Keeper of the Heart

Chapter 42

Shanelle didn’t know what to say first-“Hello, father,” or “I can explain, Falon.” Her lifemate stood in the doorway frowning at the uninvited crowd in his bedroom. Her father stood there frowning at her mother. Her mother was wearing an I’m-not-budging expression. Shanelle gave up and kept silent, not wanting to instigate what was sure to be a big blowup.

Martha wasn’t as circumspect. “What the hell, the more the merrier. I should have thought of it myself.”

Martha’s voice drew Challen’s eyes to the phazor-combo unit at Tedra’s waist, well recognized after all the trouble he’d had with it when he first met her. “Not only do you defy my wishes to come here, but you come armed?”

Tedra’s chin went up. “Weapons are allowed here.”

“You did not acquire that weapon here, woman, but in Kan-is-Tra, where it is not allowed.”

“If you’re going to nitpick about trifles, then the fact remains that you haven’t caught me wearing it in Kan-is-Tra, have you?”

“This is true, yet will you be wearing it when I take you home.”

Her eyes narrowed at that reminder. “Then I’ll just leave it here.”

“No, you will not,” Falon interjected, drawing their eyes to him. “I care not if that thing you speak of is a weapon. What you may not leave here is access to your Martha, which it also is, for I have forbidden that computer to speak-”

“Let’s get something straight here, warrior,” Martha interrupted in her losing-patience tone. “You didn’t forbid me, you forbade Shani, which was all you could do, because I’m not command-able, and I think you know that by now. And how long are you going to hold this grudge against me and my Tedra anyway, just because we protected your lifemate before you had the right to? Would you have wanted some warrior barely known to you sneaking into her room in the middle of the night?”

Falon flushed with color, especially when Challen’s eyes swung toward him in marked displeasure. Shanelle didn’t have the least bit of pity for him at the moment.

“Now you see what happens when you get on Martha’s bad side, warrior,” she said. “She gets even when you least expect it.”

“You are speaking to me again, Shanelle?”

She shrugged. “You can thank my mother for that. She talked me out of being seriously mad at you. Now I’m just semi-mad.”

“For what reason were you angry at all, Shanelle?” her father wanted to know.

Shanelle wished she had kept her mouth shut. But she didn’t have to answer.

Falon did, and wasn’t the least embarrassed about this. “I found it necessary to punish her this rising.”

“Ah.” Challen nodded. “I now face the same necessity with my own woman.”

“That tears it,” Tedra growled. “My baby was in pain. That cancels all forbiddings as far as I’m concerned. I had to see for myself how much damage was done, and give her hell myself for forcing Falon to inflict it. I won’t be punished for that, warrior.”

“You will,” Challen promised. “Did you know she had need of us, you should have come to me. Instead you defy me and come here, where you are as yet unwelcome. And I see no evidence on my daughter to warrant your coming here at all- Shanelle, why do you wear those clothes?”

Shanelle blinked at the sudden change in subject. “This is what women wear here, father. They wear swords, too. In fact, when you see for yourself, you will be amazed at how different it is here-in some things.” She then looked pointedly at her lifemate. “Falon?”

He knew exactly what she wanted. He would prefer it if she didn’t put him on the spot like that, yet his desire was strong just then to give her anything she asked for, in an effort to mend their breach.

He glanced at Challen. “As long as you are here, shodan, I would invite you and your lifemate to visit for a time.”

“That is brave of you,” Challen replied, prompting a laugh from Falon and another scowl from his lifemate.

“Don’t rub it in the ground, warrior,” she grouched. “One measly little challenge that he didn’t even take seriously, and you won’t let me live it down. Well, I think we’ve played Tedra-is-a-bad-girl long enough. I happen to approve of my daughter’s lifemate, now that he’s got his act together. He doesn’t have to worry that I’ll get on his case again as long as he keeps his promise to make Shani happy; and, disregarding punishments that she deserved, he’s doing that. So let me off the hook already, before I really get mad.”

One golden brow arched. “Your anger these many days has not been true anger?”

“Not even close.”

“Best we recall, then, the lack of respect that has accompanied your untrue anger, which was allowed as an appeasement.”

“Fine,” Tedra snapped. “Go ahead and keep it up. But when my challenge loss is over, warrior, you better believe I’m going to do some getting-even.”

“Such is to be expected of a warrior woman,” Challen replied. “But best you remember your past difficulty with getting even, not through lack of ability, but through lack of true desire. You cannot hurt your only love, chemar.”

“Oh, shut up.”