The Journey Home: The Ingenairii Series: Beyond the Twenty Cities Read Free

for him.  He picked up the tray, whose contents had been ravaged by their repast.  “I’ll take this back to the kitchen, and fetch another pot of tea.”
    With that he was off, and Andi’s eye’s tracked his figure as he went around the bed and to the door, then left the room.  On some level s he enjoyed the obvious manner in which he was smitten by her, and the attention he paid, which bordered on smothering without ever quite getting there.  Her eyes shifted a degree further down, and she saw that Alec’s eyes were open, and staring at her.
    Andi let out a scream of shock that brought Amane and two servants running to the room.  When they burst through the door they found Andi on her knees at the side of the bed, her forehead pressed against Alec’s.
    She looked up at the arrivals, her eyes full of moisture and her voice hoarse with emotion.  “He’s awake!” she announced simply .

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 2 – The Missing Memories
     
    “How are you Alec?”  she asked, placing her hands in a tender cradle around his face .  I have missed you so much, my love.
    He blinked his eyes, then croaked, “Water, water, please.”
    Andi looked at the jug of water on the table, then moved her hands beneath Alec and raised him to a sitting position, supported by pillows she plumped-up behind him, before she stepped to the water and poured a tumbler of the clear liquid.
    She saw that Alec was staring at the men who stood still, watching in the doorway.  “May we have a few minutes of privacy, please?” she asked apologetically, causing Amane and the others to duck away immediately and close the door softly.
    Andi held the tumbler up to Alec’s lips , letting him sip the water slowly into his mouth, as Andi watched his face.
    He pulled his head back, and a splash of water fell on his chest, causing him to raise his hand and brush it away.  Alec closed his eyes, then opened them and looked around at his luxurious room.  He glanced at the door, then looked over at Andi.
    “Has he proposed to you yet?”  he asked.  “You’ve made quite a conquest.”
    “What do you mean?” she asked, blushing.  You’re teasing me already!  I wasn’t sure how you would come out of thi s; I’m glad you have your sense of humor , she added gently.
    “I opened my eyes and saw the way he was looking at you, holding your hand, placing that kiss on your cheek,” Alec smiled wanly.
    “I imagine that will stop after I move in here, now that you’ve awoken, ” Andi replied with another smile.
    “A Black Crag guard needing protection?  Especially against a dandy like that?” Alec asked.  “I’d think you could fend him off in about thirt y seconds if you didn’t want his attention. 
    “Or for that matter, I think about Mulvane and her squad of guards from Black Crag, they would have taken that man if they wanted him, and chewed him up for dinner, then spit out the bones in the morning when they’d gotten all they could out of him, I imagine,” he closed his eyes as he recollected the Black Crag guard squad who he’d worked with to protect Caitlen when he’d first arrived in Vincennes.
    He opened his eye s, still smiling as he looked at Andi, until he saw the expression on her face.  She had slightly pulled back from him, no longer within his personal space.  “So where are the others?  Where are we, as a matter of fact?” he asked, suddenly appreciating the fact that he had no idea of his location.
    “Which others?” Andi asked, disturbed by the conversation that made no sense to her.  Are you feeling alright, Alec?  Do you want me to give you some quiet time to recover your wits?
    “Jasel, Hope, Bauer, Stacha, Salem – the rest of our crew,” he explained who he was referring to .  He tried to recollect where they were, and how they had come to such extravagant lodgings.
    They wouldn’t have, they couldn’t have taken up residence in such splendor anywhere in the mountains, he realized ,