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Olivia bounded away from Tiffany, but always sustained a speed that would allow the child to catch up with her before bounding away again.
He was about to wrap things up, when he heard Tiffany bawling in a loud voice as though wounded. Emily was once more on her feet and heading down the stairs into the yard. Zane joined her and soon saw the cause; Olivia, still in her wolf form, had Tiffany pinned to the ground her ankle in her maw.
Emily gripped Zane’s arm. “What’s she doing? I think she’s hurting Tiffany."
“Not likely,” Zane responded. He then pathed to Olivia. What’s going on?
I told her not to fly so close to the electrical wires. When she didn’t obey, I brought her to earth. Had to.
Zane drew close to Olivia. “You can release Tiffany now.”
Olivia remained prone on the grass, but let go of Tiffany’s leg.
Tiffany stayed where she was, scowling at Olivia and rubbing her ankle.
“Oh, dear,” Emily murmured.
But Zane had already taken his daughter’s measure. Dropping to his haunches, he asked, “Why did Olivia bring you to earth? What were you doing?”
Tiffany stared into his eyes and wiped her face.
“Tell me the truth, daughter. I’ll accept nothing less.”
Tiffany huffed a sigh. “I was being bad. I was too close to the wires. She told me not to do it and I did it anyway.”
“Well, you’re right, you were being very bad. And if you stay with us, with Olivia and me, she has my permission to take you down every time. But you have to understand that if you continue to behave in a dangerous and undisciplined manner, your flight time will be curtailed. Do you understand?”
Tiffany nodded. She held Zane’s gaze. She was cute as hell and Zane worked at not smiling. Her spirit, so like his own, brightened his heart. He had no doubt she would push every boundary he set for her over and over but eventually, she’d figure out he was as good as his word.
For now, he had the distinct impression that the time of testing had only just begun. The good news was, he wasn’t Mastyr of Swanicott for nothing. “Apologize to Olivia.”
Tiffany glanced at Olivia, who sat on her haunches, her tongue lolling. “I’m sorry.”
Olivia dipped her muzzle up and down once.
“Now apologize to your mother, because you had her worried again.”
Tiffany’s lips started to pull inward once more, but Zane said quietly, “Do it now.”
Tiffany stood up and dusted off her jeans, then turned to Emily. “Sorry, mom.” The sing-song of her voice made it clear she spoke those exact same words dozens of times a day. “Can I keep playing with Olivia?” Now that the storm had passed, she was ready to go again.
“Yes, you may.”
Tiffany sized Olivia up once more, her eyes narrowed. “Race you to the trees.”
Olivia took off in a single extended bound and Tiffany whipped through the air beside her, flying like the wind.
Emily drew close to Zane and linked her arm with his. “I’ve never known what to do with her, but you’ve been here less than an hour and you’ve already started figuring it out.”
“It’s a beginning.”
Emily released his arm and turned toward him. “You know what? I think she needs to be in the Swanicott school more than she needs to be here. How about you take her on the weekdays so that our daughter can get the flying and discipline she clearly needs. I’m sure weekends will still be really challenging. I’ll miss her, but having her become a more cheerful, obedient child will be worth the sacrifice.”
“Once she’s pushed to the limits of her abilities on more of a daily basis, she’ll be more content. You’ll see. And she needs to be around her kind.” He thought of Olivia and what she’d endured without the support of a shifter community.
She released yet another sigh and more tears filled her eyes. “I’ve been praying for this day to come from the moment I left Swanicott and now here we are.”
“Here we are.” He nodded. “And listen, you can visit anytime you like. I’ll have a guest room at the lighthouse kept ready for you whenever you feel you need to be there. Or if you need me to bring her here, just give me a call.”
