is amazing! It’s so big. I think five of my studios could fit in this foyer alone.”
“Well, we are on palace grounds, Amira, and if I were you, I’d get used to the digs. Since we are pretty certain we’re related, you’ll be here every year for SHIT.”
“Really?”
“Yup. It’s like a family reunion. Unless, of course, you decide you want to make living here permanent. I’m sure BS would be happy to have another FUC join their ranks.”
* * *
The words Quinn said to Amira stung Richard. He never thought he’d lose her to a job offer in Greece. This was just supposed to be a side hustle until the two of them were back at WANC. That was how he wanted it. She should be safe and sound and in his arms whenever they got the chance to be together.
Richard shifted from one foot to the other. Why would Stan put them together, only to make him mourn losing her if she moved to Greece? None of this made any sense. But this was her life, and he had no business asking her to stay with him. If she wanted to move to Greece, he wouldn’t stop her.
Still, all of this information made him sad. How could he give her up? She was his mate, and he’d already imprinted on her—well, his heart had at least. That was what llamas did with the ones they loved. They imprinted on them to protect them from predators like Zagan.
He loved her. She was his—there was no denying it. But if she thought differently, then he’d just have to accept it. Until then, he was going to take advantage of the time they had together, and he’d start by drawing her a bath after Quinn left them alone.
“Well, I’ll leave you both to it. See you in a few hours,” Quinn said as he closed the door behind him.
Richard turned to Amira, who was wandering around the place with an awestruck look on her face.
“I just can’t get over how big this place is!”
“Yeah, it is pretty big, and I can’t even imagine cleaning it.”
