Page 44 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

Heat rose to Sullha's cheeks, all the way to her hairline.

"Mattie winked at me," she whispered. "Does it show?" She patted her hair.

Yaaf put his arm back along the seat. "You have lipstick on your chin."

Sullha wiped her chin, then realized how absurd that was. "I don't wear lipstick, and neither do you."

"I know."

She elbowed him. Petrov shushed them both, and on the screen, the bear returned.

15

ANNANI

"I'm leaving," Alena said. "I need to give E.T. a bath and dress him in something nice." She pulled out her phone. "Geraldine sent me this picture."

Annani took the phone and smiled. E.T. was adorable despite what he was wearing. "He outgrew this little shirt months ago. It rides up over his cute little tummy, and it makes me want to cover it with kisses."

"I know, right?" Alena took the phone and grinned at the photo of her son. "But I don't want him showing up like that to the family dinner. Orion is a wonderful daddy, but choosing what to dress our son in seems to exceed his parenting abilities."

Thanks to Orion, Alena could spend long hours by Annani's side without feeling guilty about abandoning her baby son to Ovidu's care. But now that Khiann was awake and communicating, and Annani was no longer in panic mode, there was no more reason for Alena to stay away from her family for long hours each day. The problem was telling her daughter that she was no longer needed without sounding ungrateful.

"You should get rid of all the outgrown clothing," Annani said. "Have Ovidu organize everything in matching sets so Orion knows what to pick up."

Alena put the phone in her skirt pocket. "Ovidu is not much better when it comes to dressing up little ones. He never developed the knack for that, which he should have after helping me raise fourteen children. I haven't had much time lately for anything, let alone closet organizing."

"I am sorry." Annani reached for her daughter's hand. "I appreciate the sacrifices you are making for me, and it means a lot to me that you are here. I know how difficult it is for you to be away from your little boy, and I think you should return to your family."

Alena leaned down and kissed Annani's cheek. "I'm happy that I can do this for you, and don't worry about E.T. and Orion. They are strengthening their father-son bond, and that's a good thing. When I'm around, Orion defers to me because I'm the experienced parent, but if he doesn't learn to do things on his own, he's never going to, right?"

Annani nodded because she was too choked up to speak. How she wished Khiann could be the father of her children and develop bonds with them. But wishing something did not make it come true, and Khiann was not at all eager to even meet her children.

He was afraid of them.

Alena frowned. "Are you okay? Did I say something to upset you?"

"No. I just had a moment of self-pity. I wished Khiann could have been your father and formed bonds with all of you."

"I see." Alena chewed on her lower lip. "He still might. I mean, he can't be our biological father, but since our human fathers are all gone, he might become our father in spirit."

Annani smiled. "That is very kind of you to say, but can you imagine accepting a twenty-year-old as your adoptive father?"

"Maybe." Alena pursed her lips. "Is he the sagely type?"

"Not at all. That said, he was more mature at twenty than Kian was. Or maybe I just remember him that way because I was still a girl myself, and to me he seemed so much older and wiser."

Alena arched a brow. "Seriously? I can't imagine you looking up to anyone."

"Well, I might have exaggerated a little. I always believed I was right, and I was. When have I ever been wrong?"

"Never." Alena laughed. "I'm out of here, Mother. See you at dinner."

Annani glanced at the time displayed on the monitor behind Khiann's bed. Sari's plane would be landing shortly, and the drive from the airport to the village would take about an hour. At best, Sari and David would arrive around four in the afternoon, giving them just enough time to shower and change before dinner at Kian's house.

Annani would attend, of course, but she would not stay late. Now that Khiann was waking up more frequently and staying awake longer, she could not leave his side for more than two hours.

Would that be enough?