That got a nod from Christophe but Élan opened her mouth to speak.

Apollo cut her off.

“Studies, precious girl,” he said firmly but gently.

He called her “precious girl.”

That was so freaking sweet it made my jaw hurt.

I closed my eyes.

“See you at dinner, Lady Madeleine,” Christophe said and I opened my eyes.

I nodded and forced out, “Looking forward to it, honey.”

He grinned at his dad, went to his sister and grabbed her hand, pulling her as he moved to the house.

“I liked your cookies!” she told me excitedly as she was dragged behind her brother.

“I’m glad, sweetheart,” I replied.

“You need to make more,” she shared.

“Élan,” Apollo said in a warning father’s voice.

“I will,” I told her quickly. “Sugar cookies next time.”

“Hurrah!” she cried even though I knew she had no clue what sugar cookies were just as her brother tugged her nearer the house, murmuring, “Come on, Élan.”

She waved at me.

I waved back.

They disappeared into the house.

Okay, well, one could say Captain Kirk was a whole lot better getting the crew of the Enterprise in and out of trouble than I was.

But I had the in part down.

“Quincy, Zar, we’re to meet,” Apollo stated.

I stopped kicking myself and looked to him then to the men.

“This may be delayed as I’ll need a medic to look at my arm. I think it’s fractured,” Quincy, the tall, strapping, fair-haired, russet-bearded one declared.

Oh shit.

“If it is, I’m sending a bird straight to Kell so he can share with the boys that you got your arm broken by a woman,” Balthazar, the tall, strapping, dark-haired, dark-bearded one said as he walked to Quincy and stopped.

A bird?

Before I could ask about the bird, Quincy told Balthazar, “She got the drop on me and clobbered me with a branch, Zar.”

“She got the drop on you and clobbered you with a branch, Quince, and the operative word in that is she,” Balthazar returned, grinning big.

“She is also handy with a blade,” Apollo put in. “And swords. As well as lamps.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Quincy noted.

“Two,” Apollo agreed and then he must have communicated something in man-waves because all three of them exploded in laughter.

Well!

“If you’re done making fun of me,” I cut into their amusement. “I’ll skulk back to my house and return later for dinner.”

Apollo turned smiling eyes to me and assured quietly, “We’re not making fun of you, poppy.”

“Really? I’m just a woman but I can speak Eng…I mean, the language of the Vale so I’m pretty certain I’m not mistaken that you are.”

He looked to the men and explained, “She’s very spirited as well.”

“She’s standing right here,” I snapped.

He looked back to me and that tender look seeped into his eyes.

“Calm, dove,” he said softly. “Do you think I or these men who are friends to my family think anything is unseemly about you being spirited or moving…again…to protect my children?”

Hmm.

Probably not.

I decided not to respond.

Apollo knew what my non-response meant and turned into me so we were standing front to front.

“Now, you’re here and there’s no reason for you to go back. Take your time, tour my home. The children are at their studies so you won’t see them. I’ll meet you before and take you to them. We’ll sit and talk in order that you can get to know them a little better before we dine.”

I was seeing the error of my ways (or errors, plural) in engaging on my skulking mission with Loretta and Meeta, but it was too late. We had an audience, an audience that was watching and not moving, and I couldn’t have the conversation I needed to have with Apollo right then. And I could tell by the look in his eyes that Apollo very much wanted me to stay, tour his home and meet him before he took me to dine with his kids.

And I very much wanted Apollo to have whatever he wanted.

Shit.

“Okay,” I told him. “I’ll tour your house. From the size of it, that should take me about seven hours, though. So if I get lost, send a search party.”

His lips twitched before he leaned into me and used them to kiss my nose.

He moved back, caught my eyes and murmured, “Thank you, poppy.”

I nodded, pulled in a deep breath and turned to the men. “It was lovely meeting you, after, of course,”—I looked to Quincy—“I attacked you.”

“And you,” Quincy replied, “after, of course, you attacked me.”

He really was funny and under all that rough, kind of cute.

Unfortunately I wasn’t in the mood to laugh or appreciate his cuteness.

But I did give him a smile.

Apollo let me go but put a hand to the small of my back and gave me a gentle shove toward the house, murmuring, “Go, Maddie.”

I went, trying to be game and turning as I did to give them a small wave.

I got no waves back. Instead I got a chin lift from Balthazar (who was also cute under all that rough), a grin from Quincy and a wink from Apollo who added a grin.

The wink was sweet.

And hot.

On that thought, I moved quickly to the house and disappeared inside feeling like a dork but thinking something good had come of that fiasco.

I had met the kids. I’d even spoken to them. Okay, so I’d also acted like an idiot around them.

But the hard part was done.

And now I could move on.

So maybe I wasn’t so bad at this Captain Kirk stuff.

Though, I figured that still remained to be seen.

* * * * *

I stood at the massive picture window that rose two stories. A window that was one of twin windows on either side of a tall grand fireplace, its mantel of chocolate marble veined in cream, silver, gold and jade sweeping into the high ceiling.

I was looking out into the back garden, thinking.

Not surprisingly, Apollo’s home was amazing. Far grander but no less warm and welcoming than the dower house, though also far more masculine.

It took ages for me to tour it, what with it having a formal sitting room, a formal drawing room, a massive library, a formal dining room (with a long table that seated twenty-six, yes, twenty-six), a morning room, an informal sitting room and dining room, as well as an octagon shaped conservatory off the informal sitting room.