What happened after I sat Natha down with his great-aunt was rather blurry.
I remember sitting on a swing in the backyard where they could see me from the sunroom. The night breeze, the soft swaying of the swing, and the exhaustion from today's event all contributed to a drowsiness that sent me to sleep right then and there. When I opened my eyes again, it was already morning in the huge bed of Lord's quarters.
My eyes were only half-open when Natha already gave me a kiss on my forehead, my eyelids, cheeks, nose, my chin--anywhere but my lips. I laughed and grasped his face to direct his lips to mine, which he gave while embracing me tightly.
"My precious treasure," he whispered against my lips. "My most precious treasure."
Umm...it was nice to hear such things in the morning, but why did you have to make me fluster right after I opened my eyes?