hand, and Gineva put out hers to meet it, smiling. “Thank you, ma’am. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“To be sure, I’ll be glad to have female company, once again. You say your mother and aunt accompanied you?”
“Yes, ma’am, and my cousin, Amelia, plus my crew. Ten women, plus myself.”
The old woman’s gaze went from her to Tigh. “It’s a start. You’ve done well, grandson. Better than I expected, in fact. The Lady Goddess smiled on your path to allow you to find your true mate at such a time.”
The former empress looked downward, and Ginny was surprised to find a young boy of about four or five years old tugging on the old lady’s skirts. Since Tigh’s grandmother was clearly not strong enough to lift the little boy, Ginny bent down to him, smiling as he stuck his thumb in his mouth.
“Hello, little one. My name is Ginny. What’s yours?”
“This is Mattie, my newest page.” The former empress bent down beside Ginny and reached out to tuck a strand of curly blond hair behind the boy’s ear. “He doesn’t talk much yet, but we’re working on it, aren’t we, Mattie?”
The little boy nodded, big blue eyes wide with interest as he looked at Ginny. She was enchanted by the boy and wondered with a pang what had happened to his family. It was likely his mother had been among the victims of the virus. Ginny sent a questioning look to the former empress. The old woman shook her head, and Ginny knew her fears were confirmed.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mattie. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
Tigh’s grandmother patted the little boy on the back, sending him back to the corner behind her where a small contingent of young boys of various ages stood. Ginny hadn’t seen them before, but now, she realized they all wore a sort of uniform bearing the imperial crest. They were probably all ‘pages’, she realized, motherless boys the former empress had taken charge of. Immediately, Ginny’s heart softened toward the old woman.
“As you’ll learn, my grandmother increases the number of imperial pages every day,” Tigh teased the old woman.
“It’s my prerogative to have as much or as little help as I desire, Tigh,” the former empress reminded her grandson.
“I believe I can assist you, ma’am,” Ginny said, “if you find yourself with extra pages. My family, crew and I have missed having youngsters around.”
Tigh’s grandmother beamed at her as she took Ginny’s arm, leading her away from the main hall toward a side corridor. “I believe we’re going to get along very well, indeed, Captain.”
Tigh’s grandmother accompanied them to the family portion of the palace, making idle small talk as they walked along beautifully decorated corridors, accompanied by an honor guard of men who left them at the entrance to the family’s private sector. As soon as they were alone in the dowager’s sitting room, she turned shrewd eyes on Tigh.
“Now, tell me the truth, boy. This mating. Is it just a ruse to make this more palatable for the masses, or is it true?”
Tigh pulled Ginny into him, his arm tight around her waist as they faced his grandmother together. “The Goddess truly blessed us, Grandmother, and if you don’t believe me, ask your friend, Jurdan. He subjected my true mate to the light of the Goddess before I even knew what he intended. Thankfully, she passed the test, as did her crew. Grandmother, they truly are the Velkir, and Ginny truly is my mate.”
Tears gathered in the old woman’s eyes. Ginny was touched by the display of emotion. She moved out of Tigh’s arms and took his grandmother’s hand, hoping to reassure her.
“I love your grandson, ma’am. I wouldn’t lie about that.”
“Bless you, Gineva. You lighten my heart.”
Tigh moved forward and cupped his grandmother’s cheek. “Rest easy, Nana. We wouldn’t lie about mating, though I was prepared to take any woman who would have me when I arrived in the human galaxy. But then, I saw Ginny, and I knew, from the moment I saw her, she was special. I subjected her to the nij’ta not five minutes later, and that’s when I knew she was destined for me, though she made me work for her compliance, courting her in the human way.”
“Good for you, Gineva. It’s not good for a man to have everything handed to him. Even an emperor should have to work for things, from time to time. Though, of all the emperors I’ve