Demon’s King (High Demon #3)(33)
Author: Connie Suttle

"Ready?" Astralan nodded at Teeg.

Teeg straightened his cuffs and tie. "Ready," he nodded, a determined look in his eye. He looked as if he were going off to battle and I didn’t understand that. Astralan folded all of us; Stellan brought the luggage. We landed in a sumptuous, round hall built of marble and expensive tiles. I gasped. I knew this place and knew it well. Had departed from it several times when Lendill didn’t want anyone else to know I was leaving and he didn’t want me to skip away. We stood in the rotunda reserved for visiting dignitaries on Le-Ath Veronis’ space station.

Lissa and Tory were there, standing next to Ry and I cried out when I saw them. But that didn’t prepare me for what came next. Nothing could have prepared me for that. Nothing. Lissa walked toward Teeg, a puzzled frown on her face. Gavin, Tony, Drake and Drew were right beside her. Her eyes widened after a moment and she shrieked one word. That word sent me into a tailspin and darkness gathered around me when I heard it the second time. "Gavril!" Lissa shouted, flinging herself into Teeg’s arms. "Gavril!" Blackness came.

Chapter 8

"Tory, be careful," Teeg, once known as Gavril Montegue, cautioned his brother. "Reah’s pregnant. It’s probably yours." Tory jerked his head around at Teeg’s words. He was having trouble reconciling what his mother had known immediately by scent alone. Teeg was Gavril. Only much older, now. And, like Kifirin had said, changed. Nobody had recognized him, although his hair and eye color were the same. Tory, Karzac and Lenden were kneeling next to Reah—Lenden had caught her before she could fall. Gardevik was standing nearby and blowing smoke—he knew Lenden, all right. Only by another name.

"We’ve exhausted her," Denevik muttered to Karzac as Karzac growled about Reah’s condition. Lissa had finally stopped hugging and kissing her youngest child, who no longer looked to be the youngest. Lendill Schaff was also kneeling nearby; he just couldn’t get any closer than he was already with the crowd around Reah. Norian, Erland and Wylend had gone straight to Gavril.

"How did this happen, son?" Gavin was attempting to deal with the changes in his child.

"Long story, Dad. Can we sit down somewhere after we make sure Reah is all right? And just so you know, I won’t be giving her up. She’s the reason I’m where I am anyway." Eventually, when Karzac said that Reah could be moved, Tory lifted her and everyone was folded to Lissa’s palace.

* * *

"I knew, when I was twelve," Gavril turned the cup in his hands. His four warlocks were just as surprised as the others, so they listened raptly to Gavril’s tale. The reptanoids had gone with Reah and those taking care of her.

"What did you know?" Lissa asked.

"That I wanted Reah. It might have been puppy love at the time, but it was there. And it didn’t go away over the next five years. When she got into that mess on Birimera, I asked Kifirin if I could help her. Told him I wanted her. Wanted to keep her safe, somehow. He looked at me with those damned stars in his eyes and told me there wasn’t anything I could do for her at the moment, but the time would come and he would grant my request. He granted it, all right. Pulled me right off the transport and stuck me with a vampire to learn woodworking fifty years in the past. You see where I am, now. All his doing. He pointed me in this direction, told me it was in our best interest to form an Alliance surrounding Campiaa and then left. I won’t be asking him for anything again. Now, I don’t know how Reah is going to take this when she wakes. I’m telling you again, though, that I’m not giving her up. We just need to take care of her."

"She’s pregnant with a female High Demon. Karzac says so. Did you even take that into consideration?" Gardevik was trying to reel in his temper. They sat in Lissa’s library, where tea and a light lunch had been served.

"I knew she was pregnant," Gavril muttered. "I kept telling myself that this wouldn’t take long and I’d send her back so she’d get the care she needs."

"The fate of the High Demon race rests on any female born," Garde’s voice was getting louder. "Even a quarter High Demon child. Were you trying to kill Reah? Karzac says she’s so weak it could take a while to get her back to normal."

"It couldn’t be helped, Uncle Garde," Gavril said. "Do you know what she can do? Do you? Those fool rogues tapped the cores on Roorthi, Xordthe and Shillverr. Somehow, Reah pulled energy from the stars, replaced what was lost and sealed the leak. Those worlds will live, now. Reah can do that. It’s like a miracle. And no, I’m not giving up the idea of the Campiaan Alliance. It’s a good idea and almost within my grasp. Things are lining up. Mom, I’m going to do this. I’m sixty-seven now and this is my calling. I know it."

"Reah can heal the cores?" Wylend hadn’t spoken until now, although his mind and his heart were with her in the suite she shared with Tory.

"Go and see for yourself," Astralan spoke for the first time. "Teeg—Gavril and I were shocked when she did it the first time."

"I can’t believe she did that and risked the child," Garde muttered.

"She doesn’t know. That she’s pregnant," Gavril sighed. "She thinks that stupid implant the Alliance forces on its troops is still working. It’s probably like everything else—wears off quicker due to her High Demon ancestry."

"You knew the baby belonged to Tory?" Lissa was trying to come to grips with being a grandmother.

"I was pretty sure, mom. I think he’s ruined her for anybody else."

"I don’t call that ruined," Garde began to rise in anger.

"Garde, settle down," Lissa hissed. "This will be our grandchild. Don’t f**k it up."

"I want to talk to Denevik. Reah is his grandchild, after all," Garde didn’t sit back down.

"I didn’t know who he was. Kifirin just showed up out of nowhere and told me to hire him as a bodyguard. So I did. I’m glad he didn’t remove my head over Reah." Gavril sipped his tea.

"I instructed him to keep you safe, as well as his grandchild," Kifirin appeared as if someone had called his name.

"We are going to have words later," Lissa handed him a hard stare.

"I saw the wisdom in the request; it just wasn’t at his convenience," Kifirin defended himself.

"I’ll show you wisdom," Lissa tried to go after him. Gavin held her back.

"I knew my mate would be justifiably angry," Kifirin stated. "Lissa, please try to see this from my perspective. This was an opportunity none of us could refuse. Imagine the Campiaan Alliance, run by your child."