Page 36 of Dark Princess Emerging

Understanding flickered in Morelle's eyes, but she didn't protest, and as she settled onto the couch beside Jasmine, Kian placed Allegra between them.

"Jadga!" Allegra reached for Jasmine with one hand while keeping hold of Morelle's fingers with the other. "Illy!"

"She gives everyone she likes nicknames," Syssi observed with a laugh. "Consider it an honor."

"I do," Morelle said. "We didn't have any little ones in the temple. Unlike Ell-rom and me, most acolytes joined at the age of ten."

It struck Kian again how much the twins had missed, growing up in isolation. It was a miracle that they had somehow turned out to be decent people. The head priestess, who had been the only one they'd had constant contact with, must not have been as bad as they remembered her. She must have done some good as well.

"Dinner is served," Ogidu announced from the dining room doorway.

"Perfect timing." Annani swept into the room.

As they migrated to the dining room, Kian noticed the careful attention paid to everyone's dietary preferences. Vegan options for Ell-rom and himself, Allegra's favorite foods cut into manageable pieces, and lighter fare for Jasmine and Morelle, who were still recuperating.

"Everything looks and smells wonderful," Kian said as he settled Allegra into her highchair between Syssi and himself.

"Our new family members deserve a proper welcome-home dinner," Annani replied, her smile warm as she gazed at Jasmine and Morelle. "Even if we must keep it small for now."

As they started on the first course, Kian watched the interactions around the table. Morelle and Jasmine were already falling into easy conversation, their initial awkwardness with each other melting away as they talked about Jasmine's acting experience. The Kra-ell were not into the performing arts, or any arts for that matter, and Morelle was fascinated by tales of actors bringing stories to life.

"Mama, look!" Allegra announced proudly as she managed to stab a piece of steamed carrot with her fork.

"Well done, sweetheart," Syssi praised. "Now try to put it in your mouth."

Morelle turned to look at Allegra and smiled, her eyes full of emotion, and Kian wondered what that was about.

Was she just enjoying the company of a small child because she'd never gotten to experience it before? Or was it the feeling of finally having a family?

22

MORELLE

Morelle couldn't take her eyes off Allegra as the little girl carefully maneuvered another piece of carrot into her mouth. There was something magical about watching a child discover the world, even in such simple acts. She'd met the other children in the family during the large dinner Annani had hosted on Saturday, but none of them was as special as Allegra.

Amanda's little Evie, who was nine months old and already walking and saying a few words, peeked at strangers from behind her mother's legs and only smiled when playing with her older cousin. Alena's newborn son was still too young to show much personality. Kalugal's son, Darius, who was six months old and had serious eyes and inner calm, seemed to evaluate everything around him, marking him as a future warrior or leader.

Allegra, though, was special. There was a spark in her, a brightness that drew people in. Morelle could easily imagine this child growing into a formidable female, leading the clan with the same grace and authority as her grandmother.

The thought made her smile.

She would be there to see it, to watch this remarkable child grow into the person she was meant to be.

"You're completely enchanted by her, aren't you?" Brandon murmured from beside her.

"She is adorable," she whispered back, watching as Allegra demonstrated her mastery of spork-holding to her attentive grandmother.

When the conversation shifted to Jasmine's mother, it finally drew Morelle's attention away from Allegra's antics.

"I don't remember much about her," Jasmine was saying, her voice soft and still a little weak. "All I have left from her is a jewelry box, the two rings and a gold chain that were inside, and a deck of tarot cards that was tucked in a hidden compartment." She smiled apologetically. "But as much as I searched the cards for clues, I didn't find any. Eventually, I just accepted that she wanted me to use them as a way to express myself, but now I question that once more. Maybe there was a message hidden in them somewhere after all."

"Was it a standard deck?" Syssi set down her fork. "I don't know much about tarot, but Amanda has delved a little into Wicca, so I know that there are several standard decks, and then there are decks made by various artists. She owns one that had a very limited print edition, and it's worth a lot of money. Maybe that's why your mother left it for you. Maybe it's valuable."

"It's not one of those." Jasmine sighed, absently playing with the stem of her water glass. "It's a nice deck that is no longer in print, but it was quite popular in the nineties when my mother got it."

Annani's eyes held that particular gleam that Morelle knew meant she was pursuing a theory. "Maybe the clue is in the jewelry box," she suggested. "Do you still have it?"

Jasmine nodded. "I do, but I don't want to take it apart. The box and the few items that were in it are all I have left of my mother."