Page 4 of Family Found

“Or he’s human,” Lissir said.

Fellisse nodded. “That seems more probable.”

I took the three baskets full of my wet things and put them on the shelves for the laundry. “It does.”

I smiled, and back then, I tried hiding it. I remember thinking how it would all make sense, finally—my knack for learning English, my interest in Earth and things from Earth, and everything Vergis had told us about, from the proper use of “fuck” to how to properly eat those black cookies with the white filling in the middle. Earth had always called to me, though I’d only realized it a few hours ago.

I stood there long enough that the others had gone ahead into the baths proper, all but Lissir.

He put a hand on my shoulder, bringing me back to the present. “Vergis will help you, you’ll see. He…cares about you.”

“I know that.” I tilted my head back, my eyes tracing the geometrical decorations all along the old ceiling. “I suspect just how much he cares.”

Lissir looked at the filthy heap of clothes in front of us. One of the laces from Vergis’s hoodie was dangling there, and he tucked it into the fabric so it wouldn’t get caught when they came to pick up the laundry.

“I don’t think he’ll be mean enough to abandon us. And besides, who can say your new mate won’t desire a pretty koa like Vergis? If he is human, he might like that Vergis is from Earth as well.”

That was a thought. I didn’t hate the idea—Vergis certainly was beautiful—but something about it felt wrong, like shoes that were a bit too tight for your claws to slip out all the way, or how your horns made your skull ache when you slept in a very cold or wet place.

All the same, it was something I’d have to keep in mind after I filed the paperwork to follow my mate call.

“We’ll talk it over tomorrow.”

Lissir nodded. “Yes. Come, let’s soak. I don’t like being muddy and wet at the same time.”

“Being muddy makes you wet.”

Lissir chuckled. “What is the English word? Hmm, stickler. Don’t be a stickler. I’m sure your mate will prefer you to be humorous.”

Lissir turned and walked toward the baths.

“But I am.”

I followed, but he was ignoring me. Not that his opinion mattered. What mattered was that I’d be able to impress my mate, with my humor and everything else I had to offer him.

Chapter 3

Inkiri

I’d only just sat down at the table in the apartment we’d been given when the door was flung open and Nokim rushed in.

“They’re calling it the Lagasar!” He looked at Vergis, who’d prepared a pot of the coffee he’d brought from Earth. He always offered to share it, and I was now more determined than ever to learn to love the flavor. “Can you feel it?”

“The annoyance of being interrupted because of some fabric experiment?”

Nokim shook his head. “No, it’s just what they’re calling it. It was the veils between worlds. They tore. That’s the magic you and the other koa felt. The makers say it’s easier for the koa to get to Earth now, and there are some spots where you can just walk through.” He looked at me. “Just like in the stories! Oh, and it’s not just here. All the Raiken report the same, even the most remote ones.”

“Well, fuck a duck,” Vergis said.

Nokim narrowed his eyes in concentration. “Why a duck? Isn’t that a winged animal?”

Vergis sighed. “It’s an expression of deep surprise. No one really would fuck a duck, although with some humans, you never know.”

Nokim nodded. “I see.”

Vergis rubbed his eyes and topped off his coffee. Lissir and Fellisse walked in from their room. Fellisse had not sought out Hove last night, assuming he’d be too busy.

Lissir stretched. “Why are we doing English lessons this early?”