Page 6 of Lorran
Sonia’s cheeks flushed, which might have been a blush or might have been frustration. Wyn had no way of telling. “Just don’t build him up in your imagination too much,” Sonia said.
“Fine, fine. I’ll set my expectations low.” Lies. Her expectations were already sky-high. Orbiting the planet, even.
Wyn picked up the discarded page of color swatches. She held the back of her hand to the paper and compared. “Oh my stars! Am I Mummy Brown? Maybe more of a walnut.”
Sonia huffed and rolled her eyes. She spoke to the ceiling, “Lord help me, I’m going to miss your sunshine so damn much.”
Lorran
“Uncle Lorran! Look how high I can jump.” Gavran squatted down and hopped.
“Very impressive. Show me again.”
Lorran crouched to better admire the young warrior’s demonstration. The comm unit chimed with incoming messages. The communication array had sustained damage in a recent skirmish. Back online, messages from the past few days continued to arrive.
Gavran hopped around the room, crashing into the chair by the dining table. He and the chairs landed in a heap on the floor. He blinked, as if uncertain of his injuries, and looked to his uncle.
Lorran studied the comm unit’s screen as if he missed the collision. He scrolled through the unread messages, most from his mother.
“Pretty good, huh?” Gavran sprang to his feet, resilient only the way a child could be.
“I am impressed by your speed, but your control requires practice.”
The child pulled a face, scrunching up his nose. It was a look Lorran had often seen on Gavran’s father’s face. Gavran looked remarkably like his Terran mother, beige skin, light brown hair, and brown eyes, but there was no mistaking the Mahdfel in his build. Gavran was nearly three, already tall and strong.
No doubt Seeran would want his son to begin training as soon as possible. Today, Gavran jumped around their cabin and crashed into furniture. Soon he would be breaking bones if he did not have an outlet.
It was a shame. Lorran wanted the child to enjoy what he could before being burdened with lectures on duty and responsibility.
The youngest of three sons, Lorran felt as if his entire life had been a long lecture on his family’s expectations and how he disappointed them. He did not have as prestigious a position as his brother Mene. He did not have the responsibilities his brother Seeran did. He did not have a mate and a child, unlike both his brothers.
The list varied from day to day, depending on his mother’s moods, but those were the core complaints.
Lorran might not be the oldest or the son with the most honors, but no one loved his nephews more than him. He was the favorite uncle. Mene and Seeran were no competition.
“Your mother asked me to feed you. What sustenance do you require?” Lorran righted the chair and entered the food preparation area.
“Ice cream!”
“Tempting, but I question the nutritional value.”
His brother’s mate, Hazel, deposited Gavran at Lorran’s cabin an hour ago, begging for time to pack. They planned a family trip to Sangrin for the holiday. He did not understand the need to pack more than a single change of clothing but agreed when she promised cookies for his labors.
“Uncle Mene would let me have ice cream.” Gavran hauled himself onto the chair, grinning wildly.
“It is dishonorable to lie,” he said, because he was a responsible adult. After a pause, he then added, “And to lie so poorly is an insult. You need to strengthen your creativity,” because he was the fun uncle.
Lorran opened the cooling unit and withdrew the containers he selected from the cafeteria the previous night. As a single male, he did not prepare his own food. On good nights, he had an invitation from his brother’s mate to dine with them. Other nights, he dined with his fellow warriors in the cafeteria.
“Gross.” Gavran flicked a chunk of green vegetable off the plate.
“Apologies. I have misunderstood. I thought you desired ice cream?”
Gavran’s eyes went wide. “Yes! Ice cream.”
“Eat your protein and vegetables, then you may have ice cream.”
Gavran looked skeptically at the greenery on the plate. “With whipped cream and sprinkles?”
