“I would like that as well,” she said immediately.
“We live in the big pink house down the street from the harbor. You would be welcome at any time.”
She laughed. “What a very male thing to say. After Selik and I talk, I will contact your mate and make arrangements for a suitable time.”
Taranov rose, and bowed politely.
“It was a pleasure to meet you both. I hope we will speak again.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, he turned to Corinne.
“Well, that was… unexpected.”
“A blessing is more like it,” she countered. “Not only are we not the only ones, but there’s a solution. All we have to do is register Mikoz as a hybrid and no one will bother us about him again.”
“I am not comfortable denying what he is.” The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. His son was Cire. Perhaps even the last trueborn Cire.
“I understand.” Her expression softened. “But we need to think about what’s best for him, not just what’s technically true.”
“Is lying about his identity what is best?”
“It’s one option. The other is we keep running. We leave everything behind and start over somewhere else.”
He didn’t want to run again. He was tired of running. He’d spent years running from the pain of losing his family. He didn’t want to run from this new one.
“What do you think?”
She was quiet for a long moment, one hand rubbing Mikoz’s back in the unconscious soothing gesture she used when thinking. “I think lying about his heritage feels wrong. Like we’re denying who he is.”
“Agreed.”
“But I also think keeping him safe is more important than pride or perfect honesty.” She met his eyes. “If claiming he’s half-human protects him from the Council, then that’s what we do. We can tell him the truth when he’s older. When he’s safe.”
The weight on his chest eased slightly. Having her agreement, her support, made the decision feel less like betrayal and more like strategy.
“Very well. We will spread the story. Make it known that Mikoz is the child of a human mother who died in captivity. That I took him in as part of my family.”
“And our baby?”
“Half-Cire. The biological child of our bonding.” He set the datapad and chip on the table. “I will need to verify this information before we trust it completely. But if Taranov is telling the truth, this gives us a path forward that does not require fleeing.”
“Good.” Corinne shifted Mikoz to her other hip. “Because I’m getting really tired of running.”
Anya appeared in the hallway. “So we’re staying?”
“We are staying,” he confirmed. “But with enhanced security measures. And a cover story to protect Mikoz.”
“Half-human baby brother. Got it.” Anya looked thoughtful. “Actually, that might make things easier at school when I start next term. People already ask about him.”
“What do you tell them?”
“That he’s my brother and they should mind their own business.” She grinned. “But now I can tell them the official story instead.”
Mikoz chose that moment to lunge for him, nearly tumbling out of Corinne’s arms. He caught him automatically, pulling the child against his chest.
“Dada!” Mikoz patted his face enthusiastically.
The word still made his heart squeeze. This child who was not his blood but was absolutely his son.
