To Seduce An Assassin (The Omaja Series Book 2)(25)

“Yes, well…that’s only because he’s such a handsome devil.”

She laughed at that, and Yavi held her gaze a moment, grinning.

“Sister, Emperor Yavi,” Jiandra interrupted. “Yajna and I have something to tell you.”

Yavi sat up straight. “What is it?”

Graciella leaned forward and set her glass on the low table.

Jiandra glanced at Yajna, who gave her a little nod. “I think I am with child.”

“Oh, sister!” Graciella stood up and went to her side to hug her. “That’s wonderful news.”

Yavi stood and shook Yajna’s hand. “Congratulations, brother. You will provide an heir to the throne.” He picked up his glass to toast. “Long live the Zulfikars!”

“Here, here,” Graciella chimed in happily.

Jiandra reached for her husband’s hand, and Yajna helped her to her feet. “Speaking of which,” she said, “Gracie and I should retire for the evening. Our coach is scheduled for the morning to take us to see Rafe.”

Graciella curtsied to Yavi. “Thank you for the katsuri.”

He inclined his head to her.

“I’ll join you in a moment, dear wife,” Yajna said. “I want to speak with my brother about the trip tomorrow.”

“All right.” Jiandra nodded. “Goodnight, Yavi.”

Graciella left the study with Jiandra. She linked her arm through her sister’s as they walked down the hall. “How exciting, Jiandra. A baby!”

“Yes. I wasn’t sure until today, when my cycle was fully a month overdue, and I knew I just felt—different.” Jiandra touched her belly with her free hand. “You can feel when there is life growing inside you. It’s quite odd.”

“I have been waiting for years for this news, ever since you got married. I’m surprised it’s taken so long!”

Jiandra chuckled. “Well, Yajna and I were using…precautions.”

“Precautions?”

“Shhh!” Jiandra glanced over her shoulder. “Wait until we get to my room, and I’ll explain.”

Once they were closed up inside Yajna and Jiandra’s quarters, Graciella turned to her. “Okay—explain ‘precautions,’ Jia.”

“All right. So when we got married we decided we wanted to avoid having a baby right away so that we could focus our energy and efforts on rebuilding Nandala.”

“Right?”

“So, we always took precautions when we were, ah, together. It’s nothing too mysterious, it’s just…he…he pulls out before he…you know.”

Graciella peered at Jiandra skeptically. “Before he what?”

“You know—before he spills his, er, seed.”

“Oh.” Graciella thought about that. She knew about physical intercourse thanks to Jiandra’s enlightening explanation when Graciella turned twelve, but obviously some details had been left out of the discussion. “That works?”

“Well, it did for a while, anyway. I guess we haven’t been as careful lately.”

“But how can he still—spill seed, if he pulls out?”

“Oh, easy. He waits until the last possible second, the point of no return.”

Graciella’s mind suddenly filled with images of her brother-in-law that probably weren’t appropriate. “Wow.”

“Yes, well, anyhow, it may not be the best timing to have a baby right now, but we are still thrilled.”

“Yes. Me too. Please say you’ll let me stay until the baby’s born, Jia. You’ll need my company and help, and I’ll want to see my little niece or nephew.”

“Yes, definitely, sister. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jiandra hugged her.

“Goodnight.” Graciella kissed her cheek and left to go to her own room. When she entered, she was pleased to see that the servants had built a fire and the room was toasty-warm. She went over to the washstand and began taking down her hair.

The window on the far side of her bed suddenly blew open, and Graciella jumped, startled. She rushed over to close it, shivering in the cold draft.

Father! a faint child’s voice seemed to whisper from behind her as she pushed the window shut. She whirled around to see where the voice came from, but there was nothing there.

She latched the window and murmured to herself, “Katsuri must have gone to my head.” She dressed in her nightgown, shook out and hung her pink gown in her armoire, and knelt by the bed to say her prayers. She prayed for Jiandra’s baby, for Nandala to prosper, and for Yavi’s broken heart to mend.

§

Uman stood on the raised dais with Terijin behind him and looked out over his crowd of followers. Their ranks had swelled by several hundred Nandals hungry for revolution, and he knew tonight was his golden opportunity.

He paced in front of the altar. “Too long have we done without, while the palace lives in luxury at our expense! They have taken our land, with the promise of giving us food, but what food have we seen? Too long have we starved, waiting for the Zulfikars to make good on their promises! Too long, my brothers, have we gone without a real ruler.”

His followers raised their fists in the air. “Here, here!”

“My father, Thakur, was a real bastard.” Uman grinned, baring sharpened teeth. “He was even more selfish than the Zulfikar twins. But he had one thing right. His plan of taking over Villeleia, our peaceful and prosperous neighbor to the south.”