Stolen Fate

Twenty-Six: New Discovery

Leaving Gavriel in his office, Arietta stepped into the hallway. She paused. "Ronan?"

Gavriel's second in command leaned a shoulder against the dark, rugged wall in the hallway outside Gavriel's office. Waiting for her.

Ronan pushed off the wall and gestured with his chin for her to follow him.

She stepped in line with him, her shoulder close to his arm. "Did you need something?"

"The others are grabbing breakfast in the main kitchen. Wanted to make sure you ate."

Arietta stumbled, barely righting herself. "I—what?"

Ronan raised an eyebrow. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Dumbfounded, Arietta put one foot in front of the other.

Ronan cleared his throat. "What you did yesterday... thank you. I imagine it would have turned out a lot worse had you not been there."

An invite to breakfast and a thank you? Just what was going on here?

"I wasn't going to sit around and do nothing," Arietta said. "It would be uncharacteristic."

Ronan surprised her with a low chuckle. The sound didn't send her stomach through a twist-and-turn cycle as Gavriel's did, but it did loosen a tension in her chest. "I am quickly learning that "jump in and help" is your daily motto."

Arietta's smile unfurled.

And as Ronan led her into the kitchen, her smile grew.

The kitchen was a wave of activity. "Mama, where's my fork?" Daisy shouted across one of the large tables. At her side, Kris tossed a piece of cereal at Reegan, who had her own fork in two hands like a baseball bat. Talia passed a bowl of fruit to Thomas at the other side of the table.

At the counter, Miguel chopped up some type of thinly sliced meat that he set on a cooking tray behind him. And on his shoulder, a familiar small black leopard rested. Her tiny claws poked through Miguel's dark t-shirt, holding her position. Her tail flicked up at Miguel's nose.

As Ronan and Arietta entered, the adults glanced over.

Then the most amazing thing happened. They smiled. Well, Talia didn't smile, but she also didn't glare, which was progress.

Arietta tried not to let this feeling building in her chest give her false hope. At the most now, they were not downright hostile, but...

You will never be one of them.

Shaking off the feeling, Arietta approached Miguel at the counter. "Naya," she called softly.

The little leopard cub chirruped and launched herself down to the counter. Arietta met her halfway, scooping up the cubling and holding her close.

Naya gave a rumbling purr that felt like bubbles in her chest. She pressed a kiss to the cubling's head. "Are you causing trouble again?"

Naya mewed.