Page 3 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

"Good."

"I should call Amanda. And Syssi. And Sari, but Sari's asleep. It's the middle of the night there. Should I wake her? Toven will want to know. And Esag, Mother. Esag has to be told."

"Not yet."

"Not Esag? He is Khiann's best friend…"

"No." Annani finally turned to look at her daughter's radiant, tear-stained face. "Kian may come. Amanda and Syssi may come when they return from the university, but that is all for today. Esag and Toven can come some other time."

Alena's brows drew together. "But Esag is his oldest friend."

She felt bad about not including Esag in the first wave of visitors, but her children came first, and Syssi was like a daughter to her.

"Tomorrow." Annani reached for her daughter's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Look at him, Alena. He cannot speak. He cannot lift his head. He does not know where he is, what has happened to him, or who any of us are. If I let the clan through that door, they will come ready to pour out their love on him because they love me, but every one of them will be a stranger standing over a confused and disoriented male."

"The Clan Mother is right," Bridget said. "This is an intensive care ward, not a reception hall. We made an exception for the two of you for obvious reasons, and those same reasons extend to Kian, Amanda, and Syssi, but that's where I'm drawing the line." She rested a hand on her belly. "I'm always strict about visitors, and now more than ever."

"Fine." Alena wiped her face with the heel of her hand. "But it's impossible to contain news like this. Someone is going to leak it, and then you will have a horde knocking on the clinic door."

"Then we will lock the ward's door and tell them to celebrate in the café," Annani said.

Alena chuckled. "I can just picture Bridget blocking the doors with her belly."

"You better believe it," Bridget said. "Can I examine the patient now?"

Annani nodded, though she was loath to relinquish Khiann to the physician's care.

As Bridget began the exam, Alena crouched beside Annani's chair. "Can I suggest something, Mother?"

"You are going to do so regardless of what I say, so go ahead."

"You just told Khiann that you're his truelove mate and called him your love twice."

Had it been only twice? Annani had a feeling she had said that more than two times.

"What of it?"

"He opened his eyes six minutes ago."

"That is true."

Alena smiled. "He doesn't know his own name, Mother. He can't speak. He's overwhelmed by all this technology and the language he doesn't understand. He has no idea what year it is, or how long he has been asleep. Do you think he can comprehend what a truelove mate means?" She tilted her head toward the bed. "Look at him. He has no idea what is happening to him. You need to give him time and start with the basics."

Annani looked.

Khiann was watching them both, even though he should have been focused on Bridget and the reflexes she was checking. His gaze flicked from one face to the other, trying to follow a conversation he could not understand.

Alena was right. There was no comprehension in his expression. Only bewilderment, the alert confusion of a person surrounded by people speaking a language he did not know.

"I do not play games, Alena. I never have. Khiann is my truelove mate, and I love him. I want him to know that, even if he cannot remember any of it." She shook her head. "I have always despised court intrigue and all the double talk I was forced to endure."

"I know."

“When I decided I wanted Khiann, I did not send a discreet inquiry through an intermediary, as I was supposed to. I slipped out of the palace disguised as a commoner, walked across half the city with only Gulan at my side, and showed up at his house. I told him I wanted him to court me.” She lifted her chin. “He tried to argue, but I overruled him. A direct approach has always served me well.”

Alena's smile wobbled. "I love that story, and you should absolutely tell him that once he gets oriented." She laid her hand over Annani's. "Just not in the first ten minutes while he's still figuring out that he has a body."

"You think I confused him?"