Terra hung back when the woman came in, even though Aidan went to jump on her. She didn't want to do anything to offend anyone, so she waited to be acknowledged and spoken to.

Dominic, on the other hand, didn't wait for his family to call him, he went to them first. It wasn't hard to find his parents and older brother in the big family home, although it was a bit of a challenge convincing Mira to follow him.

"Yup!" Aidan grinned up at her.

"Linda, this is Terra. Terra, this is my younger sister Linda. I'll be gone for a little while; she'll be staying here." Lucius looked at Terra evenly.

Mira followed him, her hands clasped behind her, although she wasn't real pleased with having to follow him around the huge house.

Terra nodded her head a bit.

"Pleased to meet you," she said cautiously.

Finally, Dominic managed to track down his father in one of the audience rooms.

"I'm home," he called. His father turned around an cracked a bit of a grin.

"Welcome back," he said. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the girl trailing his son. "A gift? Or a plaything?"

"I decided I wanted a companion," Dominic said with a shrug. "Not," he added quickly, "a mate. I still don't particularly like any of the females of the court."

"You need to choose one soon," his father remarked.

"Like hell I do," Dominic muttered.

Linda eyed Terra evenly for a few moments before she nodded briskly. "Well. If m brother has let you into his house, you must not be too bad." She grinned briefly then, showing off her fangs.

"Now, now, dear," his mother said with a faint, indulgent smile. "You don't have to pick yet. Just soon. So unless you'd rather go visit one of the other courts...?" She trailed off.

Mira looked at them all for a few moments before dropping her gaze out of some self-preservation instinct.

To her credit, Terra managed not to cower. But she still wasn't necessarily comfortable being the weakest thing in the room.

"I know how to behave," she said.

"I don't want a mate," Dominic replied mildly. "Micah has a mate, possibly even a pup if he's finally gotten himself moving. I don't see why I need to rush into taking a mate."

"Your brother having a mate has no bearing on this issue," his father replied. "You've been on your own long enough, it's high time you settled down."

"And I still say I don't need to yet," Dominic replied stubbornly. He did, however, make sure it couldn't be considered a challenge.

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Linda still looked amused. "Go on, brother. We'll still be here when you return."

Lucius grumbled but left, shutting the door after him.

"Now, shall I do some cooking?" Linda grinned at Aidan, who was nodding eagerly.

"Dominic," his mother said gently. "You'll have to soon anyway. A few more years at most. You may as well resign yourself to that fact and start looking." She smiled sweetly.

Intrigued, Terra followed them into the kitchen to watch. She couldn't cook all that well, so maybe she would learn something.

"Why, though?" Dominic asked. "Micah has a mate, and he's the oldest. Why can't I wait and pick someone in my own time?"

Linda heated what passed as an oven, mixing dough easily and chatting with Aidan while she worked. She did keep an eye on Terra, though, more curious than she was willing to admit.

"Because, dear, there are already murmurs among the other clans that perhaps you are not willing to take a mate. Or capable." One sculpted eyebrow rose.

Terra watched in fascination as the woman worked. She wasn't learning anything particularly practical, but it was still interesting to watch. And she was even keeping herself out of the way. Bonus.

"I thought we didn't care what the others thought," Dominic pointed out. "'Our clan is strong and enduring. Whispers mean nothing to us.'"

Linda set the biscuits to baking and sent Aidan to go fetch water for them, giving her a chance to talk to Terra for a few minutes.

"My brother was rather sparse with the details," she said, smiling winsomely at the human. "How did you meet these two?"

His mother shrugged. "True. But I worry about you. You live by yourself, dear, and you hardly spend time with the rest of the clan."

Terra hesitated for a second.

"They found me," she replied. "I was... lost, out in the woods. They brought me back with them."

"Mother..." Dominic sighed. "Third-born is hardly essential for court functions. "

"Hmm. I never would have thought my brother would do such a thing." Then she chuckled. "Although, judging from my nephew's actions, it was his idea."

"Not necessary," his mother agreed easily. "But you haven't been very social at all, dear. Your own family are the only ones that know you, and the rest of the clan isn't quite comfortable with that."

Terra nodded, smiling just a little bit.

"It was," she said.

Dominic sighed. "Fine. I'll mingle more with the clan. But I'll take a mate when I want to."

Linda nodded. "My nephew is a good kid, even if he doesn't always know how the world really works." She smiled faintly and checked on the biscuits. "You seem very at ease."

"Of course, dear," his mother said with a smile that showed just a hint of teeth. "Do you need any supplies sent along for your pet or would you prefer to pick things out yourself?"

"I think it's a bit less 'at ease' and a bit more 'stay out of the way,'" Terra admitted.

"I think it would be best if I picked things out myself," Dominic said. Or rather, let Mira pick things out. She seemed like she would be rather stubborn about such things. "If I am excused?"

"Hmm. Even so, you are not actively scared of my brother, nor of this town." Linda raised an eyebrow at her.

His mother nodded, waving a hand. "Yes, of course. Go take care of your pet." Her eyes flashed with amusement but she didn't say anything else.

"I... haven't really left the house," Terra pointed out. "And I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

Dominic nodded to his parents and, once his father waved him off, he turned and left the room. He did, however, make sure Mira was following him.

"No, you haven't," Linda agreed easily. "These are just observations, dear."

Mira did indeed scurry after him. She was much more comfortable with him than she was with his parents. They were kind of scary.

"They were observations that sounded like they were leading to something else," Terra pointed out.

"We're going back to my rooms," Dominic said quietly. "We'll get you your own things later, when my family isn't breathing down my neck anymore."

"I'm just surprised. It isn't often one comes across a human so comfortable in the presence of so many demons." Linda raised an eyebrow.

Mira pouted a little but nodded. "Alright," she agreed quietly.

"I haven't been threatened yet," Terra said. "Nobody has tried to hurt me. Why should I be afraid anymore?"

Dominic gestured towards his house. He would figure out what Mira needed and get it for her; he just wanted to settle in for a bit first.

Linda shook her head. "You're not from around here, are you?" she asked quietly, pulling the biscuits out easily with her hands.

Mira waited for them to be back in his house before she turned on Dominic. "What the hell just happened? What does being the third son have to do with anything? Are your parents like royalty or something?"

"Not really, no," Terra admitted. "It's that obvious, I guess."

Dominic blinked at her, mildly baffled.

"My parents are the alphas," he responded. "I'm thirdborn. Was it not clear?"

Linda just chuckled. "That's alright. Perhaps you're exactly what he needs."

Mira had a definitely facepalm moment and took a few seconds to get over that. "You might have mentioned that earlier," she hissed. "It would have been good to know that I'm living with as good as royalty."

Terra blinked.

"How so?" she asked curiously.

"It was not important," Dominic said with a bit of a shrug.