Angela Knight - Over The Moon

"Mona Sera's men number more than twenty," Tomas said simply.

"Then between the six of us—Amber, Gryphon, Chami, Aquila, you, and I—we would have been equally matched against them. And we would have been fighting for something that meant more to us than simply obeying the orders of a Queen we feared. We would have won. At cost, but we would have won. Never doubt your worth to me again, Tomas. I hold every single one of you dear in my heart."

He expelled a shaky breath, bent low and kissed my hand. "No, my Queen. I shall not doubt you again."

When he straightened back up, I leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek like a mother did with a beloved child. He rewarded me with one of his brilliant smiles that lit up his plain face, transforming his features into something almost handsome.

I'd found Tomas looking to serve at High Court. Grown too powerful for his Queen, she had simply released him from her service. More merciful, it would seem, than executing him on some flimsy pretense of punishment. Or perhaps he had grown too powerful for her to try that. He had been waiting there, unwanted, ignored by the other Queens, until I had approached him.

I wondered what happened to other warriors who had grown too powerful to be considered safe. Where did they go? Did they, too, become bandit rogues like Aquila had, even though no one overtly threatened their life? Did guards cast from their Queens' courts become outlaws simply because they had nowhere else to go?

No, I could not save everyone. But as I looked into Tomas's sweetly plain face, I was glad, fiercely glad, that there were a few that I could.

After I turned over my apartment key and had my deposit refunded to me without question—another nice perk that came with being Queen; having big, intimidating men looming behind me—I took them shopping.

Nice dresses for Tersa and Rosemary—they had politely but completely ignored my suggestion of getting some pants. Not only Monère men, it seemed, were old-fashioned—and more casual clothes for the boys. Young Jamie, who loved American pop culture, which he'd picked up from watching TV, was the most adventuresome among them. He fingered his new blue jeans as if they were more precious than diamonds, and eyed the cowboy boots adorning his feet with something close to awe. He had gazed so longingly at the boots, I hadn't been able to resist buying them for him.

Thaddeus picked out some pants and shirts with casual efficiency, while I had fun dressing Tomas and Aquila. Hmmm, what did you choose for a wild rogue gone respectable? Not so hard a choice, as a matter of fact. Aquila looked nothing like the bandit he'd once been, one of the group that had kidnapped me, in fact. With his Vandyke beard neatly trimmed and a face serious and proper, he looked more like a scholarly professor or the successful man of business he once was. Sharply creased charcoal slacks, a gray-and-black patterned vest, and a simple cream shirt fit him quite nicely.

"Yummy in a quiet, distinguished sort of way," I said, smiling.

Aquila fingered the neatly pressed pleats—only a tasteful few—with obvious pleasure. "Yes, milady, they are. It is very nice to have clothes that actually fit once more, and are not patched."

He'd been wearing donated clothes since helping us escape from the forest. And ill-fitting though the clothes had been, they were far better than the rags he'd worn. A bandit's life, it appeared, hadn't been too profitable.

I let him wander off to select a couple more sets of casual attire, and turned to study Tomas, who stepped out from the fitting room.

A smile broke across my face. The straight-cut black denim—he didn't know they were jeans and I didn't enlighten him—and the rich bronze hue of the shirt contrasted nicely with his wheat-colored hair and light brown eyes. The snug fit of his clothing made him look taller and emphasized his broad shoulders, narrow hips, and muscular arms and chest, all of which had been hidden beneath the looseness of his usual attire.

"Perhaps a size larger," Tomas said dubiously.

"Oh, no. This fits you perfectly," I murmured, twirling my finger at him. "Turn around."

He did so with endearing awkwardness, his cheeks staining a dull red under our interested perusal.

Yup, the rear view was just as perfect, the jeans molding to his backside with loving attention. One thing for certain, all of my guys had great butts.

"Mona Lisa enjoys a snug fit," Amber rumbled softly beside me.

I colored beneath his bland expression and the words that could be taken another, more intimate, way. With Gryphon I'd have had no doubts about a sexual innuendo, but with Amber I wasn't as certain if he had intended it or not. Bits of Amber's true personality were slowly emerging beneath my love and his new freedom, like his tendency toward dominance. I wasn't sure if this was another new aspect of him coming out.

Ignoring his comment, I turned to the others. "What do you think, Rosemary?"

The large cook ran an inspecting eye up and down Tomas. "He looks like a prime cut of meat," she said with a tiny smile.

Simple, dear Tomas flushed even more. My poor men, I don't think they were used to being ogled so blatantly by a bunch of women.

"Get used to it," I said, looking at both him and Aquila.

"To what?" Tomas asked.

"Women looking at you. And you guys can look right back. You, too, Chami," I said, turning to where my chameleon lounged in a chair.

"Can we?" Chami said, arching a brow.

"Yes, indeed. I don't know how many women there will be in our new territory, but any present, unattached and willing, you are welcome to date."

"Date?" Tomas said. "What does that mean?"

"Date means to court, kiss, hold hands. You know." I fluttered my fingers. "To do that kind of stuff with women you are attracted to."

The expression on Tomas's face could only be described as astounded. "You would allow us to do this 'date' thing?"

"Well, yeah. And not just allow it, but actively encourage you to. If there are single unattached women there, and they have a pulse, they are going to notice you guys. Feel free to notice them right back," I said with a grin.

"Does that pertain to us as well?" Gryphon asked, his face smoothed in that remote blankness that let you read nothing.

Is he asking because he wishes to see other women? Because he no longer wants me ? a little voice whispered in my ear. Or was he asking because he feared me no longer wanting him?

A bit insecure, me? Yup. And it seemed to go both ways. We were both—or should I say, all three of us—insecure. If I let it, it could drive me crazy. I chose instead to go with my gut feeling.

I walked over to Gryphon, ran a light finger along the hollow of his throat, and smiled like the dangerous feline cat I was in my other form. "If you and Amber so much as look at another woman, I will scratch your eyes out, and then hers."

The blankness left Gryphon's face, and his eyes filled once again with expressive warmth. "When we have such rich bounty at hand, why would we wish to look elsewhere?"

I rewarded him with a light searing kiss. "Aw, you guys always talk so pretty."

White flakes of snow fell from the sky as we drove to the airport later that same night, like crystallized confetti dropping from the sky. Celebration, not sadness, at leaving this lonely island I had called home. An island packed to its bursting seams with people, but with none that I had been able to call my own. That had changed with the advent of Gryphon into my life, only a short time ago in matters of days and weeks. In terms of emotional commitment, a lifetime ago. New York was my old life. Louisiana was my future. A new home for us all.

We were a ragged lot of outcasts and misfits, composed of those unwanted and those thrown away. But we'd found a belonging with each other. Though we were small in number, we were strong. Together we would keep us all safe. But I wanted more than safety for us. I wanted us to be happy in all our varied needs.