Page 16 (1/2)

Mrs Tunstell stood as well "To Scotland I go, investigating assignation attempts of the past!"

"Assassination," corrected Lady Maccon

"Yes, that I ible travel I had the, if I do say so myself"

"Of that, I have no doubt"

Lady Maccon returned to her new house and then made her way across to Lord Akeldama’s Floote’s builders produced exee between the two balconies that operated by way of a hydraulic lever It flipped doard At the sa on each balcony to fold away This allowed Alexia to easily traverse fro to the next despite encumbrances

She retired to her closet with alacrity She had been keeping re to consult daylight folk yet living with the supernatural set It was of little consequence, as the infant-inconvenience was th of ti nu her out of bed Really, pregnancy was theshe had ever had to endure in all her life, and for several years Alexia Tarabotti had been a confirnified state--so that was saying so aside when her husband joined her only to be awakened fully just after sunset by so on the closet door

"Conall, there is someone at the door to our bedroom!" She shook her massive husband where he lay in a boneless pile next to her

He snuffled softly and rolled over, trying to gather her in closer He had to settle for patting her belly absently and burrowing into her neck

Alexia arched against hi the affection and the ainst her skin For such a scruffy ht of my life, lord ofentrance And I don’t believe Lord Akeldama and his boys are awake yet"

The earl reater interest, apparently finding the flavor of her neck

The door shook and rattled as whoever it was see to physically force it open But for all Lord Akeldama’s frolicsome decorative choices, his town house was built with the supernatural inparaed Someone on the other side yelled, but a door so massive that it could withstand shoe thieves could also muffle even the loudest co concerned "Conall, get up and answer the door, do! Really, it soundsand led at the terribleness of both pun and innuendo She was pleased her husband still thought her attractive, despite her beached-whale state, but was finding it increasingly aard to acco but the flesh ollen Still, she enjoyed the compliment and understood that there was no real deh to realize she valued his desire ally and unworthy, Alexia was now tolerably assured that Conall genuinely did want her, even if they could do nothing about it at present She also understood that he was expressing his conjugal interest partly out of knowledge of her own need for such assurances A olf and a buffoon, her husband, but wonderfully caring once he’d blundered into the way of it

And yet, so their poor door Conall blinked awake, his tawny eyes wide and direct He kissed the tip of his wife’s long nose and, with a h, rolled out of bed and lumbered over to the door

Alexia, sleepy lidded, adoodness’ sake"

Her husband ignored her, throwing open the door and crossing his ar not one stitch of clothing Alexia sank down under the covers in mortification

She need not have worried; it was only Professor Lyall

"Randolph," grumbled her husband, "what’s all the ruckus about?"

"It’s Biffy, my lord Best come quickly You’re needed"

"Already?" Lord Maccon swore a blue streak, his blistering language the result of ination After a glance about the roo his foran to shift, the , the hair on his head h, he dropped to all fours Then he dashed out and down the hall, presuone wrong Alexia caught sight of the brindled tip of his fluffy tail as he skidded out of sight without even a nod in her direction

"What is it, Professor?" she demanded imperiously before her husband’s Beta could follow in his Alpha’s wake It was rather unlike Professor Lyall to disturb them with such forcefulness It was equally rare for there to be any issue so in need of the earl’s attention that his second could not delay the matter or handle the preliminaries himself

Professor Lyall turned back to the dim interior with a reluctant droop to his posture "It’s Biffy,the curse well this hts it, the more painful it is"

"But it’s over a week until full ical disjunction?" Poor Biffy It is so e--premature transfluctuation

"Difficult to say Could be years, could be decades of losing nights around full moon until he has better control All new pups are like this, although they are not often taken so suddenly or so badly as Biffy Usually it is only a few days before the moon Biffy’s cycle is off"

Alexia winced "And you could not?????"

Backlit by the expensively bright gas lighting of Lord Akeldama’s hallway, it was impossible toProfessor Lyall, his face would not reveal much

"In the end, I am only a Beta, Lady Maccon When a olf is in wolf for that can calm or control him except an Alpha You must have realized by now that there isThere is power of restraint and wolf-forence as well"

"But, Professor Lyall, you are very restrained all the tiher compliment to a olf, but mine is a ood"

"Except that you lead by exaet dressed I believe we may expect your results from BUR shortly"

"My results?"