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“Ohh,” Istil said. “You were taking a stress walk.”
I grunted and looked away from him. He had light golden hair and brilliant green eyes, like the light that flashed on the horizon just before the sun plunged into the sea.
“I was just on my way back,” I said, even though I’d only just arrived.
“Tell us what Kai did this time,” said Leo. “It’s easier when you talk about it, right?”
I waved my hand. “Nothing. You know how my mind works. I was overthinking something. It’s over now, I’ve let it go.”
Makoa tightened his grip on my shoulder. “You sure?”
“Yes,” I said, prying myself out of the vice grip.
“Who else is here?” Leo asked.
“You’re the first to arrive.”
“Excellent,” said Makoa. “Hook us up with the good rooms, brotha. First to water catches the fish, am I right?”
When we arrived at the house, it turned out that several more of the family had arrived and were gathered outside talking with Grandmother, including our cousins Pan, Lance, and Sam, along with his mate Jonathan and daughter Lily.
“Yo!” Makoa called. He threw up his hand and dashed forward to greet everyone, followed closely behind by Leo. “We already called the big rooms!”
I paused at the edge of the group to wait until they were finished.
“Can you warm me up for my first time tonight?” asked Istil, who had suddenly appeared at my side. I jerked, startled.
“What?”
“I keep hearing stories about T’Wanu celebrations,” he said. “They sound quite extravagant.”
I’d forgotten that he, Shen, and Enry had never attended an ahevamai before.
“Song, dance, food,” I said. “Certainly your clan has ceremonies?”
“Yes, and from what Visir has told me, they’re pretty mundane in comparison to yours. Will I be able to keep up?”
“I don’t think you have much to worry about,” I said.
I’d seen Istil dance before, just once, and I could vividly recall the entrancing way he’d flowed with the beat of the drum, slow and powerful, with perfect control over every part of his body. It was a stark difference from our traditional island dance, which was feverish and explosive, like crashing waves in a storm, but that was what had made his so very memorable.
Istil was shorter than me, with the top of his head coming to the center of my chest, and he looked up at me with a look that could only be read as expectation. I cleared my throat and turned my eyes away from him.
“Ari,” he said. “Have I done something to offend you?”
“Why would you think that?” I replied.
“You seem angry whenever I’m around.”
“If you ask my cousins, they’d say I seem angry all the time. I just have one of those faces.” I was trying to cover my embarrassment.
“Hm.”
Istil leaned closer, staring at me. My gaze had been fixed on the leaf of a potted plant sitting beside the house, but I couldn’t keep ignoring him. I turned and looked at him right in his brilliant green eyes. His brow was furrowed, his mouth pushed to the side in a scowl that was as adorable as it was slightly intimidating. I remembered the wild boar.
I adjusted my glasses. “What?” I said, the word spilling out sounding much angrier than I’d intended—which had been not angry at all.
He narrowed his eyes, then slowly slid back and crossed his arms over his chest. “A sea snake.”
