"I'm surprised you're not still in bed," Peg said to Healy, who was sitting across from her.

  "If we didn't keep an eye on him, who knows what kind of trouble he'd get in?"

  "Or get us in!" Chloë added with a yawn.

  "I took care of Knight for you when I got here," Sean told Troy. "Hope you don't mind."

  Troy shook his head. "I honestly didn't know what to do with him. Like I said, the only reason I was holding on to him was so the word didn't get out on Mr. Hunt before I dealt with that mess."

  "What…what did you do to him?" Penny asked Sean in a soft voice.

  "Oh, Dad, this is Penny. I believe I mentioned her to you last night?"

  Sean nodded and looked down the table at her. "I turned him over to the Secret Service agents for prosecution."

  Penny sighed. "I guess he deserved at least that much. He did give the rockets to those elves. Though what he really wanted was to kill Mr. Bryson."

  "Any idea why?"

  "He wanted to hurt you; he blames you for his going to jail, and he said you had several of his friends killed in prison."

  "No, I didn't do any of that. The FBI got their hands on him before I could, as I was a bit preoccupied with fighting a war at the time. If I had gotten my hands on him, I would've just killed him. Same for his friends. But I had more important things on my mind."

  "What do you think they'll do to him?"

  "I'm surprised you care," Peg said in a soft voice while putting her hand on Penny's arm.

  Penny sighed and looked down at the table. "He wasn't bad to me—well, at least not at first. It wasn't until my father…" Penny shivered. "Was my father really a demon?"

  "'Fraid so," Troy said. "At some point, a djevel possessed his body, killing him. Giles, the chauffeur, and the other bodyguard…"

  "Chet."

  "Chet, they only had the brain leech like you did."

  "Why?"

  "Because the possessed stink really badly, and we can smell 'em," Mira said, flagging down one of the waitresses. "So they can't go out in public anymore, or a lycan will spot 'em."

  "You couldn't bite them like you did with me?"

  "You weren't willing," Troy told her. "I'm pretty sure Giles and the other two were."

  Penny shivered. "How could anyone willingly go through that?"

  "Because they give you certain abilities, almost like powers, if you cooperate," Sean told her.

  "He didn't offer me any thing like that when he…" Penny shivered again.

  "Djevels tend to have a fairly low opinion of women," Jolene said and reached over to pat Penny's hand. "Have you decided what you're going to do now?"

  "I'm sending her back with all of you to Minden," Troy said.

  All the moms turned to look at him.

  "Oh, are you now?" Roxy said.

  Troy sighed and looked each of them in the eye, ending with his mother.

  "Mom, she's been through a lot, and as soon as folks find out her father is dead and she's the sole heir, they're going to descend on her like jackals. So yes, you're taking her home with you, and she's going to get some privacy, time, and a little space to get her life back together and learn about being a cougar.

  "And before anybody gets any ideas, I'm adopting her as my little sister, and I will seriously thrash anybody who messes with her or makes her cry." Troy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I wonder if Mom Cali would be willing to teach her how to fight…"

  "Pay up!"

  Troy looked over and saw Mom Peg had her hand out at his mom. As he watched, Roxy sighed, got something out of her pocket, and passed it over to Peg.

  "What was that about?"

  "Your mother seemed to think you'd be looking for number five," Peg said with an ear-to-ear grin, "but I recalled you saying, more than once, that Chloë was the last woman you'd ever try to win."

  "He's made that comment to us more than once, as well," Nadi said and gave Troy a hug.

  "What, what will I do?" Penny asked, looking lost.

  "Whatever you want to," Troy said, looking down the table at her. "I've already called a couple of my friends, and asked them to help teach you about being a lycan, and to make sure nobody gives you any grief. Just remember two things: Nobody out there knows your last name. As far as they're concerned, you're a civilian who got caught up in something bad. The other thing is, you don't have to sleep with anyone if you don't want to ever again. You're your own woman now, Penny.

  "And while lycans can be a bit free-wheeling about sex and relationships, they're also free-wheeling about clawing somebody up who doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'No'." Troy looked at Healy then, who just smirked.

  "In any case, if you have problems or questions, you can either ask my parents" —he nodded to the moms and his father— "or call me, Healy, or Mira. If it's not lycan stuff, I'm sure Nadi and Chloë here can help you as well."

  "But why would you do this for me?"

  "Because everyone gets a second chance," Sean said. "Especially when it's obvious they've earned it."

  The waitress came over then, and they spent the next minute ordering food.

  "Keep your afternoon open," Sean told Troy.

  "What's up?"

  "Hunt's death is going to cause a bit of a stir in certain circles, so to keep it from becoming a political issue this close to the election, I've asked the president to invite Steve and Kirkpatrick over for a little meeting, wherein you're going to tell them what Hunt was, and what you did to him."

  "Me? Why me?" Troy said, wide-eyed.

  "Because you're the one who figured it out, and you're the one who killed him. Oh, I'm sure the Secret Service is going to figure it out fairly quickly as well. May have to invite the director so they keep it out of the press."

  "Why do we want to keep it out of the press?"

  "Because he was a major supporter of Kirkpatrick, and honestly, if that got out, it'd make people scream that we did it to throw the election."

  Troy thought about that, and then nodded slowly. "And we wouldn't want to warn any allies of his who might still be out there."

  "No. We wouldn't."

  "Oh, how mad at me is the assistant director of the Secret Service?"

  "I think he's over most of it. I told him you represent the lions for me when I'm not around, so he needed to watch his tone of voice."

  "Oh, I do now, do I?"

  Sean grinned at Troy. "Only when it's convenient for me, and inconvenient for you!"

  Troy sighed, shaking his head. "I just can't wait for this campaign to be done so we can go home. I promised the girls a wedding, and after that, a week or two off might be nice."

  "Have you thought about what you're going to do next?"

  "Yup, we're going to open up an adult theme park in Mongolia and call it 'Troyland'! It'll have all sorts of fun things, like 'Kill the Djevel Invaders', 'Blow Up the Djevel Invaders', 'Burn the Djevel Invaders with a Flamethrower', and then of course we'll put in a couple of sex clubs, opium dens, and a five star restaurant. Gramps already told me he wants the concession for selling lion plushies that'll all suspiciously look like you. Oh! And I'm gonna open a cabaret for all my dark elf sisters to sing and dance at. Adam's offered to run it, something about nude dancers and poles. Not sure I caught that part."

  "He would, too," Roxy said with a snort.

  "And you'll get the money from where?" Sean asked with an amused expression.

  "Do you have any idea how much money Gramps is sitting on? Plus Keairra and the others? Also, I figure if worse comes to worst, I might be able to finagle a friend into a low interest loan or two."

  "Uh-huh. I need to talk to Sapientia as well as a certain fire marshal. Enjoy your breakfast, and don't leave the building, we'll probably head out for the meeting around two."

  "You staying the night?" Nadi asked Jolene.

  "Yes, but we'll be leaving early tomorrow."

  "Do you think we could go over some magic?"

  Jolene smiled. "I'd love to. We'll be in Steve's office; come get me when you've finished eating."

  Sean and his wives got up at that point, and Troy and the girls said goodbye as they left. Thankfully just then their food was served.

  "So, now what?" Mira asked.

  "Other than going to that meeting, which none of you have to go to, I was thinking until we go back out on the campaign trail with Steve, doing nothing sounds like a good idea."

  "But after that, what? I mean, Troyland doesn't sound like a bad idea, but I don't know if I want to move to Mongolia; I hear the winters are kinda fierce."

  Troy shrugged. "I'm sure my father is going to have something for me to do, and knowing him, it'll be for all of us, not just me."

  "Well, if all the fires have been put out, I'm thinking after breakfast, a return to bed would suit me just fine," Chloë said and yawned, stretching.

  "Hmmmm, bed," Troy said.

  "Too bad you've got that meeting!" Chloë giggled, and Troy stuck his tongue out at her.

  #

  Penny looked around as she got out of the helicopter at the Valens Estate. She'd thought her father's had been big, but this place was huge! There were hangars, helipads, outbuildings, barracks, and a really big manor house that looked like one of those Swiss chalets her mother used to take her on skiing holidays to before she died.

  Roxy had found her a bunch of nice, but understated outfits before they'd flown out of Washington, and Sean had told her he'd take care of any legal issues for her. Right now, as far as the world was concerned, Penny Hunt was in seclusion, mourning the tragic loss of her father after an early-morning fire that had broken out in the kitchen due to a leaky gas line.

  "Penny?"

  She looked up, and a handsome, well-built blonde man in a uniform was walking towards her.

  "Umm, yes?" she said a little nervously.

  "Hi, I'm Jack—JJ for short—one of Troy's friends. He asked me if I'd show you around and help you get settled in."

  "Oh! Hi," Penny said, blushing and shaking hands with him.

  "So, has anyone gotten you a lycan collar yet, or a silver tag?"

  "A lycan what?" she asked, looking at him a little confused.

  JJ sighed and rolled his eyes. "I swear, Troy would forget his own spots if they weren't welded to his body already. Come on, I'll get you sorted out."

  Penny nodded and followed him, listening as he explained what a lycan collar was, and why she needed one, as well as the silver tag. She had to admit, he was handsome, and he really did have a nice ass.

  "So, do you know how to shoot?" he asked her as he led her into one of the buildings.

  "Umm, no?"

  "Want to learn? Life's little problems always seem a lot easier after you've put a couple rounds into 'em."

  Penny looked up at him and smiled. "Would you teach me?"

  JJ smiled down at her and nodded. "I'd be delighted to. Hey, how long has it been since you went out for a run?"

  "Umm, yesterday?"

  "What do you say, after we get you a collar and I find where you'll be bunking, we go out and run for a while? I can grab a bunch of guys and gals, so you can get a better idea of what being a lycan is like, and maybe make some new friends."

  Penny nodded. "I think, I think I'd like that."

  JJ smiled and gave her a pat on the shoulder, smiling more when she didn't flinch. Troy had called him and told him in very explicit terms what he'd do if JJ didn't keep an eye on Penny and help her fit in.

  Though why he wanted her to meet his mother, he honestly couldn't figure out.

  END

  (Please remember to leave a review!)

  Afterword

  Hello, all, and welcome to the sixth book in the Valens' Heritage series, and the second one about Troy. I do hope you've enjoyed it, and as for what's going to befall Troy next? Hard to say, but once the campaign is over, he's definitely going to need a new job.

  Currently the next book I'm planning to work on is the fourth one about Mihalis. After that, I'm planning to write the sequel to Summer's End (coming out 12/6/2022 from Baen Books). I'd meant to get that started sooner, but things came up.

  I do have more planned in this series, and I also have two new series planned that I'm hoping Baen will publish (they liked the outlines, so now I just gotta write 'em!)

  Now! As always, if you enjoyed the story, please leave a review, or at least rate it. I'd appreciate a positive review (4 or 5 stars), but I'll take what you feel it deserves.

  So! Let the shilling commence!

  As you know, I also write under the name John Van Stry, and have a few things going on there as well. The main difference is, those titles tend towards FTB, and some of them have Harem aspects; they're not all Harem. If you haven't looked at it, you might appreciate my Portals of Infinity series. It's currently at 11 books.

  And of course, ten days from finishing this, I have Summer's End coming out in the bookstores with Baen Books!

  Some Recommendations:

  Some other people I enjoy reading in this genre, and you might, as well:

  William D. Arand (aka Randi Darren) – Please check him out; he's good. I've been a big fan of William's since I discovered his work. It was kind of a funny moment for me when I found out he was a fan of my stuff, as well. I'm honestly beginning to suspect that he can't write a bad story, because every book he writes is just so much better than the one before. I just finished Swing Shift, and it was great. You should really buy his books.

  Blaise Corvin – The Delvers books are really a lot of fun and very much worth it. When I first came across his Delvers LLC books, I almost felt kind of jealous, because I was like 'why didn't I think of that?' I do think if you like my stuff, you'll like his as well, so check it out! And definitely give the Nora Hazard book a try (Mitigating Risk is the first one), I'm reading it now and really enjoying it.

  Michael-Scott Earle – Yes! Michael-Scott IS back, he's just not on Amazon anymore. If you want to find him and read his works again, please go here: https://www.michaelscottearle.com/books-1

  Now that he's finished Lion Quest, I guess I don't need to bribe him anymore. Please check him out, and if you can, support him. He's another great author.

  Hondo Jinx – I'm a big fan of Power Mage. Lots of action, lots of fun. I love that his main character is a former bull rider. Those guys are crazy!

  Daniel Schinhofen – another great author you should consider checking out as well.

  They're all good people and great writers.

  If you're into Harem type fiction, you may also want to check out this group on Facebook to see who else is writing it that you might like: https://www.facebook.com/groups/haremlit/

  Again, thank you for your support and for buying my books.

  My Amazon Author's webpage:

  https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Stryvant/e/B06ZY7L62L/

  Occasional announcements at:

  https://stryvant.blogspot.com/

  Jan Stryvant website at:

  http://JanStryvant.com/

  (The stuff written under my real name — check it out, you might like it too!)

  John Van Stry website at:

  http://www.vanstry.net/

  Email:

  stryvant@gmail.com

  And sign up for my mailing list!

  http://vanstry.net/stryvant/maillist.html

  Links are also on my webpages! This way you're guaranteed to get announcements whenever I publish something! Otherwise I leave it alone, no newsletters, and I try not to be spammy. Also, make sure I don't end up in your spam filter. Gmail throws me there a lot.

  Appendix - Family Tree (Children)

  Mother

  Child

  Child's Birth

  Race

  Sex

  Roxy

  Sean Jr. (SJ)

  2/9/2019

  Lion

  M

  Roxy

  Troy

  7/31/2021

  Cheetah

  M

  Roxy

  Cyra

  9/4/2022

  Cheetah

  F

  Roxy

  Mikil

  2/4/2024

  Cheetah

  F

  Jolene

  Nguvu & Mtawala (Fraternal)

  2/21/2019

  Lion

  M

  Jolene

  Natalie

  10/30/2021

  Lion

  F

  Daelyn

  Bernard

  2/21/2019

  Dwarf

  M

  Daelyn

  Taid

  7/15/2021

  Dwarf

  M

  Daelyn

  Wayan

  8/22/2022

  Dwarf

  M

  Daelyn

  Ancor

  1/27/2024

  Dwarf

  M

  Daelyn

  Lenna

  7/12/2025

  Dwarf

  F

  Peg

  Sharon

  3/20/2019

  Lion

  F

  Peg

  Ian & Craig (Identical)

  8/2/2021

  Fox

  M

  Peg

  Fiona

  2/18/2024

  Fox

  F

  Roberta

  Roseanne

  1/9/2019

  Human

  F

  Roberta

  Lisa

  7/22/2021

  Human

  F

  Cali

  Alska

  1/19/2019

  Dark Elf

  F

  Cali

  Noje

  7/12/2021

  Dark Elf

  F

  Cali

  Mihalis

  8/20/2022

  Dark Elf/Lion

  M

  Cali

  Fira

  1/31/2024

  Dark Elf/Lion

  F

  Cali