Dangerously Mine (18 page)

Epilogue

Eva sat cross-legged on a blanket that covered the sandy ground next to the training field. Her eyes fluttered closed as she tilted her head up toward the bright suns, welcoming the rays on the tattoo that circled around her right eye. Taio had explained that the heat generated from the suns’ rays would help to dry and heal the elaborate tattoos that she now possessed. Having undergone the enlightenment ceremony a couple of weeks beforehand, the two intricate designs of
varitizars
were healing nicely, although the skin underneath the tattoos itched something fierce. Later, when she found some time to herself, she planned to lie naked in the private royal gardens to expose the bottom part of the designs that covered her torso, chest and neck to the suns’ rays.

A cry from the training field jolted her back to the present.

“That’s the one I have my eye on,” Lo’Ren said. She was sitting next to Eva watching the guards train. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Eva followed Lo’Ren’s line of vision to one of Taio’s new royal guards. “What about Ankon?”

Lo’Ren snorted. “Who says I can’t have my eyes on both of them?”

Eva laughed, making the child sleeping soundly next to her shift on the blanket. She hadn’t dared sit close enough to the field that she or her son, Josanis, could be injured. Even though the guards on the field would as soon cut off their arms than to cause harm to Josanis, she didn’t want to hear Taio’s mouth regarding all of the possible dangers that the training field held and all the many ways Josanis could be injured.

At the thought of her and Taio’s two-year-old son, Eva reached over and rested a hand on his back, feeling his soft, rhythmic breathing. Eva didn’t worry at all about the suns’ rays damaging his skin as it had done hers years ago, the sun-protective clothing he wore would prevent that from happening. She smoothed a lock of raven-black hair away from his forehead and curled it around his ear. Lying at his side was a much smaller version of a
jango
that Taio had specially made for his first-born son. The stubborn child carried it everywhere he went, insisting that it stay at his side, even in sleep.

Josanis had been the first interspecies union, but he would not be the last. It was amazing to find out that humans could be the welcomed solution to the Drazlan and Sonis breeding problem. Taio had brought more human women of childbearing age to live and settle on both Sonis and Drazlan.

Taio and his father had bought human females from slave traders and even paid the women handsomely to settle on Sonis and Drazlan. The women had all been happy enough to be granted freedom. But they gained much more, a place to call home, shelter and the possibility to find their own protectors and raise families. Eva was more than happy to be tasked with the job of making sure that all their needs had been met, that the women assimilated into their new culture with ease and that the people of Drazlan and Sonis also understood their new inhabitants.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a purplish-haze obstructed her view of the training field. The first time she had seen the unfamiliar haze, she had thought her eyes had failed her. Why else could she see a disturbance that had the same look of purple-heat waves moving throughout the palace and not anyone else? When she had asked Taio and Lo’Ren about the visual disturbance, they had all denied that they could see anything. As it turned out, her human eyes could detect the entity while other species could not.

“Hello, Ship,” she said. “This must be real important if you are out and about.”

“Hi, Ship,” Lo’Ren said, taking her cue from Eva.

Although Ship thrived and preferred to travel through electrical currents, it wasn’t necessary to do so. As long as he didn’t stay away from electrical currents for great lengths of time, he would survive. Now that she knew what to look for, Eva always caught him traveling inconspicuously throughout the palace.

“Yes, it is very important. But if you do not appreciate that I am exposing myself to the elements, then I will go back inside the palace walls.”

“Don’t be so temperamental. I was being sarcastic. I do appreciate that you’ve come outside and risked fresh air to talk with me.”

Eva held back her smile in hopes Ship didn’t catch that she was being sarcastic yet again.

“Thank you for your concern,” Ship replied. She smiled then. He hadn’t caught on to it. “When are you going to tell Taio about your pregnancy?”

Eva and Lo’Ren gasped in unison. Eva’s hand went to rest on her stomach. “How did you know? I haven’t even told the healers yet.”

Lo’Ren scrunched her face. “Or me.”

“The same way I knew the first time. I can see the other energy…life force within your abdomen. Although small, it is there,” Ship replied.

Eva sighed. “I’m sorry.” She grabbed Lo’Ren’s hand and gave it a small squeeze. “I wanted to wait until after the enlightenment ceremony to tell Taio. And then I kept thinking that I could receive news about Ally any day.”

“That is no reason to deceive your mate, Eva.”

“I know. But Ship, what if we do get word about her? Taio would never let me go while I’m pregnant.”

“You are correct. But you still mustn’t deceive him.”

Eva huffed. “Okay, I’ll tell him. I guess I’ve been putting it off longer than I should have.”

“You won’t have to go far, he is on his way to you,” Ship said.

Eva looked up to see Taio walking toward her in the distance and Ship floating back to the palace before finally disappearing. Taio moved with such predatory grace.
That’s my man.
Eva moaned under her breath.

Lo’Ren rolled her eyes. “It’s a wonder that you don’t
stay
pregnant.” Lo’Ren gathered Josanis in her arms. He whimpered in his sleep and she placed a light kiss on his forehead. “I’ll take Josanis inside so that you both can have privacy.”

“Thanks, Lo.”

“Don’t mention it. And I really mean it this time, don’t mention it.
Disgusting
.” She stuck out her tongue.

Eva laughed as Lo’Ren and Josanis left. Lo’Ren stopped to let Taio kiss his son before she continued to the palace.

“Taking a break?” Eva asked as he reached her.

Taio settled next to her on the ground. “I thought I would spend time with my family for a while. But I see Lo’Ren has stolen one member away.”

Eva beamed from ear to ear and leaned on him.
Family
.

“You know, we never had a conversation about how large we want our family to be.”

He tilted his head to the side. “I never imagined I would have ever had a choice in the matter.”

He began to run his hand through her hair, playing and twisting it through his fingers.

“So…”

“So what?” he asked.

“How many children do you want?”

“Eva, I thought having one child was unattainable. I would be happy with whatever number the Ancients bless us with.”

The fingers that he had twirling through her hair suddenly stopped. “Eva? Are you…”

She looked up to him sheepishly. “Yes.”

He crushed her body to his. He buried his face in her hair and sniffled. “Royal guards do not cry.”

She smiled as her eyes misted over. “But I can.”

Taio rolled over on her, pressing her back onto the blanket. “If you weren’t my queen, I’d take you right here,” he whispered into her ear.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him. “I’ll be your concubine any day.”

About A.M. Griffin

A.M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies. She has multi-publications in other genres under a different pen name.

A.M. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

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