"Mary Janice Davidson - Canis Royal 02 - Mating Season" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Mary Janice)

Maltese, second in line to the throne, Prince of the SandLands, was, as the sister of his heart might say,
bored out of his freakin' gourd.

"Whatis a gourd?" he mused aloud.

"What is a freakin'?" his youngest brother, Shakar, replied.

"Perhaps Lois will teach us her language."

"Or perhaps her mother will, 'less the king has her in his sheets already," Shakar said, and laughed.

"I do not think it will be as easy as you say. Look at our Lois. She was most unhappy to be made
princess after the BridefightтАж"

"For roughly one sunround," Shakar pointed out dryly. "Then our brother worked his customary magic,
and now we have a new princess."
"Still," Maltese said stubbornly.

"I hope theyтАФthe travelersтАФchoose to stay. Or at least, I hope Lois's dam chooses to stay. For
Father's sake, if not Lois's. I wonder if her sire will pop up?"

"She did not miss her sire," Maltese said. "Shedid miss her dam."

"Do you think Lois wished for her, as she wished for her 'footlocker'?"

"I know little enough of such things, my brother. Only enough to knowтАФ"

"What a dullard you really are?" Shakar asked brightly.

"That one you will pay for," Maltese said, then pounced on his younger brother like a kitten looking for
some fun. "Possibly many times will I require payment."

"Possibly many times will I thunk yourтАФouch!"

So they tussled and wrestled and bounced around the courtyard, but through it all Maltese had an odd
feeling, as if this were some sort of play-act and not real. As if he were pretending to have fun with his
young brother. Which was wrongтАж hewas having funтАж but always, always his mind was focused on the
more pressing problem: Where was his mate? Why had she not arrived?

Worse: What if she never came for him?


Chapter 3




Best to stop fretting about it. Best to put his mind to other things, like being of service to his good king
and he-who-would-someday-rule. Best to stop twitching and moaning like a kitten in heat and remember
his responsibilities.