“Whew! A warm pool inside and snow right outside! This sure is a nice place you’ve got here, Cupcake.” Phillip and Kaoti began swimming laps.
“He is in a much better mood,” Violet observed.
“That’s because Silvie is here. Phillip without women is like me without coffee.”
Laughing, we got out of the pool. Wrapped in towels, we went upstairs to change. Afterwards, Violet and I entered the sitting room arm in arm. It appeared that Yukihyo and Quaid were having a staring contest, and that Eric and Simon were trying to diffuse the situation. Nico held Neema and had her smiling and reaching for her little stuffed ice bear. We sat by Nico. Max brought us a tray of hot chocolate. As I sipped, I evaluated the situation in the room. Yukihyo looked as though he were ready to pound Quaid. I was afraid to ask what was wrong, because I knew without a doubt that it was all my fault.
“Don’t you dare cry,” Eric said. Yukihyo turned his eyes to me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Yukihyo. I tried blinking my tears away.
“Lady wife, it is not your fault that Quaid is an asshole. Have you ever played in the snow?”
“What?”
“There is enough snow on the ground today. I must teach my daughter to form a snowball. I will help you both to dress warmly.” Yukihyo placed my cup on the tray and helped me up. Nico followed us with Neema.
Yukihyo piled socks, pants, boots, gloves, a shirt, sweater, and fur coat on the bed for me. Grinning at me, he took Neema from Nico and began changing her. I slipped out of my dress and began with the socks and shirt. Unable to fit the pants over Junior, I rolled the waist and left it under my stomach. Nico covered our little mound with his hands and kissed the top of my head. Then, he helped me into the boots and sweater. Neema had begun to shriek in excitement. The three of us laughed at her. My husbands pulled on boots and coats. Nico carried my coat and gloves down for me where he helped me into them. Neema’s daddy had wrapped her in a thick blanket.
“Well, daddy has you all bundled up.”
When we reached the living room, we found that everyone had changed into warmer clothes, even Dr. Fotri. When Violet made eye contact with me, she had a wicked gleam in her eyes. However, when she smiled sweetly at Kaoti, he followed her outside. Simon chuckled to himself. Papa followed them. Thunderdrop and Cass chittered at us.
“Now, don’t be like that. The two of you have plenty with which to amuse yourselves inside.” They blinked at Simon.
“You could build a new web in the living room,” I suggested.
Simon and I followed everyone else outside. Yukihyo had given Neema a tiny ball of snow. She put it in her mouth. Then, she took it out and looked at it. It went back in her mouth. Violet bent down and scooped up a handful of snow. She patted it into a ball. Then, she threw it hitting Kaoti in the face. His eyes were closed, his mouth was open, and remnants of her snowball fell from his face to his shoulders and chest. I laughed and laughed. Kaoti opened his snow coated lashes and looked at Violet as though she were prey. He bent down and began gathering snow. Violet ran off and began gathering her own. I began thinking. I made my own snowball. Then, I threw it pelting Phillip in the forehead.
“That was for the vitamin injections,” I told him as I bent down for more.
I ducked as Phillip threw. He expected me to throw my second one at him. Instead, I threw it at Dr. Fotri, who stood next to Papa, hitting him under the chin. I laughed at his expression. A snowball hit and shattered against my butt. I turned and dodged another one. Yukihyo grinned at me but had Neema in his arms. Seeing he was innocent, I spotted the guilty party. Hiroshi was too fast, and my ball missed him. I saw Kane and Eric unleashing a flurry of snowballs at each other from behind tree trunks. With my attention on them, I took a cold snowball to the face. After I got the snow out of my nose, I returned fire, hitting Phillip in the knee. Violet ran past, turned, and threw one ball after another. She hit Hiroshi, Phillip, and Nico before darting away behind a tree. I cheered her. I heard her yelp. She was shaking snow out of her pants leg. Kaoti was up in a tree behind her with an arsenal of snowballs lined up on the branch beside him. I watched as he tossed another ball at the neck of her jacket. She darted away.
Yukihyo brought Neema to me, gave me a kiss, and disappeared. Papa wrapped us in his arms. Nico had formed a wall out of the snow and had made a stack of snowballs. He began pelting Hiroshi and Phillip. I cheered for him, too. “Get ‘em, Nico!”
Violet jumped behind Nico to escape Kaoti and hurriedly made more balls. She threw them at Simon when he tried to sneak up on them from behind. Kane came to Nico’s defense when Phillip and Hiroshi constructed their own fort. Kane managed to hit Kaoti as he tried to take aim at Violet. Simon and Eric took shelter with Phillip and Hiroshi and began fortifying the wall. Papa snickered.
“What?”
“Nico’s team will win.”
“They’re outnumbered.”
“Nico is a military genius.”
When the balls began to fly, Kaoti joined Nico’s team to protect Violet. She winked at me and shoved a handful of snow down the back of his neck. Then, she ran from the fort over to us. We laughed at Kaoti’s expression. Yukihyo and Quaid pelted each other with hard packed snow from behind trees. Unlike Quaid, Yukihyo was in his element.
“Do you want to make a snow spider?”
“What’s that?”
“Come on.” Violet’s eyes sparkled. Papa and I followed her to the front of the house. Pierce took Neema inside.
“Have fun, but come inside before you get too cold,” Papa said as he followed them. We smiled at him.
Violet helped me to kneel down and showed me how to roll a snowball to make it bigger. Then, after it was as large as ZeeZee’s abdomen, we made a second smaller ball for the head. We used sticks for the legs and eight rocks for the eyes. I clapped my gloved hands together.
“We made ZeeZee out of snow!” Simon jogged over to us, laughed, and took a picture to send to Eliot. “My fingers are cold. I’m going inside.”
Violet and Simon came with me. Ira helped me out of my coat and boots. We sat under blankets by the fire and sipped hot cups of tea. Papa joined us with Neema. Pierce had changed her into socks, a gown, and a warm hat. Papa had her wrapped in a blanket with her rattle. Thunderdrop and Cass blinked down at us from their web above the fireplace. Simon bent and lifted my feet into his lap. Papa chuckled at Dr. Fotri who raised an eyebrow at me. In return, I smiled sweetly at him.
“Simon! Will you go get my telescope glasses out of the bottom drawer in my closet?”
“Please, allow me,” Lorca said.
“Okay, thanks.”
Violet and I took turns watching the battle. Quaid hid behind a wall of snow with his ammunition ready. I watched as Yukihyo crept toward him on his belly. Before he could attack, Nico pelted them both with snow while Kaoti and Kane pelted Hiroshi and Phillip. I laughed at them and handed the glasses to Violet.
“You were right, Papa. Nico won. Junior, should we go and bake your daddy a cake to celebrate his victory? I’ve never used my kitchen. Maybe Max will help us.”
“I want to make a cake, too,” Violet said.
The kitchen was all white. Together with Max, we made eight cakes while the men continued to work out their aggression by hurling snow at each other. Four of the cakes went to the table along with coffee. From the dining room, we could hear them laughing as they stomped snow off of their feet before entering the foyer. I already had served thick slices to Papa, Dr. Fotri, and Simon. Kaoti got a kiss from Violet and a piece of the cake she had made. Once Nico sat, I presented him with a piece.
“Congratulations on your victory. Your son thought your bravery deserved cake.” Nico awarded me with his wide grin. “Yukihyo, Neema and I were impressed by your stealth. We saw that you had Quaid right where you wanted him before Nico got you both.” I shrugged. He warmed his hands on his cup as I cut him a piece of cake. Yukihyo stared from his end of the table to Nico at his.
“There is always tomorrow,” Yukihyo said in challenge.
“We should form teams,” Kane suggested.
“I’m out. I had more fun making our snow spider.”
“Me, too,” Violet said.
“I think you should have to draw for teams,” I said.
“How do you suggest we do that?” Eric asked.
“We’ll be back,” I said. Violet and I went to the kitchen. Laughing, we placed four peanut butter cookies and four sugar cookies in a bag. We returned to the dining room. We snickered to ourselves a little bit. Then, I said, “Brave warriors, please come to us one at a time and draw to determine your teams. No peeking.”
Simon reached in and pulled out a sugar cookie. The others seemed more eager to play along at that point. Nico, Kaoti, and Hiroshi got the other sugar cookies. “What do we get if we win?” Eric asked.
“The winning team gets to decide whether we go hunting or ice fishing,” Papa said. I hugged Papa.
“Does grandpapa’s princess want steak or fish?” he said as he touched his finger to the end of her little nose. Neema laughed at him.
I went to my room, filled my tub with warm water, and soaked. Smiling to myself, I thought Yukihyo and Quaid would have to work together to stand a chance against Nico and Kaoti. After my bath, I slipped into a gown and robe, curled up with Captain Ice Bear, and went to sleep. Sometime later, Pierce and Neema woke me.
After seeing to her needs, I changed into a soft dress and warm sweater, and thick pair of socks. I found Papa and Dr. Fotri alone in the living room. “Where is everyone?”
Papa grinned and held out his arms for Neema. “They left for supplies. I forbade use of the base or their starships. I have allowed them the market.”
“For what?”
“They are preparing for their snowball war.”
“Wait, really?”
Raising an eyebrow at me, Papa said, “Nico and Kaoti have years of experience. The other team doesn’t stand a chance. It will snow tonight. The battle begins at seven and ends at nine.”
“What do they have to do to win?”
“Find each other on this property and hit each other with snowballs. Once they are hit, they are out and must come inside. The team with the most survivors wins.”
“What kind of supplies do you think they are buying?”
Looking from Neema to me, Papa said, “Ice cream scoopers, I suppose.”
The next morning, the snowball war had ended before I woke up. Yukihyo, Phillip, Quaid, and Eric had stretched a thin netting from tree to tree several feet off of the ground around the perimeter of their fort. They had carefully balanced snowballs on top of it. When the enemy approached, they released the netting and pelted them with the snow. Our spiders had been the inspiration for their strategy. The snowball web had been successful. Therefore, we were going ice fishing. Thunderdrop and Cass chittered angrily at the news.
During dinner as they laughed and joked about their war, I asked, “Is there any way you will allow me to stay here with Thunderdrop and Cass? I don’t know how Neema feels about it, but Junior and I would love to spend the week in bed eating and sleeping.”
Papa said, “Well, we will be on Ephors, and we won’t be too far away.”
“I would have Pierce, Lorca, Ira, and Max with me.”
“I would rather stay here with the Princess than go and sit on ice with a line in a hole,” said Dr. Fotri.
“What do you say son-in-laws?”
Yukihyo smiled at me and said, “My lady wife may do as she wishes.”
“Agreed,” said Nico.
Papa looked at Quaid. “If our lady feels that she should rest, that is what she should do.”
I was relieved. I imagined spending the entire time in gowns, robes, and socks. I would sleep all that I could sleep. Max would make me whatever I wanted to eat. Quiet laughter and chuckles sounded around the table. Yukihyo took my hand and kissed my fingers. Even Quaid smiled. “What?”
In his deep monotone, Yukihyo said, “You have such exciting plans for yourself once we leave.”
“What might those be?” Papa asked.
“She wishes to place herself on voluntary bed rest. Dr. Fotri should have an easy week,” Phillip said.
“Very well, Daughter. We will only be a couple of hundred miles away. You have your friends here as well as their husbands should you need company.”
Chapter Four
The next morning, Nico and Yukihyo assured me that if I needed them, they would return immediately by flight transport. I promised them I would be fine. We took the lift down, and I said goodbye to everyone. Violet seemed excited to ice fish. I didn’t understand why, but then Gram and Grandmother didn’t understand how I could possibly enjoy space travel. Here, all of my loved ones seemed to be enamored of hunting and fishing. I was not. I shrugged. Quaid hung back as the others went to the transports.
“Might I embrace you before I go?” I glanced up at his strong jawline, short blonde hair, and almost black eyes. I smiled and opened my arms to him. Quaid stepped toward me and enclosed me within his own. I felt him spread his fingers open against my back. He held me close, kissed my hair, and released me. Quaid took a step back, bowed to me, and stepped through the door and into the foyer. I followed him outside and waved to the departing transports. Perhaps being on friendly terms with Quaid wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
White blanketed the grounds around my house. Cold, I turned to go inside. Ira waited right behind me. “Forgive me if I startled you, Teagan. I don’t want you to slip.” Ira offered me his arm.
“Ira, I would like to sit in my living room and enjoy a cup of coffee. A real cup of coffee and not the crap with which Nico keeps thinking he is tricking me.”
Ira’s brows lifted. “You knew?”
“Oh, Ira. I love coffee. I can tell the difference.” I sat on a couch with a blanket and the vid-controller.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
“Clack?”
“Yes, boys. We have the house to ourselves and can do whatever we want. While they are all gone, you can play with your drums, harps, transports, balls, and punching bag all you want on this floor. Let’s keep quiet upstairs, though.”
Lorca had heard me and began setting toys out near the doors to the pool. Ira brought me coffee. I smiled in thanks and called Gram. She was in the living room at the Alaric estate with Sydney and Auria. The lighting suggested to me that they also had a fire burning. “Hello, everyone. Is it morning there as it is here?”
Gram said, “It is a few hours after breakfast here. Are you feeling better?”
I nodded as I gazed into Gram’s sweet blue eyes. “Eric, Simon, Yukihyo, and everyone just left to go ice fishing. I talked them into letting Neema, Thunderdrop, Cass, and me stay here.”
“I can hear the drum,” Auria said with a sympathetic smile.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“I understand why you spent so much time in the pool.” I grinned at her.
“So, my son ran off to fish and left you there?” Sydney asked as she shook her head.
“Yes, and I’m going to enjoy having some time to myself. I have been under constant scrutiny.” I sipped my coffee.
“You seem pensive. What is weighing on your mind?” Gram asked.
“Everything. So much has happened so quickly that I don’t even know who I am.”
Gram smiled at me and said, “You are Teagan Alaric Montgomery Lee. You are my great-niece, Neema’s mother, and Thunderdrop’s bonded human companion. You can drive, pilot a fighter ship, and create a fabric that our family can’t produce enough of for the militia. You carry the future emperor of Parvac and have formed an alliance with the Laconian Sector.”
“You make me sound fabulous. However, the last two things came about because of Papa’s machinations. That’s not it though, Gram. I feel lost about who I am. Who am I when I’m not being moved around like a piece on a game board?”
Sydney looked at me with concern
. “When did you begin to feel out of control?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it. Maybe if you can identify that point, you will feel better.”
We talked for a few more minutes. Then, I went to the kitchen and made myself another cup of coffee. “Princess, you needn’t get up. I will bring you anything you wish,” Max said in shock.
“Thank you, but I wanted to get it myself. I’m going to do what I want while I have the house to myself. Do we have any pineapple?” Max nodded. “For dinner, I want little pieces of chicken cooked with chunks of pineapple and some rice.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Please, call me Teagan.”
I spent the morning playing with Neema. We had lunch with Dr. Fotri. During Neema’s nap, I changed into a gown, crawled into bed, and thought. I didn’t feel in control of my life. Taking Sydney’s advice, I decided to think about recent events that had made me unhappy. The worst thing had been when Simon and Hiroshi had been held hostage by Consul Dano. However, I had been abducted by Scar and his men almost losing Kaoti. My own body had betrayed me after I had born Neema resulting in my newest marriage. These events had made me feel weak and helpless. I wasn’t going to remain either of those things. The last time that I had felt weak and helpless, I decided to leave and take control of my life no matter what. However, now, that wasn’t an option. I would never leave my family and friends. They were more dear to me than anything. It was my fear making me feel weak and helpless.
I had allowed fear of the Parvacs to end my trade with Mr. Gregory. My fear of Parvacs was rooted in the attack on Arachne, learning they had stolen my grandmother when she was a young woman, and my abduction on Naxa. I had been afraid of the Valens, my own blood relations. I had been afraid of Nico and even the planet on which I currently resided. I had to face my fears and put them behind me or never be able to move forward. If I could stop being afraid of my own race, the people over which my father ruled, then, I could figure out what else was bothering me. Making up my mind and formulating a plan, I placed a call. My call was answered immediately.
The Parvac Emperor's Daughter (The Space Merchants Book 3) Page 4