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.Secretly, she was a little relieved.Someone like her had no business taking responsibility for four children.She was a captive.Soon to be married off to heaven-knew-who.She’d been crazy to ever say yes.Having talked herself into letting the adoption idea go, she was surprised when Dagon met her at his door without a lecture.“Are you sure you can handle this?” He looked tense, but not angry or stern.And he was wearing a jacket that made her avert her eyes in mortification.Or rather, it was the lack of a shirt under it, and the resulting view of his hard body that made it so risqué.Couldn’t the man ever wear something that covered him?Expecting him to talk her out of it, she eased into the room, but remained standing.“Are you going to tell me that I can’t?” It would certainly ease her conscience.Once given, she couldn’t go back on her word.Not unless a higher power vetoed it.Blue eyes studied her with frank appraisal that was in no way sexual.“I hadn’t thought you were the type to take on such a responsibility.”For some reason that made her blush.“I guess you don’t know everything about me.”He frowned and waved her to his pile of cushions.“You do know that the boys who’ve petitioned you are my brothers, don’t you?”In the process of sitting, she lost her balance and went down with a soft whump! “Your brothers?” What kind of wacky place was this? And why would the boys want her when they had him? A shocking thought occurred to her.She looked at Dagon in alarm.“This won’t make us mother and son, will it?”He looked slightly ill.“No! I am of age.It is only for the boys.”“Thank God.” That could be really icky.She didn’t care to examine why it was important.Besides, a chorus of ‘whys’ sang in her brain.“But if they have you, then they don’t need another guardian.Why would I matter to them?”“It’s for the prestige.An acting mother is a rare thing.Should you match up with a powerful warrior, it will make them more important in their peer’s eyes, as will the birth of sisters, for their friends will grow up to vie for the girl’s hands.The better the girl’s matches, the more connections and power they will grow to have.Even now, they discuss who is the best warrior they know in hopes of introducing you to him.I’ve no doubt they followed you to the practice room and stood outside your door, waiting to waylay you.”Nonplussed, she considered that.She was about to adopt budding politicians.“Did they learn these bad habits from you?”His answer was a sly smile.She sighed.Compassion had prompted her to extend her word to the boys.Honor wouldn’t let her take it back.It was disappointing to hear that they hadn’t been prompted by a real need for her, but surely her instincts hadn’t been that far off.Maybe deep inside, they really did want a mother.The passage of years hadn’t stilled the fierce yearning that she still felt for hers.Though they might not admit it, the boys might feel the same.It made her edgy that Dagon was their guardian, and that she was about to become the other half.It was too much like…best not to go there.Determined to go into things with her eyes wide open, she asked, “Who is their mother? Does she really not care what happens to them? I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”All expression left him.“You won’t.Ellyn herself said you might have any of her sons.”Shock made her eyes widen.Vana didn’t know what to say.If Ellyn was his mother, too…ouch.Now the kid’s search for a new mother made more sense.The woman’s callousness toward her sons made Vana want to slap her.“Does she have any more sons? She spoke of fifteen.”He raised a brow.“Four are not enough for you?”“I’m just curious.” That came out a trifle defensive.She hadn’t even adopted the first batch yet, and already she wanted to mother the rest.Why couldn’t she listen to her selfish instincts when it really mattered?Dagon sighed.“Some of them died in battle.One did not survive childhood.”Pain upon pain.They were definitely not the Brady Bunch.“I’m sorry.Does anything good ever happen in your family?”“Possibly you, though I’m reserving judgment just now,” he said with the hint of a smile.The soft light in his eyes made her uneasy.She cleared her throat.“That still leaves a few, doesn’t it? Where are they?”“The others are with their fathers.Ellyn was not always faithful.”Gape mouthed, she blinked at him.His revelation was at odds with the reserved, elegant picture she’d formed of Ellyn.“But…what did your father do about that?”“What could he do? She was a woman,” he said harshly.Apparently that said it all.“Why do you act so offended? I saw some of your television programs while I was on Earth.Your women do worse things.As far as I can tell, they have no morals at all.”She sputtered.“You can’t judge us all by what you saw on TV! Everybody knows that it’s filled with garbage.Besides, look at me.You took me because I was….” She clamped her mouth shut.Had she really almost brought up her virginity with the man?Eager to change the subject, she said, “But that’s not right! Ellyn, I mean.You make it sound as if a woman could get away with murder.Isn’t there any penalty for these things? I know that women are important to you, but still….”A shrewd gleam appeared in his eyes.“Perhaps, as a woman, you could be impartial in these matters.Do you truly believe that a woman would be better tried by a jury of peers?”Like she had to think hard to answer that one! “Well, yeah.You guys don’t seem to be doing so hot at it.”The gleam turned into a satisfied, piratical smile.“I’ll remember you said that.In the meantime, you have a ceremony to prepare for.We’ll hold it at the end of the week.If you change your mind before then, let me know.I won’t announce it until the last minute to save you face if you back out.”The way he said it made her burn.As if she weren’t trustworthy enough to stick to her guns.“What do I have to do?”“We’ll go over it later.In the meantime, spend time with the boys.Make sure you can handle them.We’ll talk again later.” He waved her out as if she held no more interest for him than a gnat.Burning with a surprising amount of resentment over his attitude, she let herself out.The man had a way of pushing her buttons.With any luck, he’d get stuck with a woman who would know how to push back.***“You should have her tested.”Dagon looked at Ser over his breakfast table.They’d been friends for many years, yet Ser still managed to surprise him with comments straight from the blue.“Who?”“The girl.Vana.I see the way she looks at you when we’re in the harem.How quickly she turns away if you look at her.She likes you.I think she’s worth testing.”As a trusted advisor, Ser’s opinion held weight.Dagon toyed with a stick of spiced bread as he considered his words [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]