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Chapter 99: Able to Laugh Again
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2021-03-09 21:45:49Leo and Dorian paced the room where they were waiting for Laurel and the babies.
Their trip to the space port to pick up the rest of the family turned into a parade because the people had somehow discovered that they were arriving home and had lined up on the streets they would be taking, to cheer as the royal family passed.
They especially cheered for Leo, the hero of the Empire.
Leo was overwhelmed by the attention, blinking and waving at the crowd with a dazed expression on his face. A woman ran up and jumped on the wagon.
Leo, who was on the side, jumped in surprise.
“First Prince Leo, are you single?” the woman asked. Leo’s eyes widened.
“Why do you ask?”
The female smiled. “Are you only able to have sex with your mate, or…” Leo fell into stunned silence until the wagon started up again.
“What did she say?” Ellis asked. Leo had told the woman no and she had stepp
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Logan put out an announcement that tonight would be a state dinner and so the temple dining room was packed with people, all of them speculating as to the cause. He and the empress rarely had them and when they did it was usually for a special announcement. The last had been to announce the empress was expecting Prince Edward and the one before that, to announce that Nessie was being appointed to the emperor's Council.Izzy ate mechanically. She wasn't hungry, but Aunt Cristine was right: she had to make sure the baby got what it needed. Drake was alight with excitement and impatient for the meal to end. The entire extended family was seated around the table, all of them wearing their finery. Her mother wore the glow stone tunic she'd worn to her own mating ceremony and Aunt Laurel was dressed in a purple tunic so bright that it hurt the eyes to look at it. Leo kept flirtatiously tickling Cristine's neck with his tail and then looking away innocently whenever she looked up fr
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"I saw a doctor less than an hour ago." Izzy unwound her tail from her leg with effort and gnawed on the end of it anxiously.Her father stood and without a word, headed for the door."Daddy, wait, please!" Nessie pleaded. "I'm so sorry! Talk to me.""I can't." Logan's eyes were on the door and his tail lashed in either agitation or anger; she couldn't tell which."Please," Izzy pleaded. "I need to know what you're thinking. Do—do you still love me?""Of course, I do," Logan said tightly. He twisted the doorknob."Don't leave," Izzy begged."Sweetheart, your father just needs a little time," Ellis interjected. "Let him go, and we'll all talk over this later."Goddess, didn't her mother understand that her anxiety was increasing exponentially every moment? She wouldn't survive a wait of a few hours. "Daddy… please.""You want to know what I'm thinking?" Logan turned from the door and marched back to stand in
