When she stared blankly, he realized he’d spoken in Maori.He switched to the English taught to him by the missionaries.
“Nyree, my name is Tawera.Please do not fear me.I promise I will never hurt you like the Ari-man.”
Nyree gaped at the transparent man.Was he a genie?Did she get three wishes?
“What are you?”she muttered, too astonished to experience fear even though the man was tall and muscular and bore tattoos on his face.“A ghost?”
“No, I am Tawera.”He held up his arm and scowled.“A taniwha.”
Nyree glanced over her shoulder to check outside her windows.Not a person in sight.“You can shift to a dragon?”
“Yes.At least I used to shift as much as possible without anyone learning of my true nature.”
He’d spoken to her in Maori before switching to English.While she understood Maori, she wasn’t fluent in her national language.
Before she reacted, he said, “You keep your identity a secret too.”
“True.There are dozens of taniwha where I live, but most people ignore the old mythology and legends.They consider them interesting stories.In the world I come from, it’s not safe to be different.”
Tawera frowned and slowly stretched.Although he was still see-through, she distinguished his form without difficulty.He brought to mind a warrior with his long black hair and full facial tattoos.He wore apiupiutied around his waist—a garment made from individual strands of dried flax that swung and swished as he stretched.A cloak decorated with feathers hung around his shoulders, baring much of his chest.Her gaze drifted down to his bare feet.
She inhaled and caught the same scent that had upset her taniwha so severely when she’d first entered her home.It wasn’t as concentrated this time, but it was every bit as seductive.She stepped closer without conscious thought.He was slightly taller than her.Taller than Ari.The flash of memory brought a wince, and she shoved Ari and the associated guilt and pain to the back of her mind.Instead, she focused on Tawera.His skin color indicated Maori descent, but was he truly a taniwha?
“Are you frightened of me?”he asked, his voice husky and masculine, his golden brown gaze intense.
“No,” she said without hesitation.It was the truth.While the situation was startling and unusual—magical—he didn’t scare her.
His broad shoulders relaxed at her reply, and this time it was him who closed the gap between them.“Where am I?”
“You don’t know?”
He shook his head.
“We’re on South Georgia, which is near to Antarctica.”His blank expression told Nyree she’d confused him.“I’ll show you on a map.How did you get here?”Her stomach rumbled a hunger pang that was loud enough for Tawera to hear.
“You are hungry.Eat food.”
“All right,” Nyree said, retreating.“Come with me.We’ll sit at the table.Are you hungry?I’ll share my pasta.”
Tawera followed, silent with his bare feet.She pulled out a chair at the scarred wooden table in her kitchen and indicated he should sit.As she’d suspected, Carolyn had sent her a huge helping, so she heated it and split the contents.Did ghosts eat?If that’s what he was because, given his transparency, he wasn’t exactly human either.A taniwha ghost.No one would give her the time of day with this revelation, even if she tried to explain.
“That smells good,” he said, his gaze on the food.“What is it?”
“Pasta.”Once she’d heated a portion, she gave it to him while she microwaved hers.When she went to join him, he was still staring at the food, and she realized she hadn’t given him utensils.Nyree pulled two forks out of the drawer and handed him one.“We make pasta from flour, eggs, and water.The sauce is creamy, and Carolyn has added vegetables and sausage.”
“Show me how to eat this,” he said, his tone imperious.
“Like this,” she said, demonstrating.“Asking questions or for examples is an excellent way to learn.”
“My friends, my father, they would never ask,” Tawera replied, his tone blunt.
She waited until he’d taken his first mouthful.He chewed slowly, savoring before he swallowed.She hid a grin as his eyes widened, and he eagerly scooped up another bite.The food didn’t reappear, so she figuredghostwasn’t an apt description for him.
“Do you know how you arrived here in South Georgia?”she asked again.
“Yes.”He ate more pasta before he spoke again.“I come from Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud.”
“New Zealand,” Nyree translated.“That is where I live too.Where in Aotearoa did you live?”
