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last time he’d seen a woman’s face in the flames of a campfire—and his last lover.
    He’d had a simply-sex affair with a lady on the southern continent of Brittany until he’d gotten word that the Holly-Hawthorn feud was heating up and his uncle, T’Holly, needed him. Once he’d arrived in Druida, like everyone else in the Holly Household, he’d been preoccupied with the feud and its aftermath.
    He hadn’t even gone to see his occasional lover here in Druida, GraceLady Kalmi Lobelia. But then the last time he’d seen Kalmi she’d raged at him for leaving her. He’d figured she never wanted to see him again. A pity because she’d been a good prophetess and there was always the chance she might see the way to repair the defect in his Family heritage.
    He stretched his legs in a stride, feeling the smooth working of his muscles. He’d been without a lover for over three months. Now the thought of Mitchella Clover raised his spirits. He’d been honest in telling her he had a HeartMate, but had also informed the exquisite lady that it would be a long time before he went in search of the woman to claim her as his wife—years perhaps. He wasn’t even sure where he’d stashed the HeartGift he’d made during his last Passage—the mental trial that freed his psi power, his Flair.
    Finding his HeartMate was another goal that could sink him in gloom. Refurbishing his home might take months, but he was still no closer to a fix for his flawed gene than he had been at seventeen. It could still take a long time, but that was for the future.
    Right now he anticipated a few months with the delectable Mitchella. Though she was a commoner, she had a nice bit of Flair, and he sensed she knew how to play the sex game. He wouldn’t push—much. All he had to do was to depend on the heated attraction between them. Sooner or later they would wind up in bed.
    Drina yowled in his ear, and he tensed. He’d been ignoring her, and her mews had escalated.
    â€œYes?” he said.
    A pillow for Me.
    â€œRight.” He noticed she’d made the request as they were passing T’Holly Residence where he’d stayed until that morning. He smiled. She was one smart feline. He stopped by the greeniron gates and rang a small bell. Through Flair-technology the sound would echo within the castle. Straif faced the crystal scrystone.

Three

    Only a few seconds passed before the T’Holly butler’s face appeared in the gate scrystone. He inclined his head at Straif. “How may I help you, T’Blackthorn?”
    The man’s face appeared strained, reflecting the tension of living in a Residence where the Lord and Lady were deteriorating under the weight of broken Oaths of Honor at disowning their son, Holm Holly, when he wed his HeartMate against their wishes. Yes, Straif had been right to leave this place. Better the ghosts of his own dead than the ghosts of the living Hollys.
    Straif shifted until Drina, riding his shoulder, showed into the scry. “Might I borrow a plump pillow for my new Fam? Perhaps the one in the guest room I’ve been using?”
    The butler smiled, and his eyes twinkled. “I’ll send it to the coordinates of T’Blackthorn ResidenceDen, as I did your traveling bedroll and other possessions.”
    â€œRight. Many thanks.”
    The butler cleared his throat. “Perhaps blue velvet would be acceptable?” His lips twitched as he studied the regal Drina.
    To match My eyes. Yessssss. I want gold tassels, too.
    Straif winced. “I have a request for . . .” He didn’t know if he could spit it out. What possessed him to accept a Queen-of-the-Universe FamCat?
    Drina brushed the side of his face with soft, soft fur and purred, sending approving and affectionate thoughts.
    â€œI have a request for a blue velvet pillow with golden tassels,” Straif said.
    A cough came from the butler.