She sighs. “Once the police arrived, everyone started to leave. Mae managed to slip us out in the chaos. I don’t think Gryphon even knew I was still there. From what we could hear—although a lot of that was in passing as we made our way through the passages—Gryphon was throwing around accusations. However, a few concerned guests thought the officers should know about the projection.”
I open my mouth, but she intercepts. “I had already sent the video to the police earlier, but I wanted a backup plan just in case Gryphon had friends in high places, and it went unquestioned.”
I suppose with Tanisira’s history, she knows all too well how easily law enforcement can be paid off. Her quick thinking might have saved me from my own bad decisions
“What a shitshow,” I mumble into her neck.
She shivers, hard enough it ripples through my own body.
“Yes, but Gryphon has nothing to hold over your head now. I don’t think this will affect him outright—I’d be surprised if anyone in his circle is virtuous enough to care about morals—but his true colours have been revealed. He must know there’s nothing else he can try to get you to heel. Any attempts to paint you as an unfit mother after this will come across as suspicious.”
To heel—like a dog, a pet. “That’s exactly how he treats us: like accessories. As soon as I can, I’m filing for full custody. I don’t want Vee around that man until he gets some psychiatric help.”
I’d rathernever, but after all this, I don’t know what Vee’s feelings about Dominik are. I need to sit down with him and have a conversation aboutallof this; including the ways in which I failed him. I’ve never asked him what he wanted, and it makes me feel sick that—despite trying so hard not to—I treated him like my parents treated me.
Tanisira nods, but she looks preoccupied. I wait her out, knowing that something else is on the tip of her tongue. It’s not a hardship, sitting curled up in her arms. I inhale deeply, enjoying the soft scent of her skin, regulating my breathing, and eventually nodding off a little.
When she cracks, it startles me awake.
“I meant to say it earlier, but you do, too.”
I peer up at her, sleepy but curious about what kept her so distracted. I don’t even know how much time passed while I snoozed. Her expression is hard to read when she meets my eyes, though. I scour her face, but she won’t let me in.
“I do too, what?”
“Deserve better than this; than him.”
My heart clenches, and I don’t know what to say. I’m trying not to beat myself up for how I treated Tanisira over the past few days, but I feel terrible about it. I’m so lucky she came back for me anyway. I do deserve better than Dominik, but right now, I don’t know if I deserveher.
Tainted
After a well-needed shower, I end up dressing in a multicoloured concoction of different materials and lengths. Tanisira wasn’t joking when she threatened to make me wear her sister’s clothes, but they at least cover my stomach and arse. I’m particularly glad about this because I’m about to meet theirmother, Yimirisé.
With my nerves bubbling away, I head towards the kitchen at the end of the hallway. In comparison to the guest bedroom, the rest of the house is filled with bright, complementary colours and eye-catching, abstract ornaments. At any other time, I’d be interested in the art, but I can’t focus onanythingright now. A familiar aroma pervades the air, and hunger battles with theanxiety in my stomach. I can hear Vee’s excited voice, and that helps to calm me a little. Still, I wish Tanisira hadn’t gotten caught up; I could use a chaperone.
I might not know where Tanisira and I stand right now, but I do know this is amoment. If her family doesn’t like me, will that change things between us—more than yesterday already did—or is she distant enough that it won’t matter? She hasn’t told me much about them, but I know she has complicated feelings about her sister and mother. And even though we’re on borrowed time, I don’t want to sour what little time wedohave.
“I’m going to find Marlowe.” I hear as I’m halfway down the hallway.
The door is flung open, cutting off a quick, “Kiran—”
For a moment, I’m certain Kit’s standing in front of me, before I remember Tanisira modelled the AI after her sister. She beams at me, and the differences become clear. For one, Kit didn’t ever grin. But Kiran also has dark, choppily cut hair instead of the long auburn braids and is a lot curvier than the AI. She’s about my height, and in the clear light streaming through the windows, her eyes may be darker than Tanisira’s, but they’re the same shape.
“Found her,” Kiran sings over her shoulder.
“Urm, hi,” I say.
She gives me a once-over and frowns. “Oof, my sister has no style. Those are last year’s clothes.”
I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to that, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She grabs my hand and ushers me into the kitchen, a wide space with colourful, mismatched appliances and a gorgeous table with picnic-style benches. Vee grins at me around a mouthful of something soft and green, and Tanisira’s elbow-deep in a bowl of something floury. The matriarch finishes drying her hands on a cloth beforeapproaching me, and it’s like looking at Tanisira’s twin, down to the height and the long, thick hair.
Before I forget my manners, I bow at the waist and touch my hand to my chest, directly over the heart.“Châl suk te onur.”
It roughly translates to ‘I’m honoured to meet you’.Tanisira told me I didn’t have to bow, but it’s the formal greeting for elders, and I’m not going to risk botching any of it.
Yimirisé stops and lifts her eyebrows in Tanisira’s direction before turning back to me. Those amber eyes they both share sparkle. “Swagat hai, Marlowe.”
I love the way she makes my name sound like pure poetry. Out of nerves, my reply is shaky. “Shukran.”
