Alex dozed on the bed, Rosslln cradled in his arms. No turning back now, she was his, and he just couldn’t bring himself to give her up.

She was sleeping now, snoring in his arms tucked up against his side. A small, blissful smile on her lips.

He examined her, not for the first time, but more closely than he had before.

She was cute, not necessarily beautiful, like Lisril with her high regal cheekbones, or Eli, who was, frankly, the most perfect woman he’d ever seen.

But Rosslln was cute, petite as Dyrantisa went. They tended to be a bit shorter when standing in a relaxed position, but if they extended their digitigrade legs as much as they could, they gained half a foot, a head’s height.

Alex was reasonably tall; men grew taller in the federation than in previous eras or less advanced parts of the world. Eight-foot was pretty average, below that, short, and nine wasn’t unheard of.

He was in the middle, between eight and nine, and Rosslln, in her relaxed position, came up just to his chest height and could nestle her head in the crook of his neck at full extension.

He gently kissed the crown of her head. She had, all over her body, small scars and some big ones. Most were faint, hard to see on her dark-purple skin, but it was clear how tough her life must have been.

Dyrantisa were overall less muscular. But their muscle was denser, he thought perhaps to make it more resistant to cuts, what with the claws, so it ended up mostly being a wash.

He ran his fingers through her hair, and someone began pounding on the door.

Alex tucked his legs against his chest, and Rosslln started awake and scrambled to her feet, leaving long furrows in the bed.

She bounded from the bed, glaring at the door, ready to defend him from the malefic forces of the armoire that still stood in front of it.

He stood, putting his hands on the young woman’s shoulders, squeezing gently. “We’re okay,” he said.

Regardless, he grabbed his pistol from his bedside and stepped around her. The pounding hadn't stopped. “Who’s there?”

The clamor quieted, and then. “Alex? It’s me.”

“Eli?”

There was a pause. “Yes,” she sounded more composed. “We heard what happened and came as quickly as We could. How have you barred the door? Let Us in.”

He glanced at Rosslln, who seemed more relaxed now, then turned back to the door. “Lisril said not to let anyone else in.”

She paused. “Please,” she said, voice barely audible. “I want to see you.”

He glanced at Rosslln again, who nodded, and he pushed the armoire away.

The door opened, and he was tackled by a streak of blue. He caught her up in his arms, squeezing her tight.

“You’re alright?” Eli’s hands framed his face, fingers tracing gentle circles on his cheeks. “You’re not hurt? You’re-” her eyes flicked down. “Naked, you are naked.” She pushed out of his arms and slammed the door in her guards’ faces.

She spun to face him once more, pale blue face flushing purple. “Why are you-” her eyes flicked to the equally nude Rosslln. “Oh,” she said, “oh, I see.” She cleared her throat. “Well, ah, see to it you do the honorable thing, Rosslln.”

Rosslln seized his arm, pulling him close. “Maybe my Empress ought to give me an example to follow.”

Eli’s face turned pensive, and he broke away from Rosslln, taking Eli’s hands in his. “What’s wrong?”

Her jaw tightened, and she shook her head. “Nothing, we’ll find out who did this, and when we do-”

“I know who it was,” Alex said.

Eli blinked. “You do?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I recognized her. She helped serve dinner that first night.”

“From the kitchens?”

“On reflection, I don’t think she was after me, either.”

“What?” Eli exclaimed, and Rosslln echoed her. “What makes you say that?”

He pointed to the bed. “It’s big, I guess, for a big, Dyrantisa family. I was right in the middle; Lisril was on the side facing the door. To get me, she would have had to lean her whole body over Lisril. But Rosslln wasn’t in bed; you’d think she’d go to the other, empty side if she wanted me.”

“You think Lisril was the target?”

He nodded. “You were trying to figure out who let our assassin in. Maybe they were affiliated, closely enough to warrant revenge.”

“It’s a possibility,” Eli said, pensive. “I’ll have Yillis have a look; she’ll be able to confirm your suspicions, and then we can hand it over to Iiandere.

She took his hand, working assiduously to keep her eyes on his. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

He led her to the bed, sat, and patted the spot next to him. Rosslln took his other side, and after a moment’s hesitation, Eli joined them.

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“I’m fine,” he said, “sweetheart here gave her all to protect me.”

Eli smiled at that news, seeming proud of her friend’s heroism. “Then I’m glad she was here,” Eli said. “And pleased to hear of her valor.”

He smiled at Rosslln, squeezing his young lover’s hand. “I’m lucky to have her.”

Rosslln’s blush, in contrast to Eli’s, was nearly impossible to see on her darker skin. But was no less charming. He kissed her cheek and cast a grateful look over his shoulder to Eli.

“And now you’ve come to protect me, too.”

Eli’s flush spread right down her neck, and he sat up to kiss her cheek. Did he need their protection? Not really. But while he worried, he was, of course, grateful for their dedication and knew how important it was to show it.

She shook her head. “You’re welcome, but would you mind putting some clothes on?”

He chuckled. “Yes, of course; sorry, I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable.”

“No,” she said as he stood, her eyes briefly flicking over his body. “I’m just concerned for your modesty, that’s all.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he laughed, going to the pile of clothes lying by the bed. “I’m not shy.”

The door banged open, and Lisril stormed in, “Alex, you-” she stopped. “Are naked, why-” Her eyes caught on Rosslln. “Ah.” And then she saw Eli. “Oh! Well, don’t let me interrupt.”

He laughed, shaking his head as he pulled on a pair of boxers. “You’re ruthless.

She fixed him with a toothy grin, swinging the door shut behind her. “I try.”

She approached him, putting her hands on his shoulders. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.” She glanced at Eli. “I suppose there are worse acts of disobedience you could have undertaken.”

He kissed her. “Sorry,” he said.

“It’s not his fault,” Eli said. “I forced the issue.”

He shook his head. “That’s not true, she asked, and I couldn’t say no.”

He pulled on his pants, and Lisril led him back to the bed. She sat at the edge of the group and placed Alex back in the spot he’d vacated between Rosslln and Eli.

“Where’s Serra?” he asked.

“Examining the body of our sentry,” Lisril said. “There weren’t any signs of a struggle.”

Eli nodded. “That would comport to what Alex said.”

“What?” Lisril craned to look at him around Eli. “What did you say?”

“I recognized the attacker; she delivered our food that first day.”

Lisril frowned and stood, going to the door. For a moment, she conversed urgently with the guards outside, gesturing and twisting her fingers, whistling.

When she returned, her face was grim. “There’s a spilled dish,” she said. “On the floor outside. It looks like you’re onto something.”

She sat again, reaching across Eli to take his hand. “So, she poisons the guard and enters the room to assassinate you.”

“Alex thinks you were the target,” Rosslln said.

“Alex often has flights of fancy,” Lisril snorted. “And worries too much for his women.” She squeezed his hand. “As is a man’s prerogative. Of course, he was the target.”

“How can you be so sure?” Alex asked.

“Other,” Lisril said. “Than the fact that you were the target in both previous attacks? What other designs should a woman have when breaking into a man’s room?”

At that, Eli burst into laughter. “How can two people be so at odds yet complement each other so perfectly?”

He grinned past her, sharing a look with his wife. “It’s easy,” he said. “When you love each other.”

Lisril squeezed his hand, and he wrapped his other arm around Rosslln.

They fell silent then, just sitting with each other. Alex closed his eyes and leaned against Eli’s shoulder, basking in the closeness.

There was a knock on the door, and after a moment, it opened to admit Serra, looking harried and sad, her dark hair a little disheveled, as though she’d been pulled straight out of bed.

He stood, crossing the room and throwing his arms around her. “How are you?”

“Tired and sad,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around him and shaking her head against his shoulder. “That poor guard was given thistle.”

“Thistle?”

She let him guide her to the bed, sitting, wrapping herself up in his arms. “It’s an awful thing to do,” she whispered. “Thistle causes paralysis but kills by working on the lungs. It causes hemorrhaging in the Bronchi; a woman drowns on dry land, unable to move. The toxin works quickly but kills slowly; she must have suffered terribly.”

He squeezed her tight. “I’m sorry I got you caught up in this.”

She shook her head. “No,” she said. “This is nothing more than my duty, sad as that duty may sometimes be. Iiandere has taken it upon herself to inform the woman’s family.”

She heaved a heavy sigh. “We haven’t figured out who the killer is, but she must be a palace servant. Probably driven to act by Iiandere’s questioning of the staff.”

Eli nodded. “Alex says he recognizes the assassin as a member of the kitchen staff.”

“Did he?” Serra sucked her lip. “Alright, I’ll go back and tell Iiandere then.”

His grip on her tightened. “Serra.”

She smiled. “It’s okay,” she said. “We can sit together later. I think this will keep me busy tomorrow; once we have a name, I can start looking into possible connections with our other assassins. But we’ll make time to sit together and chat about philosophy again sometime, I promise.”

“Alright.” He kissed her. “Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

Rosslln jumped to her feet, then retrieved her nightgown and covered herself. “I can do it,” she offered. “I- should probably talk to her anyway, right?”

Serra scratched her head but finally nodded. “I suppose that’s true.”

Rosslln grinned at them, and he smiled back at her as Lisril stood, joining the young woman. “You know the way?”

Rosslln’s smile died a bit, and Lisril sighed. “I’ll show you, but you should give your promises more consideration.”

“Ah, yes,” Rosslln said, ducking her head. “Thank you.”

Lisril chuckled and turned to Serra, who was eying Rosslln. “Take care of him.”

Serra nodded, seizing his hand and squeezing tight. “I will,” she promised.

Lisril returned her gesture and turned to Eli, smirking. “I appreciate your concern,” she said. “But we have an important meeting tomorrow, you especially. We can trust Serra.”

Eli stood reluctantly, reaching out to squeeze his hand one last time. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “I’ll leave one of my personal guards at the door. They, at least, can be trusted to control their appetite until they are relieved.”

Lisril nodded. “I think that’s a good idea; goodnight Eli, we’ll see you in the evening.”

Eli nodded, slowly walking out of the room, casting a last glance back at them over her shoulder before she was gone.

“Right,” Lisril said. “you too, Alex, you need to be fresh for the evening. Get some rest; Rosslln and I will be back soon.

He nodded, standing, and pulled first Lisril and then Rosslln into a tight hug. “Take care of yourselves.”

“I shouldn’t think there’s any reason to worry,” Lisril said.

Rosslln looked up at the older woman and set her jaw. “She’s right; we’ll be fine.”

Alex smiled at them, grateful for the comfort. “Hurry back,” he said, slipping from their arms and rejoining Serra on the bed, wrapping her up in his arms.

Lisril was already out the door by the time he was situated, with Rosslln on her heels, leaving him alone with Serra.

They sat in silence for a little while, the only sound the crackling of the fire. Eventually, she cleared her throat. “You and Rosslln…”

She trailed off, but it wasn’t hard to guess what she was talking about. “Jealous?”

“I didn’t say that!” Serra cried. “I’m glad you’re getting along, that’s all.”

Her tone didn’t seem all that congratulatory, and despite her protests, it occurred to him that they were supposed to be engaged, but he was closer to Rosslln, despite having known her about the same amount of time.

“We’ll make time to get to know each other better,” he promised.

She nodded, pensive, and heaved a sharp sigh. “But we’ll do that later; for now, I’m in charge of making sure you’re fresh and ready to meet the Matriarch, so let’s lay down.”

He hummed his agreement, glancing down at the torn mattress. He’d have to apologize to Eli tomorrow. For the moment, he pulled Serra under the covers, squeezing her tight against him, hoping she didn’t feel too left behind.

“Goodnight, Serra,” he murmured.

“Sleep well, Alex.”