Chapter 34

Konner took the last turn on the path and then stopped and looked at the pond. Dusk cast highlights on the water and there was no mistaking Terah in the water with the way her skin reflected it. She looked radiant and he couldn’t help thinking of the water spirit folklore again. He didn’t know why he was here. The only males who visited the pond were the mates of women using it. For some reason, this was the direction his feet had taken him when he’d left the office.

Sleep had been hard to find, even exhausted, but he had managed some before going into the office and starting on the long list of things he had to do. Blair’s housing situation was well in hand and despite the impending arrival of winter, he would have his builds underway this week. Gia would be singing in her custom-made shower with indoor plumbing by the end of the week. It had taken some work to get all the pieces in motion on both, but in the end, money bought the willingness of the shippers to get the supplies to the remote areas.

He’d checked in with Shaelan to find her processing blood samples herself, which had surprised him until Calum told him that one of the Alliance’s med techs had been on the phone with her for hours walking her through the steps. She explained everything she’d been doing and her findings, and he’d understood about a quarter of what she told him, but the result, combined with her enthusiasm lead him to believe Rae’s babies and subsequent pregnancies in the clan wouldn’t be as difficult.

When he had convinced himself that everything was working out, Olanna and Nolyn had cornered him in the hallway and in no delicate way had torn a strip off him a foot wide. Conversations with Terah had clued them into how bad things were with the Tomas organization and they were less than impressed that he’d hidden what was really going on. So now he had to look forward to an adult-only meeting of the clan members to fill everyone in. He looked forward to that about as much as he would rolling in a bin of salt.

He’d only done it to save worries, but now his biggest one was the others would want to leave the Sanctuary and go help look for more of their kind, or worse join one of the teams rescuing any being held. That conversation was what lead him to call it a night in the office and go for a brisk walk to clear his head before a swim.

This is where the walk had led him and his brain was telling him to turn around and go to the lake, his body refused that suggestion, and he was now walking around to the small dock beside the cabin.

When he reached it, he looked down to see Terah’s tablet sitting on it, the screen still lit up. He squatted down and looked to see what was open. It was a book. He looked at the water to see she was nowhere near the surface. Frowning, he read a few sentences and his eyebrows went up, she was reading a romance story? There was no way she was reading this yet, to his knowledge she still couldn’t read the primary books Nolyn had given her. When he noticed the play icon, he understood the book was being read out loud by a program.

Water splashing beside the dock had him jolt like someone caught where they shouldn’t be.

“Konner.”

He looked down to see her smiling up at him. “I thought I’d check in and see how you were doing.”

She smiled, “I know it is your unofficial position to worry, but I am doing much better now.”

He smirked; the women had been chatting up a storm today. “I’m glad to hear that.” He motioned to the tablet.

She gave him an excited look. “The tablet can read books to me. I try to look at the words, but then forget because of the story.”

There was no way he was discussing a romance novel; he didn’t know the first thing about them. “At least you’re enjoying it.”

“Yes. I had to ask about words though and then listen again.”

“Ask about words?” He sat on the dock, deciding she seemed to be in good spirits, and it wouldn’t be wrong to visit for a short while.

Putting a hand on the dock, she held herself in place, letting the rest of her body float. “Yes. Lucus showed me how to ask the tablet what words mean, and it tells me.”

“That’s clever.”

She watched him for a moment. “The tablet is very smart.”

He smiled, there was no way to explain to her that it wasn’t the tablet, but a program, so he just nodded in agreement. “You look much better than you did earlier today.”

“So do you.” She touched her forehead. “Your lines are gone.”

“Ah, yes, I got some sleep.”

“I am not tired, I thought I would be after swimming so much, but I’m not.”

Konner knew enough from the other women to have a moderate understanding of what happening to Terah, and with any other woman, he would have just smiled and nodded his head, but this was her first time and he felt like he should offer her something. “It is my understanding that rest is hard to do until the cycle is over.”

“Yes, then I will sleep for two days.” She smiled. “It is good though. My cycle. It means I am healthy, and my body is stronger.” He watched the emotions change on her face from a serious look to one of delight. “When things are optimal, I can have babies.” Her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand what the data is important for, but Shaelan is figuring it out.”

Tilting his head, he glanced at the tablet. “Did the tablet tell you that? When things are optimal you can have babies?”

She frowned. “No, the tablet does not answer about our kind. I have tried. Olanna told me.”

He wondered how long the women had stayed with her, there had been a lot of information passed back and forth. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why do you want a baby so much?” He shrugged. “You just got your freedom for the first time...” He stopped, not sure if he should say what he was really thinking.

“I will never be alone again.” She smiled. “With a child of my own.”

It felt like someone had stabbed him in the chest to hear the sad tone in her voice. “You’re not alone now. You have the rest of the clan.” He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to think you were the only one of your kind left. “There’s no rush, you could live for a hundred years...”

“Is that how many you have lived for?”

Konner sputtered, trying not to laugh at her serious question. “Not quite.”

“I know how many numbers I am.” She nodded. “My age.”

“Well...” He watched the tablet screen go dark. “I’m three times that, roughly.”

She was quiet for a moment, looking down and not at him. “You don’t look old.” That was what she settled for after some careful thought. “Auntie doesn’t look as old as the old one that was with Mother and me.”

Auntie? No one called her that except him. Even the children called her Alvie when things were unofficial. He’d have to speak with his aunt and find out why she’d told Terah to call her that. “Staying near freshwater makes a difference.” He couldn’t go into why the elder she’d been with had been aged from saltwater. Women during their cycle could get very emotional and he didn’t want to upset her when she seemed to be handling it so well.

“I am glad you came to see me, Konner.” She pushed off from the dock and tread the water beside it, “I have decided what I am doing with my money.” Her voice changed to a quiet, serious tone.

“And what is that?”

“I want to use it to help others.” She came closer again, so she could hold his look. “Even if they are not our kind.”

“Our clan funds already go towards helping all those under the Alliance...”

“You do not understand me.” She put her hand on the dock and pulled herself up, so she could rest her arms across the wood and keep the rest of her body in the water. “Everyone,” she said, enunciating it slowly, “even those who do not change into something else.” She held his look. There are children out there, they need help.”

“Ah.” How did he explain to her that they had enough issues helping shifters?

“Nolyn was talking to me about things like that.” She nodded. “Olanna and Nolyn talked to me a lot today...”

“I’m aware.” He cleared his throat. “They chewed my ear off over a lot of it.”

She frowned. “Your ear is still there.”

Konner smiled. “It’s a saying, they didn’t really.” He blew out a quick breath, trying to find a way to explain it. “It means they were not happy with some things I didn’t tell them, so they told me,” This was harder than he’d thought. “They were a bit angry with me.”

“It is not your fault people are taken, why would they get angry with you?” She inched up higher and watched him carefully.

“They weren’t angry for that, they were upset that I hadn’t told them how bad it is, how many were taken.”

“Oh.” She let herself drop back into the water, without making a splash. “I don’t understand why sometimes things are said when that isn’t what they mean.” She watched her hands move through the water, “Nolyn told me to stay in the water if anyone came to visit me so I wouldn’t grab anyone and shake some sense into them. I asked the tablet, and it doesn’t seem like a good thing to do to someone.”

Konner wiped his hand over his face until he could get the big grin under control. “It’s hard to explain, but in Nolyn’s case, she is very aggressive.” He frowned. “Yh, she says what she means, and it can be pretty blunt.” That wasn’t a good word to have her looking up. “Very straightforward and honest.”

Terah was quiet for a moment. “Yes. I want to be very straightforward and honest too.”

“It’s not a bad thing, really, if more were honest there would be fewer issues in the world.” He didn’t want to explain that sometimes honesty caused problems, that was a talk for later when she knew a little more about life.

“Yes.” She came back over and looked up at him, even in the lower light her eyes seemed bright to him, the silver with the hint of that blue in there. “I want to kiss you again.”

Whatever he had planned on saying evaporated in his mind. He looked at her, and of course looked right at her lips, recalling the kiss in his room. Clearing his throat, he leaned back so he wouldn’t be tempted to lean down and kiss her. “It’s best to wait until your cycle is gone—it could only be because of that,” he motioned in the air, trying to word it, “you know, how you’re feeling...”

“How will I know this?”

He should have just checked on her and then left, he decided. Too late now. “Uh, I suppose, see if you still feel that way after your cycle has passed.” His traitorous eyes were tracing her lips as she moved them and thought about what he’d said.

She nodded. “Okay, I will.”

Blowing out a breath, he leaned back and looked at the darkening sky. “The stars will be out soon.” He kept his gaze on the sky above, not tempting himself by looking at her.

“Out from where?”

He smirked, “it means they will be visible when it’s darker.”

“Oh. There are so many of them up there.” He heard her put her wet hand on the dock again,.“I didn’t know how many until I was at the campground.”

He nodded, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see her looking up. “There are too many lights in the city, to see them clearly.” He pointed. “When they’re out, the big dipper will be there.”

“The big dipper?”

“Mmhmm, a group of stars that look like a scoop.” It was the easiest way to explain it. “Most of them have names, but I don’t know them all.”

“How do you know they have names?”

“Astronomers studied them and name them.”

“Astronomers,” she said like she was tasting the word on her tongue. “Is that a real word?”

Konner grinned and looked at her. “Yes.”

She gave him a wary look. “Paxton uses words that my tablet doesn’t know.”

Konner hid his smirk. “Probably best not to say those ones then.” He’d had to have a chat with the boys about their language around her.

“I don’t use them if I don’t know what they mean.”

He searched her face for a moment, seeing that she was healthy and somewhat content, he decided he needed to make his exit, otherwise, it would be dawn and he’d still be sitting here on the dock talking to her. “I should get back.” The light in her expression faded in a not-so-subtle way and his chest felt heavy. He looked at the tablet. “Would you like me to hit play on your book and you can just listen for now? While you swim?”

She smiled. “I did not think to do that. Yes, I can listen again later and look up the words.”

He nodded and got to one knee. “Did the girls bring you the cord for it?” He turned on the screen and looked at the battery, “You’ll have to charge it later to keep using it.”

“Yes. They brought the power cord and my robe earlier today.”

“Okay.” He waged a silent war inside his mind, as he moved back further so he wouldn’t lean down and kiss her and bid her good night. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes.” She smiled up at him as he moved away from her.

Tapping the screen, he started the book again and then stood up and back away from the end of the dock. “Have a good night, Terah.”

She pushed away from the dock and kept her focus on him. “You get more sleep, Konner, so those lines do not come back.” She smiled. To her, he supposed, she had just bid him a good night as well.

“I will.” He spun on his heel and took long strides to move around the pond and get out of here.

He was berating himself inside his head, cursing every few feet as well, he shouldn’t have come here tonight. What possessed him to break an unwritten rule and do it, he didn’t know.