Althena Book 2

66. Interview

I stretch in the morning and Conner pulls me against him. "How you feel, babygirl?"

"Fine. I think I fell asleep in the hot tub though."

"I have no idea how I got here either. But I feel alright. Let's take a shower and see who is still on the boat."

"No fun time?"

"Do you want to wake the whole boat up?"

I pout. "No."

He chuckles and rolls over me. "I'll keep you quiet." He nibbles on my neck and I pull him closer.

A couple of hours later, we wake up again and take a shower. Then we make it up to the deck. Drogon and Monte are sitting there.

"Morning." I sit with Drogon.

"You hungry, baby?"

"I am actually. I never did get the tacos."

Monte laughs. "Every time we would get back from putting one of you to bed, another one would be passed out. Drogon and Akmae managed to stay awake long enough for tacos. I had to roam around at 2 am trying to find a taco place open."

Drogon kisses my head. "I wanted some damn tacos."

I laugh and give him a little kiss. "So, who is still on the boat?"

"Us. Akmae, Lila, and Clayton. Mike went to get Haddy and some clothes for you. Cyrus is still sleeping."

"I'm not having the best morning." Lila still has her swimsuit on from last night. Her hair is everywhere. I crack up laughing and she flips me off. "Help."

Clayton and Akmae come in from the other direction. Akmae loses it. Clayton shakes his head and tries not to laugh. "You are beautiful."

"HELP."

"FINE." I pull her with me, and we go to my room. I get her some soap and stuff, then go back up.

I cuddle with Drogon on his sun chair. He's so sexy lying on it with shorts. He lightly rubs my back. I shiver and fall asleep on him.

I wake up, and the boat is moving. Cyrus is recording us sleeping.

"What?"

"We need relaxing clips for the video. You 2 were very relaxed, especially with the water behind you. That was perfect."

I rub my face and get up. Haddy is sitting with her feet in the pool. Lila is eating at the bar with Clayton. Monte is cooking. Conner is sleeping in the chair. Akmae is in the hot tub.

Drogon pats my butt. "Let's get some breakfast, babygirl. Then I'll switch places with Mike."

I lean over and kiss Conner's head. "You need to eat and get your strength up, so I can wear you out again, sexy."

He smiles and gives me a kiss before he opens his eyes. "We better eat now."

All of us move to the dining table and eat there.

Mike joins us. "I am exhausted. I'll sleep. You can get us out to the open ocean. Wake me up in a few hours."

"You didn't sleep?"

"Not much. We had to watch the drunk teenagers and make sure they got somewhere safe."

Monte nods. "It was a long night."

Drogon puts his arm around me. "I'll get us out there. Clayton and Akmae can help when I need it. Cyrus can work on the girls' video. Monte can take a nap too."

Monte nods. "Do not let them dive without waking me up. The seals on the tanks need to be checked right before they go."

"Fair enough. That's still 4 hours away."

After we eat, the boys disperse to drive or sleep. Lila helps Haddy and I get ready for the interview. Cyrus gets us an interview area together. We can see out over the water in the background. There are some fancy houses on the river bank. I wonder if mine is here somewhere.

"Remember the holiday is about love. Spreading love. People you love. Doing things you love." Cyrus sits across from us and records.

Haddy smiles. "Happy Queen's Day."

"Thank you. Happy Queen's Day to you as well."

"Did you know about Queen's Day before? Do they celebrate it in Crystal Falls?"

"No, they do not. I was shocked when I heard about it. But a holiday about love is surely a holiday I can get into."

"Does Drogon have anything special planned for you?"

"I have no idea. I don't think so."

Lila about falls over trying not to laugh.

Haddy smiles. "Maybe he's going to surprise you with something."

"Well, now he better."

Cyrus looks at the sky and Lila walks away.

She nods. "I'll send him the video early, so he can see this part."

"Good thinking."

"Queen's day isn't all about dates and flowers though. It's about spreading love, like you said earlier." She takes a tip of water. "I know you work with Zenity on occasion. Do you help any other non-profit organizations? Or do you have plans to in the future?"

"Actually, I've been thinking of starting my own. I would like to make sure every child gets toys for holidays and birthdays."

"What made you think of this?"

"I grew up without presents or toys. It honestly wasn't a big deal to me. It took many years for me to realize other kids get presents on those days. But once I realized it, it hurt. Then I felt like I was missing something. And I can't imagine how my mom felt not being able to give her child a toy for her birthday. So, I want to fix that problem."

"Do you know how that would work?"

"I haven't spoken to lawyers, advisors, or the king yet. But it's possible to put an office in each district. Donations could be taken at them. The items could be divided into rooms by age. Then say a mom with a 3-year-old needs a present for his birthday. She could bring in his birth certificate and proof that she qualifies for some other kind of assistance. Like food or housing assistance. She would automatically be approved with that, and be able to enter the 3-year-old room. Where she would pick out an item for him. I know there will be a lot more to it than this. But I think it could work."

"What kind of things are you thinking?"

"Toys. Swimsuits with towels. Books. Costumes for trick or treat. Sleeping bags. Art supplies. Umbrellas. Games. Anything that's not a necessity. No food."

"Yea, food would be hard to keep track of. What is trick or treat?"

"That is another holiday. It's celebrated in Eldervale. Kids will dress up as anything they want and go to peoples doors. They say trick or treat, then the homeowner gives them a piece of candy. It is so fun. I think it lasts 6 weeks. 2 Districts will do something each weekend for it. One district may do trick or treat, another will have a parade. I would like to celebrate it in Darkburn as well. I'm not sure how to move a whole holiday though."

"It sounds fun. May have to leave that one up to the king."

"Yea."

"I do believe your non-profit idea will work. And I see why it means something to you. I hope it works out."

"Thank you."

"Another big part of Queen's Day is relaxing. What do you do to relax?" She points at something. "We were here before."

Cyrus flips around. "Son of a..." He takes off.

Lila cracks up laughing. "They're going the wrong way."

We wait for the boat to do a U-turn. Then we start again. I give her and the camera a tour of the boat because I find it very relaxing. Cyrus records us in the hot tub for a while.

At 3, we wake everyone up and have lunch. Then we dive.

Monte dives with us and records. Me, Lila, and Haddy point so much stuff out to each other. I pick up a baby turtle and take it to Monte. He zooms in on it and smiles. I put it back as he points to the surface.

Cyrus picks me up out of the water by my tank bag. I stand on the balcony and stretch. "I need a nap."

Clayton pulls Lila back on the boat, and she yawns at him. Then Cyrus gets Haddy because I guess she was just going to sleep there. "Why is that exhausting?"

Monte hands off the camera then pulls himself up. "You're fighting the current the entire time you're down. It's hard to notice, and it'll wear you out quickly."

Drogon pulls the stuff off me. "Let's go take a nap, baby."

"You talked me into it."

A few hours later, we eat on the deck of the boat. We're back at our dock. Everything is going perfectly until Cyrus kisses my head. "I have to go back to Eldervale for a few days."

My aura flies out. I didn't even mean to. It just happened. I pull it back in, and look at him. "Have fun."

Every single person stops what they're doing and stares at us.

"My mother wants us all together for a church thing."

"Of course." I put on my best fake smile.

"It'll only be a couple of days."

"Well, don't be late."

"I can stay."

"Nonsense. Go do your church stuff. We'll be here when you get back."

"You sure?"

"Of course."

"Alright. I'll see you in a few days." He kisses my head before he goes.

Haddy smiles. "Even I know that wasn't right."

I rub my face. "They're going to get back in his f*****g head. I bet he won't come back this week. Dacious will show up in a few days saying Cyrus got stuck." I stand up and slam my chair in. "I'm over it. He can stay up there."

Clayton nods. "Maybe they'll send Atlas. He's the fun one."

Lila stands up. "I love this boat but sadly, real life has to start again tomorrow. I need to get home." Clayton goes with her.

Monte pushes his chair in. "That it does. I'll have my guards at the casino tomorrow morning. And I want to do a soft opening on Wednesday. Just to make sure everything goes to plan."

Drogon stands up. "We'll open and not advertise it. That should bring in a few people."

Conner puts his arm around me. "I'll send some people from Darkmoon. And let the advisors do a half day. Have them come with their mates."

"Sounds like a plan."