He followed silently.
Elias met me on the way out the back door. “I’ll have breakfast on the table when you return, sir. Shall I set two places?”
“No. I mean, yes. Of course. Kirion can have breakfast down here with me this morning.”
“Very well.”
When he heard what I said, Kirion looked up for the first time.
“You don’t mind eating here in the dining room, do you?” I asked.
“No, sir.”
“Not sir. You can call me Tane.”
He gave me a single nod.
French doors opened onto a veranda with steps that led down to the back acreage. There was a fenced outdoor pool and tennis courts. Open stretches of lawn seemed to go on forever with ample room for shifting. Beyond that stood rows of trees leading into a wildwood forest. But between two vast stretches of lawn lay my sanctuary. Half of it was a pond with a little waterfall surrounded by a brick path. The other half was my flower garden.
A white picket fence made its winding way around the area. I led Kirion past the pool and over the lawn straight to it. He followed quicker, head up. When we walked through the gate, he stopped and sniffed the air as butterflies and moths flitted before us.
He spoke in a whispered voice. “There are so many flowers.”
“The season is turning. These will fade but I’ve got patches of winter flowers to take over.”
“My father didn’t like flowers too much so we didn’t have flower gardens on the grounds, just flowerpots and carefullylandscaped hedges. These are beautiful. You have talented gardeners.”
“No gardeners in this area. This is my terrain.”
“You?”
I nodded. “Twenty-three years in an office is like being in a cage.” I felt heat hit my face at the unfortunate use of that wordcagebut plodded on. “Shifting parties and trips to the gym didn’t cut it. I needed sun and wind. And my hands touching the earth.”
“But your dragon flies. That’s wind and sun. That’s probably amazing, too.” His words were in a different tone, one I realized was the real Kirion, not the scared young man, not the unloved captive.
“It is. But my human body needed more, too.”
As we walked the paths, Kirion touched petals of bright daisies and graceful lilies and a dozen others. His fingertips lingered on each one. Cupping. Bending to smell them. I had created these beds of flowers. I had hoed and watered and weeded with my bare hands. Some days I spent hours out here until my arms and face were sunburnt, not noticing the time going by.
“You must’ve spent lots of time every day here.”
Maybe he would judge me. Maybe he would think my time here was time I should have spent with my son. Still, I answered truthfully. “Almost. Weekends mostly, at first. I have some help with the automatic sprinklers for water.”
“Can I—can I ask you a personal question?”
I blinked, wondering what it could be, but nodded.
“Where is Malin’s omega father?”
My mouth went dry. The air filled with wings and late summer pollen. My world spun.
7
Kirion
“Where is Malin’s omega father?” The words came out before I had time to think.
As I watched Tane’s tanned face go pale, I realized my question had been too bold. Especially from me. And at this moment.
