"I’ll expect regular reports on what you discover. Especially on the autopsy."
The term Kyrie spoke cut right through so of the fog building in my head now that things were winding down. Made look over to the woman sorting blood vials - the larger ones from us and the small pediatric ones from my son.
Putting the ones ready for her purposes into a ’centrifuge’ to appropriately separate the parts, she’d explained. Which is honestly where things began to make much less sense to , but I understand enough to know the components of blood are varied.
"There’s so much on my plate, we really needed to secure more trustworthy hospital staff for our side of things. She did see that I have *fatigue* listed by her system as well as I did, you know."
"If you need, we can put his body back inside of the Stash."
Having her people take Mateo’s corpse out of our belongings while it was in the lobby... I understand the need and the haste to show her people *why* he was killed before false rumors spread. Or before the Sandhowl start things, but-
"We already put him in the morgue and I’m having an assistant prep things. He’ll keep. I’m just complaining lightly, Citra, don’t worry."
The older werewolf turned around and put her hands on her hips. Very stern, very motherly.
"But the two of you look like you are flagging. Get out of here and rest."
Seeing no reason to argue, I nodded politely before placing my palm on my chest, bowing forward with one arm occupied with my child, and spoke a quick blessing to the good doctor... the woman who might have a bit too much to handle in the coming days.
Heading out the door and back the way we ca, I tried not to overreact when a hand settles on my lower back. Or when her breath whispers warm against my ear. Must turn Tolerance back on!
"What does Svasti an?"
"...You ask a lot of questions, Pyari."
"Sotis I even get answers to a few of them, *darling*. Curiosity is a risk often worth taking."
There was no way not to overreact to that... or how she leaned her cheek on my skull. I should have known that she would have looked it up sohow. The internet should be down... so how exactly...
"I t with Edgar Miles and so of your other early pack. All of them are anxious to see you, in their own way. So I begged them to give you a little space."
"You begged them."
"Asking politely amounts to the sa thing in my position. Does it not?"
Truthfully, I couldn’t entirely refute that sentint. A ruler is quicker to order than ask, and sees asking as already lowering their head for soone.
However, I could only be locked into wanting to pinch that blind old man’s cheeks for translating for her!
> It’s not his fault. He didn’t know. It’s not his- <
"Kahntaa... it has been a long day."
My muscles seized up imdiately when she uses that... *that* term. Pronounced terribly, but still with enough bite in it. Clearly attempting to call her beloved, desired... faithful lover...
And she misses no beats on her attack. Stopping short with , in only the way soone who knew how the words would affect the other possibly could. The area around the bridge of my nose shivers, as it does when you try to prevent the blood from flooding your face.
"I’m not too tired to carry you the rest of the way, Princess. Shall I?"
"...No one... is going to know what that title ans. It’s too old."
Recovering enough to keep moving, with a voice a bit too low toned to be considered normal, I fight with my desire to let her do as she wishes. Against my own inclination to let her pamper in that way.
"It’s why I asked him for it. You said your world didn’t have the more modern terms."
The fact that she rembered that much ans she must recognize I intentionally picked an endearnt for her that would not be very hard to be confused over. I knew it would co if she figured it out, but my throat feels dry.
"Svāmini."
"Hm?"
Dried out over everything about feeling vulnerable in front of her. Like my whole body is an exposed nerve, waiting to be electrified or burned or-
"Use... Svāmini."
She says nothing more while following . Doesn’t ask what it ans or even try to repeat the word to get the pronunciation right.
A door opens far ahead and a man steps out, waving at us for her attention. Apparently she decided that was a cue to react to my earlier statent.
"Okay, Mistress it is. If that’s what you want."
My eyes fly wide, my arms tremble, and her damn fingers scratching under my chin should be banned! Especially with witnesses!
"W-what?"
"I wasn’t sure you’d want to admit to being my ’owner’, so I was keeping that one in my pocket along with so others."
So he *workshopped* endearnts and titles with her! How many? How long was she even there talking to him! Did she do it in front of ALL of the people I’ve Annexed?!
"No no, I ant it as the noble lady of the house, not-"
Her lips press lightly into mine, for only a couple of seconds. But it shuts up in a way I’m not very happy with. The back of my neck is even tense from the shivering I’ve been doing in all this mortification...
"I’ll be right back. You can wait here or co along. But don’t go too far. Or I might start howling to be returned to who I belong to."
"Go away, silly wolf. Go, go!"
Smashing my open hand on her shoulder, weakly, while trying not to grab onto the shirt and keep her from leaving, I sigh and breathe. And do that repeatedly for about five repetitions.
Before trailing after her into the opened doorway, like a worried resident of this compound - and definitely not a nosy girlfriend. Which I probably have all the right to be after everything she has allowed Claire to snoop on.
> I an, if we wanted to call this situation that. Feel like we may be skipping straight from my insistence on Friends With Benefits right to a married couple. <
It’s basically like we’ve Marked each other already.
"...Basically."
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