Page 67 of Ramiel

“I’d better feed her,” Sinai said, standing up almost too quickly in her eagerness to flee from the great room.She scooped her pet up on the way out.

Grace got up and stretched, then casually sauntered out of the room.Once she was out of sight, she hurried to the south wing.Arakiel had slept through the noise they’d made even though he had supernatural hearing.His tiny forehead was wrinkled.She knew he was sensing his mom’s emotions while he slept.

Picking the baby up, Grace carried him to the great room.A gentle nudge woke the little tyke up.He began to cry just before she reached her destination.“Someone needs a nappy change,” the kid sang, handing the infant to his mom.

Zoe instantly melted when she took her son in her arms.“Did you make a big stinky, little man?”she cooed.Arak stopped crying and his dark eyes stared at her in fascination.

Amaros gave the littlest cambion a grateful nod for breaking the tension.“Let’s get our son cleaned up, love,” he said, rising and helping his mate to her feet.

Conversations started up and the knights and cambions split up to choose their entertainment for the night.Grace ambled to the kitchen, glad the gloom had lifted from their base.

Queegly followed her a minute later.“All of the cambions have impressive talents, but yours has to be the most unique,” the Mad Prophet said.He leaned against the stunning countertop Zoe had appropriated from the nearby resort.Mostly white and gray, it was threaded with black streaks that were speckled with gold flecks.

“I guess it is kind of weird that I can steal things that are precious to people and run fast in short spurts,” Grace agreed.

“It’s not those talents I’m talking about, kiddo,” he said, keeping his voice down so the others couldn’t hear him.“It’s your other skill that’s so special.”

“I don’t have any other skills,” she said with a frown as she went about making drinks for everyone.

“Yeah, you do,” the Texan said.“You share a similar talent to Zoe and me.”

“I can’t see the future or the past,” the kid scoffed.

“You can see the present, which is pretty damn rare,” Queegly said.

Grace gave him a strange look as she began boiling water to make tea and coffee.“Everyone who has eyes can see what’s happening in the present, Queeg.”

He chuckled at her skeptical tone.“How do you think you always know what to do to defuse tension, stop fights from happening and generally keep everyone happy?”

She shrugged, then turned to lean against the counter as well.“I don’t know,” she confessed.“I just always seem to know what needs to be done to keep the peace.”

“How long have you known what to do and what to say to keep people happy, Grace?”the seer asked shrewdly.

Grace thought back to the past she wished she could forget.“Right back to when I was just a little kid,” she realized.“I always figured it was just a survival tactic.”

“It was,” Queegly said in sympathy.“But it’s evolved into so much more now.Zoe is the matriarch of your family, but you’re the heart that keeps this place beating, Gracelyn Doblin.”

A lump formed in Grace’s throat.She’d never felt like she played an important role in their base before.Maybe she wasn’t such a pathetic loser after all if the Mad Prophet himself saw so much in her.“You really think so?”she asked, hoping he wasn’t just trying to make her feel better.

“I know so,” he said firmly.“Your talent lies in knowing how to keep the harmony, but it could also work the opposite way.”

Grace frowned at that thought.“I’d never deliberately make trouble for my family,” she protested.The thought of causing a rift was abhorrent to her.

“I don’t doubt that for a second, little sister,” he agreed.“I know you’re a good kid.”He held his arms out and she stepped into his hug, wondering why he’d brought that last part up.With a wink, he released her, then sauntered back to the great room.

Raised voices caught her attention and she rolled her eyes when she realized what the topic was.

“I’m just saying it would be nice if GG and Dalt could come here to visit us occasionally, Victoria!”Wynter said in exasperation.“I’m not saying they should move into our base!”

“And I’m saying over my dead body!”Vic retorted hotly.“It’s bad enough I can only visit the skating rink once a month.Now you want Cam and me to leave our own home for a few hours once a week so your blonde bimbo of a bestie can visit you here!”

“I don’t want you two to leave,” Wyn snapped.“I want you to get over your childish feud with GG!”

“Oh, boy,” Grace muttered, practically sensing Vic’s fury rising.

“I don’t have to listen to this,” their trainer said and stomped out of the room.

“Hey, Vic, can you give me a hand for a second?”Grace called out before the tall, muscular female could go for one of her long runs.