"You want to be a prince?" I smiled at him.

"Mmm-mmm," Toff laughed.

* * *

Gavin found his way into my bed.

"Honey, we hardly ever have time to talk," I grumped as he settled my head on his shoulder.

"Cara, I miss the days when we sat upon rooftops and discussed the rules, or any other thing that came along," he kissed my forehead and brushed hair away from my face.

"Me, too," I sighed. I ran a finger down the center of his chest. Gavin is all muscle, and just as broad across the chest and shoulders as the Falchani twins, who'd been working out with blades for around a hundred years. His skin was clear, though—no marks or tattoos. "Have you had time to visit with Aurelius? How's he doing?"

"My father is fine," Gavin was doing more nuzzling and kissing. "He likes you very much. You know he wishes to sit in on all the Council meetings."

"I want to add him to the Council, then, if he wants it. I don't care if he's a Spawn Hunter. Anybody who is such a good parent and taught you and René, well, I think I'd like his advice, now and then. I get good advice from Garde, too, and he can even run the meetings if I'm not there and Kifirin doesn't want to."

"Anthony has been asking how old Gardevik is," I felt the smile in Gavin's words.

"Well, Garde is over a million years old—those High Demons don't kid around about immortality."

"You are joking with me, cara mia, surely." Gavin tipped my face up so I could look into his beautiful, brown eyes.

"No, honey. Kifirin verified it. Garde even remembered seeing Kifirin a few times when he was younger, before Kifirin slept."

"That is astonishing," Gavin took the opportunity, while our faces were so close, to give me a proper kiss. "How old is his brother, Jaydevik?"

"Jayd's a little younger—apparently he was number-three son. They had a brother in between, but he threw himself into the volcano in his humanoid form and that was it for him."

"I see you have had some talks with Gardevik, then."

"Yeah, he doesn't mind answering questions for me. He's pretty patient, actually."

"I like him. He and I agree on most things."

"I can see how that might be." I ran fingers over Gavin's mouth. He kissed them and then got down to business.

* * *

"These things take time."

Tetsurna Prylvis, High Lord of Solar Red, wasn't satisfied with Viregruz's answer, but he knew better than to argue with the creator of the assassin's league known as Black Mist. Viregruz had killed for lesser offenses. Viregruz's appearance, too, belied his talent and ability. He looked sixteen. Prylvis' sources said that Viregruz was well over three thousand. The Tetsurna had no idea what might halt time for anyone, even the founder of Black Mist, but he depended upon the assassin and his contacts to kill the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis. If she hadn't interfered years earlier on Refizan, Solar Red would not only be entrenched in the Reth Alliance, they'd have taken it over.

"Will it be soon, then, Master?" Prylvis didn't like groveling, but if it gained the death of his target sooner, he'd do it. He would never admit it, either, but he had a network of spies, just as Viregruz did, and they were working toward the same goal—to find a way to kill the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis. After all, if Prylvis obtained the objective through his own people, there was no need to pay Viregruz's exorbitant price. Sadly, the vampires he'd hired on Le-Ath Veronis had been defeated and captured before they could kill the Queen, but this was only his first volley. Many more were scheduled.

"It will be when I say it will be," Viregruz's temper was running short. "My Blood Captains have hired spies to search for weaknesses in the walls surrounding her city, and for entrances into the palace that are poorly guarded. Once we have this information, our plans will be made and the Queen will die. I'll have my payment and you'll have your dearest wish. Leave me, now. I must feed."

"Please, may I stay to watch?" Prylvis had only seen it once, and he ached to see it again.

"Oh, very well. Captain," Viregruz nodded to one of his commanders. "Bring my meal."

"Immediately, my lord." The Captain bowed and left the room swiftly, returning with a young girl in a matter of minutes. Her eyes betrayed her terror as she was hauled before Black Mist's founder.

"I always enjoy their screams," Prylvis found a seat and made himself comfortable as he prepared to watch Viregruz consume his meal.

* * *

"Lissa’s adopting Roff's child." Griffin sat at the breakfast table with his father, Wylend Arden, King of Karathia.

"My granddaughter is adopting?" Wylend gazed at his son, whose given name was Brenten. Wylend knew that Narissa, Griffin's half-Elemaiyan mother had given him that name. It wasn't one he'd have picked for a child, but Narissa had stolen the child away and he hadn't been able to find the boy. Wylend had to contend with things as they were, and a son not only grown but older than his father. "What does Toff's father say?"

"Roff’s memory has worsened after he was wounded in the Vampire Council chaos," Griffin admitted. "I don't believe he'll object to the adoption, do you? Especially since he cannot recall that he has children." Griffin busied himself with the food on his plate.

"Then have her bring the child to the ball. I wish to meet any relation, adopted or not. All children are to be brought to the palace to determine the strength of their gift."

"Toff is a comesula. He has no gift, Father."

"I know this, my son. I wish to meet the child anyway. He will have a favored place in the family as my youngest great-grandchild."

"Then I will inform Lissa and Lord Morphis that Toff's presence is requested by the crown." Griffin smiled as he buttered a roll.

* * *

"What? He wants us to bring Toff, just because I plan to adopt him?"

"That is one of the functions of the ball—to meet the children. They are inspected by Wylend and his Council, to see if any hold special promise. That's how Erland was sorted out and trained at court. Amara and I will be bringing Wyatt." Griffin was trying to make me see the reason in all of this. I just wasn't. Toff was comesula; would one day be a beautiful, winged vampire like his father if I had anything to say about it. He would never be a Warlock or anything close.

"Lissa, do you wish to disappoint your grandfather? He wants to see the child—asked to see him, in fact."

"Fine," my shoulders slumped. We sat at the breakfast table in my palace. Griffin had come just as we were finishing our meal, asking to talk for a few minutes. I needed to return to my suite to change clothing for the day; we had a postponed Council meeting to make up, a trial to conduct and executions to perform.

I also intended to announce that Aurelius would be the first to join my Second Circle, as a Special Advisor. He would not be one of my mates but would be treated with the same respect and wear a silver Claw Crown ring, denoting his service as an advisor to the Queen. Cheedas, the old comesula cook, was scheduled to receive a silver ring, too. I often went to him for advice in matters concerning the comesuli. The vampires from Earth had heartily agreed to Aurelius' selection already, and none had objections where Cheedas was concerned.

Aurelius and Garde were going to be my private advisors, either one capable of taking over Council meetings if needed. Garde still acted as Jayd's Prime Minister on Kifirin, but things there were now running smoothly. Garde had two assistants, one from the House of Weth and the other from Foth—High Demons that he trusted. Jayd was getting their kingdom and their treasury back in order with Garde's help and a sizable loan from the Crown on Le-Ath Veronis.

Only Jayd, Garde, Kifirin and I knew about that loan. Kifirin had nearly emptied a vein of gold under the southern ice cap in order for me to extend that loan, but then it was supposed to be mine anyway. The casinos twenty miles away, as well as the ones near the ocean on the light side, were making profits and taxes were going into a general fund to run everything except the palace itself. It was a point of pride not to accept money to do so.

The taxes collected from exports helped with the everyday costs of running my palace. Oxberry wine, produced by Roff's winery, constituted a large portion of Le-Ath Veronis' exports. Merrill and Adam had gotten upset that the crown was paying for some expenses for the gambling cities, without taking anything from the taxes collected. Therefore, taxes from the exports, combined with taxes from the fruit, vegetables and meats sold to the gambling cities, went toward the crown's expenses.

"They wish to run more water lines down the easement," Aurelius cautioned me as he and I walked into the large Council chamber. We now had fifteen cities represented. Once the application was approved for an Alliance vampire to relocate to Le-Ath Veronis, there were six cities available for them to choose from for their new home. The banks on Le-Ath Veronis were doing well, also—the vampires inevitably moved their liquid assets here. Adam, Merrill, Flavio and Charles were all on the Bank board. If there were any wrongdoing, I would hear about it quickly.

"They keep trying to wiggle their way into that ten-mile buffer," I grumbled.

Aurelius smiled. "Forbidden fruit," he agreed and led me to my seat.

"We need more wall patrols," an Alliance vampire stood to make his request after the other business was concluded. "We have at least twenty a day, if not more, Casino City visitors attempting to scale the wall and get inside Lissia. If they could find vehicles, there would be more attempting to find their way into the other cities. As it is, we arrest them and hand them to the city guard, but we can't keep up with the growing number of wall climbers."

"What is their excuse?" I asked.

"They want to mingle with vampires. As if the vampires working in or visiting Casino City aren't enough for them to gawk at. I have no idea what the fools think they will find, once they get inside a vampire city."