Page 46 of From the Edge

“How old were you?”

She shrugged. “Six. It wasn’t a mage skill, but it was a defense. The hard shell formed that day as well, but it faded when he held me and calmed me down. Grandma made pie.”

“Where were your parents?”

“At work. They are doctors. Both betas. Happily retired in the islands.”

“Your father is a beta?”

“My mother is the bloodline. She’s a bit tall, very bossy, and competent. They moved to Emerald to open the bed and breakfast, but Mom volunteers on the coastal rescue while Dad makes the food for when she gets home.”

He chuckled. “So strong women.”

“Women who make the most of what they have. When Grandpa found Grandma, she screamed, kicked him in the groin, punched him in the face, poked him in the eye, and activated her defense. Then she ran for it. She was shocked when he turned up at the house a few hours later and asked to court her. She had an ice pack on her fist, but she could see him through the glamour. When she was sitting there growling at him, her father went and put her in her room so they could discuss the matter, and the engagement was set.”

“Grandpa sounds determined.”

“He was. Is, I guess. And devoted. Having been at the new palace, I am understanding aging patterns.”

“When did they meet?”

“About two hundred and fifty years ago. They had my mother eighty years ago. I appeared magically twenty-nine years ago.” She held a hand up. “I refuse to believe my parents had sex. It is a personal illusion that I must cling to.”

He snorted and looked at the image of her grandfather. “He was a mythical figure, and he joined the colony so that his family would not fear him insisting on inheriting. He didn’t want to inherit. He wanted adventure instead of being called when enemies to the empire needed to die.”

“Yeah. He told me that. He also said he was older than most grandpas had any right to be.”

“Did he have an occupation?”

She snorted. “He was a doctor.”

He grinned. “So you have a doctor fetish?”

“I am a paralegal. I do not have a doctor fetish.” She sniffed. “Now, Renyet, I am actually tired. It’s been a day, and I have to get the fuzzy stuff out so I can sleep. I have to remember how to sleep without the shield.”

He smiled. “I could help.”

“Nope. I have to learn my body again. I don’t need a coach.”

He chuckled. “I am willing to assist.”

“Uh-huh. It takes four days with no sleep for me to get blurry.”

He nodded. “Let me know if you need anything. I am right next door. Oh, what are the rules of the kitchen?”

“Eat what you like, cook what you like, and if you take the last of something, write it on the fridge whiteboard.”

He nodded. “Excellent. I love the space in the kitchen.”

“Me, too. Now, go and settle into your room. I have an early morning of curse-breaking ahead of me.”

He smiled. “May I kiss your cheek?”

She gave him a suspicious look. “On my face?”

He laughed. “Yes.”

“Yes.”