“Our relationship is new,” Mikhail said.
Bec’s shoulders were tight. “You might have been told that Mom and I pretty much were strangers until a few months ago. So you could say I don’t have any right to poke my nose into her business. But I’m going to anyway. My brother and I just got her back, after we lost her all our lives.”
“I know,” Mikhail said, as Bird’s voice echoed from the front room.
“Maybe we should have figured out there was something fishy when our grandparents kept saying that she wasn’t our kind of person whenever we asked about her. But we were kids. We didn’t understand the kind of battles that go on between adults.” She flung her short dark hair back. “Mom hasn’t a clue about the world, or she would have hurled lawyers at Father years ago. But that’s all in the past. Right now, we’ve got her back, we’re getting to know her, we don’t want to see her hurt. She hasn’t mentioned you, so there has to be a reason.”
Mikhail sensed the worry below the belligerent precision of her words.
“We met very recently,” Mikhail said. “But sometimes all it takes is an hour. A minute. I can promise you this, that I intend to spend the rest of my life making her as happy as she deserves to be.”
Bec’s eyes widened to an expression more like Bird’s: surprised, and a little wistful. Mikhail had a good idea how much damage Bird had suffered from her ex-husband, but now he wondered how much more subtle damage had been dealt to Bird’s children by guardians who seemed to use love as a weapon of control.
“Well, if you’re serious—” Bec began.
“Okay, problem solved,” Bird exclaimed breathlessly, appearing in the kitchen doorway. “Morgana showed up just now. She’s helping him. He’s still sore from his fall.”
Mikhail sent her a meaningful glance as he slowly rose, keeping his folded jacket over one arm to hide the burn on his upper pant leg. He watched Bird get it at once. His adorable, wonderful, clever Bird!
Without missing a beat, Bird said, “I hope you two were getting to know each other. Here, Bec, you must try this tea. It’s really special—”
As she drew her daughter’s attention, Mikhail slipped to the door, hiding the burns in his clothes as best he could.
“I’ll leave you two to chat at your leisure,” he called out, making sure nothing but his head appeared around the door jamb. “I’d better get back to work.”
As he left, his sharp shifter hearing picked out Bec’s whisper from the kitchen. “I hope this isn’t gross, but day-amm, Mom, that guy sure fills out a T-shirt!”
Mikhail laughed as he picked up his swordstick and closed the front door. He ducked around the side of the cottage, looked across the beautiful garden, the roses nodding in the sea breeze.
No one was there.
He wrapped himself in invisibility, shifted, and flew skyward, sending out a mental call.
Joey Hu answered: he was luckily at home, his classes over for the day.
Joey lived on the eastern outskirts of the town, his back fence opening to wide open country. Mikhail brought his dragon down in the yard and walked up onto the terrace, where Joey had a small jug of Bai Jiu waiting.
“Mikhail. I must say, except for those burn holes in your clothes—very artistic—you’re looking quite rested. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Mikhail could not prevent a smile. “I’ve been enjoying something better than rest.”
Joey chortled. “That’s what I like to hear! So. What brings you here, instead of staying right where you are for more ‘rest’?”
Mikhail thought of the cave, and forced his mind to seriousness. “Joey, I have two favors to ask.”
Joey gravely poured out two tiny ceramic cups, they toasted one another, downed the liquor, and Joey said, “Speak.”
“The first . . . let me fill you in.” Mikhail gave him a succinct report on the morning’s efforts.
Joey’s expression became increasingly more grave. “An Oracle Stone! This is much more serious than I’d imagined. I could almost say it’s way beyond my league. Certainly beyond my experience.”
“It’s my affair to handle,” Mikhail said.
“But you’re one person. I find this deeply disturbing. Someone knows it’s there, or approximately where it is. Close enough to sic those wyrms on you . . . Mikhail, this is beginning to feel more and more like a setup.”
“Exactly,” Mikhail said grimly. “By someone who knows enough about me to try to keep me from getting outside the cavern in order to let my dragon loose. I know I can’t handle this alone. I’m going to call for backup, and go back to investigate.”
Joey grimaced, but he didn’t say anything.