"Hmm." She nodded slightly. "They say that mothers have special bonds to their children because of it and because it is their nanos that are passed on to them. They also say that the same thing happens when sires pass on their blood to their life mates."
"They say?" he echoed. "Is it true?"
This time it was Lissianna who hesitated, then she admitted, "Mother has always sensed somehow when I or my brothers were in difficulty or upset."
"Did she know you were in trouble when you were staked?" Greg asked with interest.
Lissianna nodded. "Thomas kept me company for a while when I took over watching you for Mom and the others so they could get some rest. He said that she was in a state when he called here to warn them to lay in some blood because we were coming. He said--" She paused and cleared her throat. "He said her first words to him when she answered the phone were that something was wrong and I needed help... before he even mentioned that I was with him and injured."
"So she knew."
Lissianna nodded.
"So you may know when I'm in trouble in future," Greg said slowly.
She gave a shrug that was hampered by her position. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it's all just more of the legend that's wrong and Mother just knows when we need help because she's a mother."
"Do you know when she's in trouble?" Greg asked.
"Well..." Lissianna paused to think for a minute, then sighed. "I don't know. Mother has never been in trouble. Not since I was born anyway."
Greg accepted that, then said, "Lissianna, last night you said that turning me wouldn't automatically make me your life--"
"Greg," she interrupted.
He paused and waited and heard her take a deep breath, before she said, "Please, no more serious talk tonight. Tomorrow we can..." She sighed. "Just for tonight, let it be. We have all the time in the world to worry about forever."
Greg hesitated, then smiled faintly and relaxed against her. They did have all the time in the world to worry about forever. And by waiting, he could spend some time showing her how good that time could be, he decided, then suddenly rolled out of the bed.
Startled, Lissianna sat up to peer at him. "What are you doing?"
"It's not what I am doing," he informed her, moving to the bathroom as he said, "It's what we are doing."
Lissianna smiled uncertainly as he briefly disappeared inside. She waited until he came back out to ask, "What are we doing then?"
"You'll see," Greg said mysteriously as he tossed the terry-cloth robe from the bathroom at her, then reached for his pants.
After a slight hesitation, Lissianna pulled the robe on and climbed from the bed to belt it up.
Greg finished zipping up his jeans as she stood up. He waited for her to finish doing up her robe, then--not bothering with a shirt, he caught her hand and hurried her to the door.
"Where are we going?" she asked in a whisper as he opened the door.
"You'll see," he answered, then asked, "Why are we whispering? Everyone knows we're here."
"Yes, but it's morning, and Thomas said they were all going to bed," Lissianna reminded him. "I don't want to keep them up."
"Ah," Greg said with understanding, then grinned, and added, "That's perfect."
"Why?" she asked, but this time he didn't answer, but merely led her along the hall to the stairs. They were halfway down to the ground floor when he suddenly froze and glanced back at her.
"The housekeeper?" he asked.
"What about her?" Lissianna murmured.
"Will she be here yet?" Greg asked with a frown, wondering what time it was. Probably just after dawn, he guessed, surely too early for a housekeeper to start work.
"Oh." Lissianna shook her head. "Mother gave her yesterday and today off. She didn't want Maria upset by... well... you were screaming and she wasn't sure how long it would last."