She closed her eyes. “Did you know you and Lucivar were the only living human males in the First Circle that Vania didn’t try to bed?”

“She wouldn’t have dared try with me,” Daemon said too softly.

“And she was smart not to try with Lucivar. When someone puts him in that position, he has a tendency to hit first and discuss after.”

“Sounds like a successful deterrent.”

“Mmm. Oh, right there.”

Daemon obligingly focused on a knot of tight muscle. As he caressed and massaged, he subtly coaxed her to lean against him until her arms were around his waist and her head rested on his shoulder. “Lucivar’s very hurt over your being so angry with him,” he said quietly. “All the boyos are.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I’m too tired to think of a task for each of them. I guess I’ll have to stub my toe.”

“I beg your pardon?” His hands stopped caressing for a moment.

“I’ll stub my toe, and then I’ll let them all fuss and fetch and carry, and they’ll know I’m not angry with them anymore.”

“They’ll actually believe a stubbed toe is a serious injury?”

Jaenelle snorted softly. “Of course not. It’s more like a ritual.”

“I see. The Queen can’t apologize for the discipline but has to give a clear signal that it’s done.”

“Exactly. If it had been just one of them, I would have asked his assistance with something that I could just as easily do myself, and he would have understood. With so many, I’ll have to let them fuss.” Her voice took on a bit of a growl. “They’ll plump pillows and tuck blankets around me that I don’t want. They’ll make me take naps.”

“So it’s not just forgiveness, but a little revenge thrown in.”

“The revenge isn’t so little. Usually, one of the coven will sneak a book in so I can read during my ‘naps.’ Once, when Papa came in to check on me, I stuffed the book under a pillow, but not quite well enough. He didn’t say anything. When Khary and Aaron came in, he even poked the book farther under the pillow to hide it better. Then Saetan had the balls to say I looked flush so that they could fuss even more.”

Daemon paused for a moment, sorting through the distinction she made between “Papa” and “Saetan.” “Sweetheart,” he said carefully, “if Saetan has balls, then so does Papa.”

“It sounds disrespectful somehow to say that about Papa.”

“I see,” Daemon said in a tone of voice that indicated he didn’t see at all.

“Papa,” Jaenelle explained, “is charming and intelligent, a well-rounded companion.”

Thinking of Saetan and Sylvia, Daemon said dryly, “I don’t think Saetan is the companion who’s well-rounded.”

A long pause. Then, “You would call Sylvia’s figure well-rounded?”