“Well, Queen Sonia says you can call her Sonia,” Sonia called back, throwing the covers off, her legs over the side of the bed and finished, “Or you can call me Sonny, that’s what all my friends call me.”
Maraleena appeared in the doorway to the bathroom but stopped and stood still, her eyes fastened on Sonia.
“I’ve known you a day,” Maraleena breathed and, taking one look at her shocked expression, Sonia decided she must have done something wrong.
Again.
She started walking swiftly toward Maraleena at the same time she started talking fast, “I’m sorry. I did the wrong thing again. If you have to call me Queen Sonia then do it. That’s okay. I’ll get used to it.”
She stopped in front of Maraleena who stared down at her a moment.
Then she burst out laughing and snatched Sonia in her arms, giving her a strong hug before, just as abruptly, she let her go.
“I just can’t believe how nice you are!” she declared, walking briskly to the bed. “I was on the phone all night telling everyone our new queen is teeny and pretty and nice. And that she and our king were all sweet and cute together,” Maraleena started to make the bed as Sonia tried to decide how she felt about Maraleena gossiping about her.
Then, since what Maraleena said wasn’t bad and clearly Maraleena had double (or triple) the words any normal female had to use daily or she’d explode, she decided she didn’t mind.
“If it was me, I’d probably be all queen of the castle,” she went on, pulling the sheets to then she threw a smile Sonia’s way. “Though I’m glad you’re not.”
Sonia smiled back at her and replied, “I’m glad you’re glad.”
She shooed Sonia into the bathroom with her hand. “Shoo. Get. Cal says you’ve got some aches to work out of your muscles.” Her grin turned naughty. “I remember that. After my claiming…” She giggled. “Oo, I was aching for weeks. Drogan was insatiable. And rough! It was brilliant! And, I might add, two times last night, it still is! It’s a wonder I can even walk today!”
Sonia stared at her, wishing she had the wherewithal not to gape in horrified astonishment.
But she did not.
Maraleena caught her look, her smile died and she straightened.
“What?” she asked.
Sonia’s body jerked out of its shocked stupor and she slid her hands along her belly, crossing her arms at the black fabric of her nightgown there.
“Nothing, I’m just… humans don’t…” she stammered but stopped when Maraleena suddenly slapped herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand.
“Stupid!” she cried. “I forgot. You’re human.” She threw her arm out to Sonia. “You said Cal hadn’t had a chance to explain things and Drogan told me you wanted me to teach you about protocol and such. I’m an idiot.”
“You aren’t an idiot, Maraleena,” Sonia said softly, walked to her new friend and asked, “I met a lady, one of yours, and she was kind of blunt too. Do all your people talk about… um, sex like that?”
Maraleena’s grin came back full force. “Uh. Yeah.” Her eyes gleamed, she leaned forward and whispered, “Definitely.” Then she went back to making the bed. “I’ve never spent a lot of time with humans but I know you don’t.” Then she finished on a mumbled, “Weird, that.”
Sonia smiled at the thought that someone would think the human’s way was weird.
Then again, to her people, it obviously was.
“Anyway,” Maraleena went on. “You have your bath. Cal says you should dress warm. I’ll bring up breakfast in a bit.”
“Can I have breakfast in the kitchen with you and Callista?” Sonia asked and Maraleena burst out laughing.
Through her laughter she said, “Sonny! You’re queen! You can do anything you want!”
Sonia really wished that was true.
Alas, it was not.
She took a nice, long, hot bath in the big, circular tub fragranced with bath salts Callum had given her for Christmas. She put on light makeup and blow dried her hair, absently acclimatizing herself to where to locate all of her things in her new surroundings as she did so.
But when she went to the wardrobe to decide on her outfit for the day she saw, with all her bags unpacked and all of her things put away, Regan had not packed a stitch of Sonia’s clothes.