Page 65 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

"She would like to sit with you for a little while if that is acceptable to you?"

There was a pause, long enough that Annani's chest tightened, and then one squeeze.

It was a relief, but after his panic over Kian, she did not take the yes for granted.

"You have already met my eldest daughter, Alena, and my youngest, Amanda, but you do not remember Amanda visiting. Sari is very different from Alena. She has chestnut hair, like yours. It is also thick and luxurious like yours used to be and will be again once it grows back. Sari is just as kind as Alena but more organized. She runs the arm of the clan that remained in the northern lands. It is called Scotland now, but you probably will not remember that the next time I tell you about it."

Khiann kept looking at her with that slight smile, as if merely listening to her voice was enough to bring him pleasure.

He used to tell her he could listen to her talk for hours without ever growing tired of her voice.

Annani heard the doors swing open behind her, and as she glanced at the time on one of the monitors, she saw it was exactly ten o'clock.

Sari had always been punctual to a fault, even as a child, and evidently that had not changed.

She approached slowly, making sure Khiann saw her coming without turning his head. She was dressed in her usual style, more businesslike than casual yet still feminine and pretty. A deep blue silk blouse, black trousers, and black low-heeled pumps. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, framing her face and accentuating her deep blue eyes.

She stopped and took a deep breath. "Welcome to the herd," she said in the old tongue, slowly and with a terrible accent.

Khiann's brows drew together.

Annani pressed her lips tight, but the laugh escaped anyway. "She means tribe, or family. My children do not speak our tongue." She sighed. "Nearly no one does."

Khiann's mouth curved upward more than it had since he had woken up, and it kept climbing until it reached both sides.

"He smiled at me." Sari lifted a hand to her chest.

"He did, and it is the biggest smile I have seen on his face so far."

"I'm honored." Sari dipped her head. "I'll try to mangle more words in the old tongue if that makes him happy."

Annani turned to Khiann. "If you have not guessed already, this is Sari, and she is very glad that she made you smile. She will try again, so be ready to hear strange things."

Khiann looked at Sari for a long moment. Then he pulled his hand out from under Annani's, moved it two finger-widths across the blanket toward her daughter, and let it rest there, palm tilted open.

Annani stifled a gasp.

He had never offered his hand before because he had not been able to, and now that he had regained some control, he was expending his hard-earned energy on her daughter.

"Should I?" Sari looked at her.

"Of course, you should. You do not reject a hand offered in friendship. But this is a new milestone for him, so be gentle."

Sari nodded and took Khiann's hand as though it were made of spun sugar and held it. "Hello," she said in English, probably because she was too emotional to remember the word in the old tongue.

For a while, no one said anything.

"You can ask Khiann questions to which the answer is yes or no," Annani said quietly. "One squeeze means yes, two mean no."

"Truly?" Sari lit up, reminding Annani of her as a little girl. "Ask him if he is happy to be here."

Annani translated.

"One squeeze." Sari beamed.

"Ask him if the food is good."

"He is still fed through a tube, dearest."