Refuge(63)

Tristan laughed and shut the door behind me. “Well, you look lovely and none the worse for wear from your little ordeal this morning.”

“That was nothing compared to some of the other scrapes I’ve been in.” I sat on the couch, and he sat across from me, sporting a furrowed brow. “Seriously, I’m fine,” I assured him.

His face relaxed into a smile. When I’d first met him, I wasn’t sure how I felt about him, especially with him being Madeline’s father. Tristan was an easy person to like, and it wasn’t hard to see that he cared about me.

“I have a surprise for you.”

I made a face. “I don’t really like surprises. They tend to try to eat me or do some other awful thing to me.”

His blue eyes sparkled with humor. “I promise you’ll like this one. How would you like to meet your cousin?”

“He’s back?” I tried to remember if I’d seen any new faces today, but I couldn’t think of one.

“He got back a few days ago. We talked today and decided it was time you knew who he was. I thought it would be nice if the three of us had dinner together – if you are ready for that.”

“O-okay.” It took me less than ten seconds to figure out who had returned to Westhorne a few days ago. My mouth suddenly felt very dry and a pit opened in my stomach. Cousins?

Someone rapped firmly on the door, and my stomach dipped.

“Ah, perfect timing.” Tristan went to the door. I stood, my hand nervously touching my hair.

“Hope I’m not late. I wouldn’t have missed this little family get together for the world.”

My mouth fell open as Chris sauntered into the room, his grin aimed at me. He strode over and pulled me into a hug. “My little cousin.”

Recovering from my shock, I pushed him away, which only made him snicker.

“You’re my cousin?”

“Yep.”

I burst into laughter.

After a minute, I was in tears and holding my sides, and Chris was starting to look affronted. I honestly didn’t know if I was laughing so hard because out of all the Mohiri in the world Chris was my cousin, or because I was relieved it had been him and not someone else on the other side of the door. If I hadn’t been so anxious, I would have realized that I hadn’t sensed Nikolas nearby.

“Sorry,” I said, composing myself. Looking from Chris to Tristan I saw a resemblance I couldn’t believe I had not noticed before. Chris’s eyes were green whereas Tristan’s were blue, but their hair color was almost identical and they had similar facial features, especially around the nose and mouth. “So, you are Tristan’s nephew?”

“We call each other kinsmen. He and my mother are brother and sister.”

“Did you know we were related when you were in New Hastings?”

Chris made a face. “Not at first. And once I did, you have no idea how many times I wanted to take you over my knee for your little antics.”

“Ha! You could have tried. If I recall correctly, you were too busy fending off girls to do much else.”

“Human girls are a lot more aggressive than Mohiri women, and you were no help at all. In fact, I think you encouraged some of them.”

I couldn’t hold back a smirk. “I use any weapon on hand to get the job done.”

Tristan smiled at both of us. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about breaking the ice between you two.”

I helped him carry roast chicken and salad to the table and filled the water glasses. Tristan’s suite had its own kitchen, and he had confided to me on my last visit that he liked to cook but rarely had anyone to do it for. Now that I was here, he was enjoying using his stove again.

It was the first time Chris and I had ever eaten together – or spent any amount of time together when I was not in danger – and I found myself enjoying his company immensely. I already knew he was charming and had a great sense of humor, and over dinner I learned a lot more about him. He was born in eighteen seventy-six, and he told me all about growing up at a compound in Oregon. He was an only child, and he didn’t see his parents much because they lived in Germany now. Not long after he became a warrior, he came to Westhorne to serve under Tristan and had been there ever since. It was clear that Chris was very loyal to Tristan and not just because he was family. Tristan had a way of commanding the respect of the people under him. Watching my cousin and my grandfather together, I saw the closeness that Nikolas had told me existed in Mohiri families. If only Nate was here, my family would be complete.

After dinner, Chris and I cleared the table and tidied the kitchen together, and I couldn’t help but think that a few weeks ago, the last thing I’d expected to be doing was having dinner with family or washing dishes with my cousin. They were such normal family activities, and they made me smile to myself as I put the dishes away.