Chapter Nine
Rhys
Ihad noidea what I was doing as I steered the SUV into the parking lot at Zilker Park. The botanical gardens were beautiful. I discovered them my second week in Austin and came here regularly. So regularly that the attendant, Joe, greeted me by name when I pulled up to pay the entry fee.
Savannah was watching me with open curiosity as I parked. “Do you come here often?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Once or twice a week.”
She looked around. “What is this place? I’ve lived in Austin for years and I’ve never been here.”
“It’s a botanical garden.”
“It’s so pretty,” she murmured.
As we got out of the car, I noted that clouds were gathering in the sky. I hoped the rain would hold off for a bit so I could show her my favorite spot. I wanted to reach for her hand, but I suppressed the urge. I should be keeping my distance from her, not trying to pull her closer. I shouldn’t have even brought her here, but once I spoke to her again and saw the gentle warmth in her dark eyes, I found myself inviting her to join me.
First, we walked through the Butterfly Garden, admiring the flowers and the beautiful wings of the butterflies that skimmed from bloom to bloom. Then I led her to my favorite area in the garden. Lush green trees and grasses lined the stone path that led to the koi pond.
Savannah sighed when she saw it. “This is so peaceful,” she murmured. “And beautiful.”
I knew she would see it as I did. Beauty and peace in a busy world. A place to breathe.
“I try to find peace where I can,” I replied. “There is so little of it in this world.”
Her head turned toward me. “I don’t agree with that.”
Surprised, I met her gaze. “You don’t agree?” I asked in confusion.
“That there’s very little peace in this world,” she clarified. “I think there is plenty of peace, even in the middle of a busy city. You just have to be willing to experience it.”
“How do you mean?” I asked. Savannah often said and did things that made me wonder how she saw the world. Her perception was so different than mine.
“Peace isn’t always found. Sometimes, we have to make our own.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I disagreed.
She laughed and shook her head. “Don’t be so literal, Rhys. It’s possible to be peaceful in the midst of chaos. You only have to look for your opportunity. Like my garden. We live in a crowded area. Lots of homes and people everywhere. Yet I feel my calmest when I’m working there. I find serenity there because that’s where I want to find it. That’s where I look for it.”
Strangely, her reasoning made a great deal of sense. I’d never looked for tranquility wherever I could find it because, until Cornelius died, I hadn’t believed it existed. I was still learning how to relax, but I doubted I would ever stop looking over my shoulder.
Savannah returned to her contemplation of the koi pond. “Can I ask you something?”
Unsure of why she was requesting permission to ask me a question, I replied, “Of course.”
“How old are you? You look around my age, maybe in your late twenties, but your accent and the way you speak…” She fell silent.
I knew that I sounded antiquated when I spoke because I rarely spent time with other people. I also knew I needed to work on that in order to assimilate into modern society, but I loathed the idea of spending so much time around other people. Crowds made me feel under attack.
“The answer to that question is complicated,” I replied.
“You don’t have to tell me if—”
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” I interrupted. “I’m not sure if I can.”
She looked up at me, a frown tugging at her brow. “What do you mean?”
“When I was born, record keeping was not as important as growing enough food to survive in my village. My first master said I was born in the spring and I do know that was about a century before what you call the Common Era.”
