Free Blood Redemption (Blood Destiny #9) by Connie Suttle

of the Inner Circle, so I had to be there. It would be the first time we met without Shadow. Well, there were plenty of firsts ahead of me if I measured them in that way. We met in the library, as we usually did. Rigo, Thurlow and even Norian Keef grumbled when they discovered they weren't included. Norian Keef had moved into a suite at the palace and then proceeded to act as if he belonged there. Well, he was going to belong—for the next thirty years or so. I had to get used to that.
    "We have a proposal." Erland was the one who spoke first. Garde sat beside him around the conference table. Even my two Larentii folded in at the last minute. Roff was resting his wings, allowing them to droop over the arms of his chair, the tips of soft brown leather touching the floor. Karzac was sitting on Erland's other side and it looked as if he were in on this, too—whatever it was.
    "What's the proposal?" I leaned back in my chair to watch my mates. Kifirin was the only one absent, but that was the case much of the time.
    "We want you to have children," Karzac said. "And there is a way to do this, if you consent."
    Well, if anybody wanted to get my attention, that might be the way to do it. "What are you talking about?" I asked.
    "Surrogate mothers," Gardevik chimed in. "The Larentii here tell us that they can manipulate a donor egg with your DNA, making it your egg. Erland and I have already secured willing surrogates and their fees will be paid if you consent. We can put them up at the beach house during their pregnancy. The children will be yours and ours, avilepha."
    I was stunned. Completely. "Are you sure?" I squeaked. "The babies will be mine, with my genes and everything? Not the surrogate's or the egg donor's?"
    "They will be, little mate," Connegar said, smiling at me. Okay, those blue eyes smiling at me were something to see. "We will extract a bit of your DNA and place it in the egg—afterward, it will match yours completely. Ferrigar has approved this—he says it is deserved."
    "You'll get two babies, fathered by Erland and Gardevik first," Karzac had already talked to the Larentii, I could tell. "Then, if you want others, the rest of us will be happy to find surrogates and donate sperm."
    "Karzac, do not kid me about this," I was standing suddenly, feeling numb. Was this true? They could do this?
    "We can and will do this, if you say yes," Reemagar was smiling now, too. Both my Larentii smiling at the same time? Wow.
    "Then I say yes. When can we do this?" I was so excited suddenly I was nearly vibrating.
    "We will do this in two days—we will bring the surrogates then," Erland was considering coming across the table, I think, just so we could embrace. I misted to him instead.
    "You're sure they don't mind?" I kissed Erland and asked questions in between.
    "Love, they are very willing and the money will be well spent," Erland replied.
    "Will they replace Toff in your heart?" Roff was now behind Erland.
    "Honey," I started crying, then. "If I could get Toff back right this minute, I would. Nothing is ever going to fill that hole in my heart." I was kissing my winged vampire, then, and crying at the same time.
    "I did not mean to upset you," I think Roff was crying with me. I could only hope that one day Toff would come back to us. I think we both clung to that hope.
    "Honey, we have a right to be upset." I had my arms and my legs wrapped around Roff, and the others disappeared from the room like mist on a bright sunny day.
    * * *
    "Director, we have evidence that Black Mist may have scouted the planet." Vice Director Lendill Schaff had contacted Norian via comp-vid, and now they were discussing a new turn of events. "I know you wanted to investigate Trell first, but that can wait. This is more important."
    Norian thought so, too. "We knew they would attempt to relocate eventually; I was hoping they'd head for Campiaa. Our spies there have been watching for them for months."
    "Even those criminals wouldn't appreciate