Chapter Two #2
“Yes, please. But I appreciate the save,” he murmured into her neck.
She kissed his cheek and ignored the diners around them. Breen touched her and steered her toward the private room. “Subtle.”
“That’s what I do.”
When they had been shepherded into the room and the door was closed, she kept kissing Ithal’s temple until she felt him relax. “Did you have dessert?”
“Mr. Klauz kept trying, but I was worried they would take you away.”
“Aw, honey. I just went with them to be polite. If I needed to be loose, I would be loose, and we would be travelling to find you a new place to go to school.”
Ithal leaned back in her arms and grinned. “Yeah. Nothing stops you.”
“Nope. Nothing stops me.”
Drin smiled. “You can take a seat. The clips from the riverside are being shared online, as well as the ones where you flew through the city.”
Ekron nodded. “You have done that before.”
“I can assure you, I have not. I have never lifted a bus before.”
Techor said, “What are you using?”
She sat and held Ithal on her lap. “Energy tethers. I looped as many of them under the bus as I could, and then I started lifting.”
Vaken smiled. “You told me to make holes.”
“And you did an amazing job. It lowered the lift weight by a few hundred pounds and let me get you above the building when I flew. Thank you, Vaken. You made it all possible.”
Ithal sighed. “All I did was call.”
“And you held the signal, which kept everything necessary. Without that open com, I might have lost power.”
Ithal looked up. “Really? Miaette was talking to you.”
“Miaette activated due to panic, and I was keeping her busy by getting her to translate. You know what happens when I talk to a psychic who catches me by surprise.”
He paused and nodded. “So she was necessary, too.”
“She was. Well, she had a need, and keeping her calm was necessary. I am sure that they have begun scheduling training for her already.”
Vaken nodded. “And if not, we will mention it to the school on Monday.”
Shisha said, “They gave the kids the rest of the week off to process what almost happened and to let the press die down.”
Ekron grinned, and a projector fired up on the wall. Someone came in, and she caught the scent. “Hey, Klauz. We are watching footage.”
Klauz stepped toward the projection. “Katta?”
He turned and looked at her. She grinned and wiggled her fingers at him. “Hey, mauve wonder.”
Klauz’s eyes went wide, and he walked up to her. She held out her hand, and he squeezed it. “Klauz, this is my son and Vaken’s friend, Ithal. Oh, and I am going by Alody now.”
“You are alive.”
“Yup.”
“You are young.”
“Well, I am not carrying an aging appearance. Congrats on the consortium.”
He smiled. “We are expecting soon. My girls are twins.”
“Well, that calls for a hug.”
Ithal laughed and took the chair next to her, and Alody got up and hugged her friend from the capitol. She looked up at him. “I know your mate already changed your life, but buckle up. These little ones become everything.”
He chuckled. “When did you get to town?”
“Three years ago. Right when Ithal was ready for school. I wanted him here or at a few other places on the list. This was the first choice.” She let him go. “If you think you are happy now, when those babies are in your arms, your heart is going to explode all over the walls.”
He grinned. “I look forward to it.”
“Good. Now put me down. My baby was in danger, and I have had insufficient cuddles.”
Ithal laughed, and when she sat down, he yawned. She cuddled him up, and the different camera angles were now covering the wall.
“Oh, damn. I really need to get home and change.”
“You look nice, Mom. Like a comic book character.”
She covered Ithal’s mouth and looked over toward Salat. “Don’t speak too loudly; you will wake up his drawing hand.”
Ithal whispered, “He makes the comic books?”
“He does. He also makes some of the shirts you wear when we go out.”
Salat asked, “What is your favourite?”
“Salat and Water Dance.”
Khytten grinned. “Not me?”
“No offense, ma’am, but you are a little advanced for me.”
Salat paused and then hooted with laughter. Salmet grinned, covering her mouth, and the guys in the room looked, shrugged, and nodded.
Ithal whispered, “Mom, why was it funny?”
“Because it is true. Many of the funniest things in life are true.” She felt a touch on her mind, her head snapped up, and she glared at Techor. “Don’t ever do that again.”
He frowned. “I am sorry. It is instinct.”
“Drin, don’t touch Techor for a moment. He needs to feel what he keeps prodding. Ithal, pull your senses in. This isn’t going to be fun.”
Klauz paused. “Are you going to attack him?”
“No. He has been asking a question, and I am giving him the answer.”
Techor looked wary. “When are you going to—”
His head snapped back as her life ran through him.
She finished with her current occupation, and Techor thudded to the floor, bleeding from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Drin looked at her with wide eyes. “What was that?”
“My autobiography. He knows now. He can stop asking.” She paused. “You can touch him now.”
Drin dropped to her knees and held Techor while he stared at Alody.
Salmet asked, “Alody, what was that?”
“I have seen some things, done some things, and had things done to me.” She shrugged. “He knows now, and he understands why his country of origin causes me a problem.”
Techor nodded, and his voice was harsh. “I understand now.”
“Good. It shows intelligence, which bodes well for your child.”
Drin laughed and still held him. His breathing evened, and he exhaled slowly.