“Don’t worry. I’ll have my knife.” She grinned.
She left the lodge as a hard gust of wind blew through the open door. The smell of rain permeated the air.
“We got a storm coming this way,” Atty predicted. “It feels like a bad one.”
“I saw it earlier,” Mattox said. “I figure it’ll hit us either late tonight or in the wee hours of the morning.”
“I’ll warn the others to secure their campsites, and end today’s session early,” Yulen said. “Luc, let Cole and Warren know we need to take the necessary precautions if they haven’t done so already. Matt, go round up any of our men still on the practice field or outside the compound. I’d rather not wait until the last minute.” Kissing Atty, he slipped out the door, after Lucien.
Mattox turned to go when his mother held up a hand to stop him. She moved closer, her blue-gray eyes locked on his.
“I want you to know, my love, that I know,” she softly said.
“Know what?” It was an automatic response. He damn well understood what she was telling him.
When she smiled at him, her whole face lit up with love. Her affection was a solid rock he could always cling to. “Find a way to be with her. Find any excuse. Enjoy the time you share together.”
“Mom, it won’t make any difference. After this conference is over, she’ll go back to Vega City, and that’ll be the end of it.”
She didn’t scoff or try to make light of his remark. Instead, she brushed her fingers over his arm. “Don’t forget, Paas traveled a long way to reunite with Cole. If this woman has reason to believe she is truly loved, she could do the same.”
“When she looks at me, all she sees are my eyes.”
Atty slowly shook her head. “All I ask is that you give her a chance. Don’t push her away. She’s filling a need in you. A deep need. A need you’ve been wanting filled for a long time. I can sense it, and so can you.”
“Mom.” Damn it. His eyes were starting to mist over. “It’s no use.”
“No.” Anger flashed in those all-knowing eyes, but her anger was not directed at him. “Don’t ever say that. If your father had listened to everyone who told him loving me was of no use, ifI’dlistened to everyone who tried to convince me it was wrong to love your father, you, Mistelle, Lucien, none of us would be here. It’s never wrong to hope. It’s always worth trying. What you’re feeling now are the first buds of spring, reaching for the rain and sun so they can blossom. Give them a chance.” She patted his arm, then dropped a kiss on it. “If you need me, you’ll know where I’ll be.”
Yes, he knew where she’d be. Not her exact location, but he could hone in on her and find her, the way he’d done when he was a child. Same for Misty and Luc. It was as if there was an invisible tether connecting them to her. An invisible, emotional tether.
“Mom?”
She paused at the door, her hand on the latch, and looked back at him.
“What if I went to Vega City with her? For her protection?”
Atty didn’t dwell long on it. “Do what you feel is best,” she finally advised, and left.
He had her blessing. Hers and his father’s. They would not stand in his way.
He hadn’t considered joining Edge’s caravan on its return trip. The comment had come out of left field. But now that he’d said it, the idea didn’t seem so preposterous.
Three months to get there, three months back. A lot can happen in half a year.
He’d never been gone that long from Alta Novis, but his parents had. In fact, he’d been born in a Mutah compound far away from here.
Mattox felt a smile come over him, and it felt good.
15
Moment
Mattox searched the practice field for anyone out there. Other than a handful of Mutah hunters working on their knife skills, the place was empty.
“Spread the word. That storm that’s headed our way looks to be a nasty one. Make sure everything’s tied down and secured before it gets here.”
“What if it turns out worse than expected?” a man he recognized as Nallt inquired.
