* * * * *
Four hours later, Skyla pressed against Kryton’s back and wrapped her arms around his waist. “We did it.” She tried to sound enthusiastic, but she felt emotionally drained. “Arton is sound asleep in his bed. He’s safe and he’s back where he belongs.”
Kryton slowly turned within the circle of her arms and leaned back against the balcony’s railing. She wasn’t the only one who liked to stare out at the sea when their mind was troubled. “You did it. Arton has no use for me.”
“Give him time.” She tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes. “It took twelve years for the harbingers to twist his thinking. We won’t be able to untwist it overnight, but we will untwist it.”
“He seems so lost.”
As did his father, but she kept the thought to herself. Kryton’s muddle was understandable. All of this had happened incredibly fast. “He needs love and stability. We can give him both.”
“He needs to know the truth, all of it. He’ll sense any deception.”
She nodded. “He is incredibly perceptive.” Arton hadn’t said much on the shuttle ride home, but the few things he had said were real zingers.
“Why was your image in his dreams? Was it just a harbinger thing?”
“I think he was inadvertently tuning in while I was trying to contact him. My signal wasn’t strong enough to punch through, yet it was persistent enough to reoccur.”
“That makes sense.” Kryton sighed. “As much as any of this makes sense. I didn’t think it was possible for me to hate the harbingers any more, but I do.”
She moved her hands to his chest and rocked to the balls of her feet, bringing her face closer to his. “Hate can keep you focused and give you energy. It can also consume you until there’s nothing left.”
He bent down and kissed her tenderly on the mouth. “I’m so glad you’re here. None of this would have been possible without you.”
“Your welcome, but now the real work begins. We have to rebuild trust and unteach all the misinformation the harbingers fed him.”
His warm palms framed her face as he stared into her eyes. “I couldn’t do this without you. I’m not equipped for this sort of thing.”
“Do you love your son?”
“Of course I do.” He seemed insulted by the question.
“Can you be patient and supportive?”
One corner of his mouth quirked. “Sometimes.”
“Then you have everything you need.”
For a long time, Kryton just held her. They turned sideways so they could both see the water. His hand stroked the back of her head, his fingers sinking into her hair. “Have you thought of a name yet?”
Confused by the odd question, she looked up at him. “A name for what?”
“Our son. Isn’t it Bilarrian custom for the mother to name the firstborn?”
That was the custom, but she was shocked that he knew about it. “I don’t even know for sure that I’m pregnant.”
“If you’re not, we’ll keep trying until you are.”
Her vision gave her confidence that she wouldn’t have too long to wait. Still, she hadn’t really thought about a name. “What do you think about Sedrik? That was my favorite grandfather’s name.”
“It’s not bad. How about Kaden? That was my father’s name,” Kryton countered.
“Kaden sounds more like a second son to me.”
Kryton chuckled. “All right. We’ll stick with Sedrik. Commander Sedrik Lux. General Sedrik Lux. I like the sound of that.”
“Hold on a minute. Why does he have to join the military? Maybe I want a different sort of life for our son.”
He tensed and his tone grew serious, as did his expression. “Even though you’re my morautu, our sons will be considered battle born. The military is the most common profession for battle born sons.”
She wasn’t pleased by that tidbit. But how could she object to the career path without insulting a lifelong soldier? They had many years to settle the debate. Sedrik was not yet born, and Kaden would arrive two years later. Rather than continue the awkward discussion, she returned to the playful topic. “We’ve named babies one and two. What about little number three?”
“I’ll have to give that one some thought.”
“Fair enough.” She reached down and took his hand. “If we’re all out of names, let’s go to bed.”
He entwined their fingers and gave her a little squeeze. “My thoughts exactly.”
THE END
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Featuring Kaden Lux and Lexie Ward
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