Helena and I retired to bed around midnight and she cuddled me the entire night. Unlike my sister when she dominated my arm and ensured I couldn't escape, Helena had wrapped herself around me as if she was the blanket that was protecting me from the night's chill.

When I awoke in the morning, for the first time in a while, I didn't want to get up. I was comfortable, had a wonderful woman in my arms, and I could feel her magic humming in tune with mine. It was a sensation that I hadn't felt before, not to this extent. When I opened my eyes to look at her, her eyes snapped open as well.

“Good morning.” Helena whispered and lightly kissed me.

“Good morning.” I whispered back.

“I don't want to get up.” Helena admitted, echoing my thoughts.

“What time is the first meeting?”

“Not until ten. We expect the negotiations to last for an hour and a half, a break for lunch, then finalizing the paperwork and signing the contracts.”

I raised my eyebrows at her and she smiled.

“Remember what I told you before when you were still dating Diane and I made my offer.”

“Vanessa won't be a 'woman on the side', though. She'll be an adjunct to you and to our family.” I said.

“Yes, she will. When she gives birth, we can exercise the option to renegotiate the terms, because she'll have completed her family's obligation.” Helena said. “It all depends on if she's happy or not by then.”

I nodded. I knew that Vanessa wanted to get her family off of her back right away, which was why they were eager for the concubine contract to be signed so quickly. Word of me impregnating Helena on the first official try had made it to Vanessa's family and they had asked for Helena to move their appointment from the middle of the week to today.

“We have about three hours before we need to get ready, if we skip breakfast.”

“I can't.” Helena said and sat up, and her hand ran over the little bump she had in her belly. “I can't skip any meals and need to eat as well as possible.”

I touched the spot and I felt a little tremble of magic. “That wasn't yours.” I said and she shook her head. I leaned down to put my ear against her belly. Using my vigilance technique, I heard Helena's heartbeat and a second heartbeat. “There's really someone in there.”

Helena chuckled. “I've refused mother's offer to have it checked for gender, too.”

“You already know it's a boy. Why refuse?” I asked and she laughed softly.

“I want my father and brother to stew over if it'll actually be a boy or not.” Helena said, her voice filled with venom. “They treated you badly and are still slighting you, with what's happening in the marsh.”

“You already know about it?” I asked.

“You mean the illegal dredging and straightening of the waterways, draining the surrounding marsh into it to fill what's become a canal, and then widening the thing? Yes, I know all about it.” Helena said, her face angry.

It only took me a moment to connect the pieces together. “Your mother boasted about it.”

“Yes. It's my father's grand plan to quadruple the mages guild's production of potions and to increase the trade between the guild and the new territories in the Eastern Empire.”

“Then I need to tell you about what I did while I was there.” I said and her hand picked my damaged one up to hold it.

“Tooth and claw marks from a large predator. Bear or boar?” She asked.

“Giant panther about this big.” I said and held my hand out off the side of the bed to show how tall it was. “It was two to three hundred pounds, maybe more.”

“Oh, god.” Helena whispered. “The marks on the back of your shoulder.”

“Teeth marks when it bit off my bandoleer.” I said and then told her about the whole encounter. She remained quiet until I told her that wasn't what I was talking about when I said I needed to tell her something.

“What else could there be?” Helena asked.

“I had an idea when I was out killing the thieves that wouldn't withdraw.” I said and then explained about making all the wards and distributing them all along the route, around the relay stations, and the garrison near the Eastern Empire.

“Oh, dear.” Helena laid down and looked up at the ceiling. “How many do you think will die before they get the hint?”

“A few hundred, maybe close to a thousand.” I responded and she let out a sigh. “I left a healer there to warn them.”

“Not about the wards, surely.” Helena said and I shook my head.

“No, only you and I know they exist.”

“You modified and overcharged them, didn't you?”

“They'll last a year or maybe a month longer.” I said. “I made a lot of wildwood to work with.”

“In two days. You did it all in two days.” Helena said, her voice full of disbelief. “You did the whole trade route in wards, on both sides, in only two days.”

“I could have done more if I hadn't encountered the panthers and lost most of a day and that night.”

Helena turned her face to me and looked surprised. “You can't possibly...”

“I only gathered a dozen bags of ingredients on the way back here to the capital and I only made a dozen crates of potions at the house while I was there engraving, with one crate each of Strength, Fortifying, Mental Enhancement, and Spider Anti-venom. The rest are full strength number ten potions.”

“For sale or use?”

“Use.” I said and she nodded. “They're in the basement and I need to go down there to prep the ingredients for storage.”

“Then we better get up.” Helena said and pet my head on her belly for a few minutes without moving.

“Helena?” I asked.

“Soon.” Helena said and we stayed there for another half an hour before finally getting up. “Bath!” She said and three delighted women came into the bedroom to gather us up and take us to the bathroom. We washed up together in the tub, thanks to Sara's, Tabitha's, and Jill's enthusiastic movements, then Sara and Tabitha agreed to allow Jill to go first.

“Are you sure? This is their first bath together in so long.” Jill said and both of the other maids nodded.

“We'll critique your performance, so do your best.” Sara said and Tabitha nodded again.

Jill had a determined look on her face and then really did do her best to perform the ritual. The other two gave hints and some corrections and watched attentively. Even Helena watched with satisfaction as her maid performed very well.

I was a bit surprised she would bother watching, considering that it had been why Mage King had been the subject of both of our ire. However, she later explained that she did the same thing I did and had split the acts in her mind. They were separate instances, because they weren't the same or done with the same dedication and devotion as the maids. I heartily agreed.

Jill finished up and Sara and Tabitha lightly applauded and then pat her shoulders to tell her that she did a great job. “Thank you.” She said to them and looked up at me. “And thank you, my lord.”

I reached down and cupped the side of her face. “You don't get to practice anywhere near as much as Sara and Tabitha do. I finished quickly, so you can be assured and confident in your skills.”

Jill blushed a little and nodded. “Yes, my lord.”

“We'll go to breakfast first, so casual dress until an hour before the meeting.” Helena said and we were dried off and led out to the bedroom to be properly dressed.

We all went downstairs and ate breakfast, then I went down into the basement to my potions room and parsed out all of the ingredients I had gathered and then prepped them for proper storage. I finished up and packed them away into containers just before Hope came downstairs to get me.

“It's time, my lord.” Hope said and I followed her all the way back up to the bedroom to get changed into my best suit for greeting important people. Helena was already there and being dressed in a gown that was both conservative and daring. Her hair was done up in a fancy hairdo with a bit of lace and what looked like a diamond hairpin.

We were ready in plenty of time and brought down to the parlour... the same one we had sex in the night before. Helena's face flushed a little red as we sat on the very couch that she had been bent over and had yelled my name in pleasure on.

About twenty minutes later, I heard several people enter the main lobby of the mansion and nodded to Helena. We both stood up and waited for the door to open. When it did, a very well dressed woman in a gown that was stylish and practical, that also showed off her cleavage to great effect, dragged a man into the room by his arm. She stood him up straight and fussed over his appearance.

“My lord, my lady.” Hope said and bowed to us. “May I present Baron Sellwafer and his wife, Baronness Sellwafer.”

Helena had to cover her mouth to stop her laugh at the frightened look on the man and the frustrated look on the woman. “As lady of this house, I greet thee and welcome you into our home's embrace.”

Baronness Sellwafer looked absolutely pleased by Helena's words and her husband was white as a sheet. “I told you that they are above such concerns.” She whispered to her husband and left him by the door to walk over to us with a hand out. “It's so nice to finally meet you in person.” She said and shook Helena's hand and then held a hand out to me. “Lord Drake.”

“Baronness Sellwafer.” I said and bent over her hand to lightly brush my lips over her knuckles as I held her hand tenderly. “You are as lovely in appearance as your daughter.”

She laughed at my words and glanced at Helena. “He's pouring on the charm for me, isn't he? Vanessa didn't say that he does this to everyone.”

Helena nodded. “If you earn a slightly higher opinion in his eyes, he'll kiss the back of your hand instead and perhaps give you a touch of magic.”

“Oh, my.” Baronness Sellwafer said and smiled at me. “I'll refrain from asking how to earn that. Half the fun is the discovery.”

I smiled and waved to the couch opposite the one Helena were just sitting on. “Please, sit and relax. Would you like wine or tea?”

“Tea, please. It's a little early for wine.” She said and glanced down at Helena's slightly larger belly. “I assume you have protective spells in place?”

“Cast the very next day.” Helena said with a beaming smile. “Nothing is going to harm our child.”

The Baronness nodded. “We would do the same when it happens.” She turned to her husband and barked at him. “Get over here!”

“Y-yes, d-dear.” The man said, almost snivelling, and nervously walked over to her side. They sat down together and Helena and I sat as well.

“Your husband seems to be a little nervous.” Helena commented as Hope served us all tea.

“Yes, he was all for this whole thing, pushing as much as possible, and even making you change the appointment to today... then he heard about the sudden rise in your fiance's standing and becoming a full Lord and not the honorary lord title he has as a Baron.” Baronness Sellwafer said and chuckled. “Now he's a nervous wreck and can't string two words together without stuttering.”

“It was surprising to find out my fiance became a lord without having to marry me first.” Helena said and gave me a loving look. “However, the king himself granted an enormous piece of land to my David, thousands of acres of it, and then didn't require any checks or balances when granting the title.”

Both the Baron and his wife gasped at that.

“Yes, I know.” Helena said and looked back at them with a knowing smile. “It's going to be quite the adjustment for us to deal with all of the ramifications.”

“No doubt.” Baronness Sellwafer said. “I can only imagine the ripples this is going to cause with the other nobles.” She glanced at her husband. “As you can see.”

Helena laughed softly and the Baronness joined her for several moments.

“So, shall we get down to the negotiations?” Helena asked. “I assume you brought the contracts for us to fill out.”

“Yes, of course.” Baronness Sellwafer said and waved her hand at the door. There was a knock and a young man came in with Vanessa on his arm. She was dressed even more lavishly than her mother was and her face was bright red... probably because her chest was on display just as much as her mother's was.

The man sat Vanessa on the chair between the couches, placed there purposefully, and then he handed the relevant papers to the Baronness. The man gave me a look, as if he was warning me about hurting her, and left.

“Don't mind him. He's her slightly overprotective brother and he doesn't approve of his younger sister being sold off.” The Baronness said with a laugh. “As if I would ever do that!”

Helena nodded. “Then let's start the discussion and get all the little bits worked out and out of the way first.” She said and the other woman nodded, looking quite happy with that decision.

And so, the talks about Vanessa's future began.