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Declaration of Courtship Chapter 6

HAVING SPENT THE remainder of the afternoon in 4B, Grace headed hori around in access corridors and narrow ducts she knew full well had been cleaned a o

Too bad spiders only needed a day to build a sticky e facilities

She shuddered at the res she’d seen trapped in the webs

Yes, she was changeling, hunted when her wolf needed it But there was so around

Her co out of the shower cubicle Recognizing the caller’s ID code, she wrapped a towel around herself and answered with a s up another towel to rub at her hair as the visual feed went live

"Hi, Mom" It was a choice she’d ave them the beloved place they deserved in her life while differentiating them from her lost mama and papa

"Hi, munchkin" Milena bealow that said she’d spent several hours outside under bright sunshine "Hoas your day?"

"Great" Unable to resist, Grace bragged a little about how her creas ahead of schedule, then asked her mother about the rest of the family

"I know you talk to Pia and Revel, too," Milena said after catching her up on a few things, "but I don’t kno long I’ll be able to keep the two of the a visit to check up on you"

"They turn up, I’ll kick them back out" She cherished her family, but they continued to see her as the half-mute seven-year-old they’d taken in after her parents were killed in the catastrophic events that had overtaken the o

So many children had become orphans, but none had been left without support, without fae children, Pia and Revel, had becoh not to ers had thrown their protection over Grace

Hardly surprising, since both Pia and Rev were strong dominants who now held senior soldier status

As a shocked child, she’d needed the coe provided by falling asleep curled between her siblings, all of them in wolf form It had made her feel safe when her world had splintered into so many pieces, she didn’t knohat to do, how to survive each painful hour

But she hadn’t been seven for a long tih, "but you kno stubborn they are" Then she laughed, hazel eyes shi to - you alere a stubborn thing I reet you to release your blankie so I could wash it

You didn’t screarowl, but would you let go? No I had to resort to sneaking it away one night weeks later when you finally fell asleep without it clutched in your little fist"

The story was a favorite one of her h

Now, she reached out and picked up the furry orange teddy bear Milena had made from the scraps of her blankie after it had finally fallen apart He’d survived her childhood and these days sat cheerfully on her bookshelf, next to photos of her fa her a kiss, Milena said, "I better go I promised your father I’d make his favorite quesadillas I love you, baby"

"I love you, too, Mom"

As she ended the call, Grace thanked God that neither Pia nor Rev had been posted to this den - they’d have been appalled at the idea of their sister dating a lieutenant Grace would have told the two of them to butt out, of course, but sheover her shoulder

"Tell ot up to as a juvenile " Even as heat bloo voice asking her wicked, wicked things at dinner the previous night - while he fed her spoonfuls of decadent chocolate ed tree found along ht down Rain check for dinner? Coop

Disappointed, she went to say yes, paused Has your tea it over in a half hour

I’ll do it

It ned off with kisses Dressing quickly, she found Bethany in the kitchen, putting together the meal When she offered to take it, the older woman raised an eyebrow

"Todd?"