“What do you know of Cassian visiting?” his mother asked.
She was not going to tell him anything and would only confirm what he already knew, so he said nothing. “You are going to forbid me from going there again, are you not?” Orion demanded.
“Yes,” she answered, her tone cool, crisp, and commanding.
“Well someone should visit her,” he yelled.
“What is that supposed to mean,” his mother countered.
“Nina has lived in the grove, by herself since she was four.”
“The dryads do not wish for others to visit, interfere or disturb them.”
“That may be well and good for the dryads, but Nina is not one of them. Not fully, but a miss sheltered from the rest of the world and whose only company are five dryads, her brother, and my female relatives if they are not too busy.” Orion had never yelled at his parents before, but he was still angry, and frustrated. Nina should have had more friends or at least companions near her own age. She shouldn’t have been hidden away as if she were an embarrassment. His mother and aunts should have treated her better. “Did it ever occur to you that she was lonely?”
His mother brought a hand to her breast. “I was assured that she was cared for.”
“She was,” Orion answered. “But she has also been left alone.”
He then told her of how Nina used to watch the girls when they visited while getting their powers, stuck in the grove and unable to join them. He added that part himself because Nina had not complained.
He thrust his hand through his hair, regretting that he may have betrayed Nina’s trust, but his mother needed to know.
His father looked to Mother, worry marred his brow.
“I assumed that all was well…Basilia promised…” she took a deep breath. “You are correct. Nina should have been checked on more often and introduced to your sister and cousins when they were younger.”
Orion appreciated that she realized her error, but the past could not be undone.
“You know quite a bit about Nina,” his father observed. “How many times have you seen her?”
He knew his answer was going to anger them both, but Orion was beyond caring. “Every day since I discovered the lady in the grove the day Damon wed.”
His mother gasped. “You lied to me?” she accused.
“No, I omitted a few facts.”
“Does Cassian know, or have you been able to avoid being caught by him?” his father asked with concern.
“It is not right that you meet with her in private, Orion. Think of her reputation.”
“She lives in a sacred grove, not in Society, and it is not like I can visit her anywhere else,” he said to his mother, then turned to his father. “Cassian has known since my third visit. He tasked the dryads, all five of them, to chaperone. I do not see them, but I have no doubt they are there, hiding in the trees and watching.”
“You shouldn’t have gone there,” his mother said again. “The dryads cannot be pleased with having you there.”
“Well, I am fairly certain the grove does not want me there either.”
“Why do you say so?” she asked.
“A vine wrapped itself around my ankle,” he said. “It had to grow rather quickly for it make its way up the stairs and into the temple to do so.”
His mother’s eyes filled with bewilderment, and she cocked her head, studying him.
“What were you doing when this happened?” his father asked.
If they were angry about him visiting, they would be furious that he had kissed Nina. “It does not matter,” he dismissed.
“It matters,” his mother insisted. “The grove would not have responded in such a manner had you not been doing something.”
