the road. The coffee reminded her that her king had hidden talents. He was one of the best cooks she had ever met.
“I’ll teach one of them how to make it,” he promised. “It’s a blend of two varieties. Sen brought my favorites over from Olost, and I’ve been hoarding it.”
“Why? Bribery?” Mave laughed, trying to reach for his coffee again.
“Yes, I brought a bag this morning. It’s in the kitchen. It comes with a cost, though. Or maybe it’s an apology for what I’m about to say.”
That made Mave pause. “What?”
“Now that you’re back, I’m not letting you go anywhere until autumn. You’re going to take the summer—”
“Really? I’m the best warrior you have,” she huffed, shaking her head. She was even better than Nevyn now, not just when she was angry but consistently. Fighting him was like fighting any other warrior. There was no comparison. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. You missed all of spring here, and every warrior needs to take time off between long campaigns. But that’s not the important news.”
Mave looked at her males, who all kept their heads down, a troubling sign.
“I got back yesterday, and you’re going to dump bad news on my head?” She narrowed her eyes at her king and adopted brother. “Really?”
“Seanev is coming. He’ll be here at some point in the next week, depending on how fast he can keep his caravan moving.” Alchan put his coffee down in front of her again. This time, the bribe was obvious. He was helping her hangover in exchange for less of her anger.
“He’s supposed to stay…stay with his wife,” Mave said softly, leaving the drink on the table. “That’s what they both wanted.”
“He’s coming down to head out for the summer campaign. He is one of my generals, Mave. I can’t have him training warriors but unable to lead. He’s a good commander and holds the respect of the Andinna who remained free in Anden, regardless of his…decisions concerning you and Leria.” Alchan was trying to be pragmatic, but she saw the flash of anger in his eyes.
None of them had agreed with Seanev’s decision made centuries ago to blood bond with Leria, instead of looking for Mave in the Empire. The males in the Ivory Shadows disliked Seanev, some downright hated him, but Mave’s feelings were different. She was hurt by Seanev, but she was pissed at Leria. She preferred to keep a lot of distance from both of them.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said finally, taking the offered coffee and finishing it. “Now, make more of this.”
“You know, I’m the one who is supposed to give the orders,” he said with a fair dose of chagrin.
“My house,” she pointed out. “Teach Zayden while you’re at it.”
Alchan chuckled and stood, looking into the kitchen.
“If they put on clothing. I’m not going in there if they’re all going to be naked. It’s ridiculous.”
Mave sighed, nodding at her males, who disappeared for only a moment, then came back wearing pants.
“There.” She glared at him for ruining her morning view, but Alchan didn’t seem perturbed by her anger. He had no reason to be. Once, if he had tried to come into her home and made demands, she would have tried to attack him. That had been a long time ago. Now, there was so much understanding between them, only the greatest of insults would be needed for a fight to break out. He was her king, and she loved him for that. Finally, she had a ruler she respected, and he was her brother. There was very little he could do that would truly anger her.
A short while later, he put another full mug of coffee in front of her.
“Now that you know about Seanev, I’m going to go. You have a good day, sister.”
“Tell Rainev I said hello, and that I’ve missed spending time with him,” she said as he walked away.
“I’ll make sure he puts time aside for you,” Alchan replied.
The moment the door closed, the tension in the room evaporated, and Mave watched her males finally liven up again, talking among themselves.
“So…how long have you all known about Seanev coming?” she asked. Picking up the hot cup of coffee, she brought it to her lips as she watched them set the table and continue cooking breakfast.
“A few weeks,” Mat answered, coming to sit beside her where Alchan had just been. “We didn’t think he would be over so early, or we would have put on clothes before we