Chapter Seven #3
Eudora smiled. She inclined her head at the image, and the two sons bowed while their mother and father had bright tears in their eyes but proud smiles.
Delia said softly, “Communications out.”
The mirror disappeared, and Delia slumped.
Eudora leaned down and whispered, “I have a ton of food ready to go. Come on.”
She helped Delia off the table, but Den scooped her up and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Delia.”
Sern put his hand on Eudora’s back. “Thank you, Eudora.”
“You are welcome. Now both of us are hungry, so let’s get the grill going.”
He chuckled, and they walked to the kitchen and then out to the deck. He got the grill going, and she and Den brought out the food and set it up on the counter of the kitchen.
She got the grill ready and set out the skewers. Sern brought her some lemonade, and she sipped at it. “So, your mother is gorgeous.”
“Yes. She is. She said that once you heard it everywhere you went, the actions of those who loved you were the only important things.”
She got the tongs ready and put the skewers on the grill. “That is very wise. Did you meet your bio-donor?”
He chuckled. “The emperor? Yes. He visited twice. Once when I was a child, and once when I cleared the academy.”
“Did you get a car or something?”
He looked at her, leaning against the counter. “I got to pick a long-term mission on an unknown world, far away from the imperial court.”
“What was your position here?”
“Mediator.” He shrugged.
“Right. So, when do you go home?”
“Never. Long-term, in our case, is a few thousand years. It is a nicer way of saying one-way trip.”
“Because of your bio-father.”
“Yes. Technically, I am the heir to the empire. It is not a position I wanted to have.”
“So, Vaayu is a better emperor?”
“Yup. He’s aggressive and stubborn but also intelligent. He will be a good leader and probably already is.”
“I hope so. He has a ton of grandkids.”
Sern laughed. “Yes, that was a surprise for him.”
“You talked to him when he visited?”
“Yes, his presence pulled all the imperial djinn to the new palace.”
She smiled. “Was he nice?”
“Having his mate with him both softened and irritated him. It was interesting to watch.”
She smiled. “That sounds like an entertaining marriage. I wonder what the wedding was like.”
“No wedding. He said she was empress, and she was.”
“Ah. Scary superpower.” She tended the sizzling skewers.
“That’s what makes him the emperor.” He chuckled. “What do you need?”
She blinked and reorganized her thoughts. “Um, the bowl of marinade and a clean plate.”
He moved and got her what she needed. The grill was pristine, as were the burners. She doubted he had ever used it.
She rotated the skewers and smiled. She closed the lid and looked at Sern. “You know, I rarely look at you in daylight. You are very blue.”
He grinned. “I am. My father was as well. My mother is red.”
She frowned. “Why do I know something about red djinn?”
He cocked his head. “Have you heard of them?”
“Sort of. The same way you hear a whisper in a ballroom.”
“They are dragon-killers. When they manifest, they are immediately assigned to a compatible male.”
“Stepdad.”
“Correct. If my mother is planning on sliding over here for a visit, she will have to get the imperial authorization first.”
“That big a deal?”
“Yes. Until we have a stable population, we do not want to attract attention to this world. We will not be able to defend it otherwise.”
“I think that is what me and mine are for.” She drizzled the set-aside marinade over the skewers, and with another two turns, she removed them and set them on the platter he had brought. “How do you take your steak?”
Sern answered and went to get the preferences from Delia and Den.
Eudora cleaned the grill, oiled it, and then she lined up the meat and flipped it onto the grill, one steak at a time.
Sern passed on the orders, and she said, “You might want to check on the potatoes.”
His eyes went wide, and he darted toward the kitchen.
She made the hatch marks on the steaks and took them up in order of not-doneness.
She set them out on the platter and wrapped them in foil. Sern was setting an outdoor table, and the skewers and potatoes were already in place. To her amusement, there was also a salad waiting with a few dressings.
Eudora grinned. “Boy, are you optimistic.”
Sern wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “You have no idea.”
She looked up at him, and there was an intent look in his eyes. “I am getting an inkling.”
Delia laughed. “Wash up and have a seat. This looks amazing.”
Eudora went and washed up before returning to the table. To her surprise, wine was poured, and everyone was waiting for her. “Wow. This is unusual. Normally, the folks I would be with would be halfway through the food.”
Sern smiled. “We have manners. They are small, but they are there.”
She smiled. “Well, I guess we should start.” She identified which steak was which, grabbed a skewer, a potato, and her own slab of beef.
She used one of the little charms she knew and summoned her favourite steak sauce. She saw Sern’s look. “Yeah, I know. I am an abomination.”
“How did you learn that spell?”
“Oh, a photographer dropped a USB drive, and this downloaded into me. This is the most overt magic I can do aside from changing my clothing. Summoning steak sauce is my big nod to wizardry.” She dumped a puddle onto the edge of her plate and started slicing her steak.
His eyes widened. “Duran said that Emhara had picked up a USB and said she got a download. What was on it?”
“It’s a collection of grimoires. The download for me was complete, but only the small object teleport was accessible.”
Sern blinked. “Interesting. No portal?”
“Nope. Well, there is one, but it is very loud and very messy. I have to rip a hole in space. I don’t particularly want to do that.”
Den swallowed what he was chewing. “Wise.”
Eudora grinned. “I know, right?”
They ate, and Eudora kept eating until she couldn’t get one more mouthful in. She groaned. “I am done.”
Sern grinned and looked over. “May I?”
She blinked as she realized that it was a mating ritual, even with humans. She nodded and eased her plate toward him. He looked at her plate curiously and took some of the third of the steak she had surrendered, dipping it into the leftover sauce. His brows went up.
He looked at the sauce. “May I?”
She nodded. “It’s your plate now. When I surrender, I do it wholeheartedly.”
He smirked and tried it again. The pattern continued, and she smirked. “Not bad, right?”
“Where did you get this?” He grabbed the bottle and read the label.
“I make it myself. This is one of two bottles that survived the move.”
“This is like crack for beef.” He carefully dolloped out a little bit more.
Den fidgeted. “May I try it?”
Sern paused and then held out a hand. “Fork.”
Den handed his fork over, and Sern dabbed a small piece of steak into the sauce before handing it over.
Den took the fork, chewed, and then his eyes closed, and he had a blissful expression on his face. “That is... perfect.” He sighed happily. “More?”
Sern growled. “No.”
Sern slowly and carefully ate the remainder of the steak with the sauce. He sighed happily. “Can you make that sauce again?”
Eudora chuckled. “I can. So, you aren’t horrified anymore?”
Delia sighed. “I am wishing I ate slower.”
Eudora shrugged. “I still have one full bottle and a partial bottle. Yes, I can make more.”
Sern smiled. “And your beauty continues to increase.”
Eudora laughed.