“Fine,” I said, holding in a sigh. I wanted to know more, but I knew that this was the best I’d get from him right now. “But please, promise to stay in touch. I don’t think we could handle it if you did another disappearing act.”
“I’ll do my best,” Fenris said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. He was just as happy to hear from us as I was to hear from him, and I blinked back tears of relief and happiness. I couldn’t force him to come to the wedding—I knew that—but just knowing for sure that he was alive, that he was safe…it took a weight off my shoulders that I hadn’t even been aware of.
We finished up the conversation, and Iannis hung up with a smile. “I’m glad his lady pulled through,” he said. “Fenris sounded distraught when he called the first time. Croialis is no joke.”
“Me too,” I said. “I don’t think I could handle it if Fenris had found the love of his life only to lose her. He’s been through so much—he deserves to be happy.” Maybe Fenris wouldn’t be able to come to our wedding, but I damn well intended to go to his. Once all of this was behind us, I was going to track him down so I could hug him in person and meet the lucky lady who’d managed to snag his heart.
I spent a few more minutes with Iannis, then went down to the playroom to meet the girls. The three of them appeared right on time, dressed in shorts or summery dresses, as I’d told their parents to make sure they were ready for some outdoor playtime. The playroom was an unused salon that I’d converted for the children, and it was filled with toys and games.
“Let’s play tea party!” Tinari cried as she bounced into the room on Liu’s heels. “We brought sweets up from the kitchen, so it’ll be perfect!”
“Ooh,” Rusalia said, her blue eyes wide as she stared at the platter of pastries in Liu’s hand. “Those look really good. Did you make them yourself?”
“Yes, but they’re for later,” Liu said, lightly smacking her hand away before Rusalia could grab one. “I like the idea of a tea party. What do you think, Sunaya?”
“A tea party sounds great,” I said, taking the platter from her. “Why don’t you girls get the teacups and pot and we’ll set everything up?”
The girls eagerly rushed to get the supplies, and I stood back and watched as they put out the lace tablecloth and tiny porcelain dishes. Liu, the natural ringleader despite her lack of magic, directed where everything should go, and I set the pastries on the platter she’d designated.
We spent the next hour having tea, all of us pretending to be noble ladies from various countries. I used the opportunity, as I did with nearly all of our playtime sessions, to teach them a little bit of magic. I conjured water into the pot, and Rusalia boiled it with her magic, while Tinari kept the pastries warm by heating the platter lightly. Liu had brought real tea leaves from the kitchen, and within no time she was pouring tea into the cups for us to enjoy.
At some point, Trouble decided to make an appearance, and the girls had fun chasing him about the room. He was a great favorite with the kids, and he didn’t mind letting them try to catch him—they couldn’t really touch him anyway, and he seemed to understand it was a game.
As I watched the girls play, I wondered if I would soon be playing with my own children. Now that Iannis and I were about to be married, having children seemed to be the logical next step, and with my Heat coming up on our honeymoon, it might be the perfect time to get started. But was this really the right time to do it, so soon into our marriage? Or did we need more time to settle into the new, strange life we were creating together? I’d have to talk it over with Iannis.
“Look,” Rusalia cried, getting my attention. “I’ve been practicing my fire magic!”
I glanced up to watch her conjure a thin stream of flame, then shape it into a heart. “Good job!” I said as the other girls squealed. A spark jumped from the flames, alighting on a pile of cleaning rags on a nearby table. To my horror, the rags ignited, and the girls’ squeals turned into screams as flames shot straight toward the ceiling. Rusalia lost control of her fire magic, and the next thing I knew the flames were spreading to the drapes and the carpet and were rapidly headed for a box of dolls in the corner.
“Get back!” I yelled, jumping to my feet. I shoved the girls behind me, then quickly conjured a wave of water. The water splashed over everything, dousing the fire in an instant, but leaving behind the strong reek of damp soot. Sighing, I pushed a hand through my hair and surveyed the damage. The curtains were beyond repair, as was the table those rags were sitting on. The girls seemed unhurt, but they were sooty too, and Rusalia’s skirt had been badly damaged by the fire.
“What happened?” Carlin, the butler, demanded as he rushed into the room. His eyes widened as he surveyed the damage, and he glared at the cowering girls. “Do you have any idea how long this is going to take to clean up?”
Ignoring him, I bent down to sniff at the rags, which had been burnt to a crisp. “Alcohol,” I said, straightening up. “Whose idea was it to leave rags soaked in alcohol in this room?” I planted my hands on my hips as I stared down the butler.
“The playroom was not a priority, with all the guest rooms being readied,” he said stubbornly, refusing to back down. Carlin was a holdover from the previous Chief Mage and had never liked me much. “And I hardly expected the rags to be set on fire. Someone should teach these children to better control their magic!”
“And you should stop acting so high and mighty before I decide to burn you to a crisp,” I growled, stalking over to him. Carlin paled as I jabbed a finger into his chest. “You know damn well that this is the playroom and these children are still learning how to use their magic. Make sure the servants don’t leave cleaning supplies or anything else dangerous in here again.”
“Yes, Miss Baine,” he said grudgingly, bowing his head. I resisted the urge to smack him across his judgmental face—clearly this man had either never dealt with children or had no patience for them. I was going to need to have a chat with the steward about this later—if my own children were going to be running around the palace someday, I definitely wanted to make sure their play spaces were safe. We’d need a trained mage nanny, I realized, or perhaps two, to keep up with them. And perhaps it was time for Carlin to retire to some beachside cottage. What kind of pension package did his job entail? One more thing to find out.
“All right,” I finally said, turning back to the children. “What do you say we go enjoy the rest of our day outside?”