Page 58 of The Safest Place She Knows

“Like when shewent to school and took care of my bully?”

“Yes.Precisely. I am surprised she didn’t get in trouble for doing thatto a student.”

Tamara smiled.“It wasn’t a student. It was a teacher. I was born to a single mom,and he was making fun of me in a biology class. When he dragged hisass back to class, he didn’t look at me again, and I wastransferred a day later.”

Venka stared ather and looked toward the solarium with a smile. So, she wasprotective of her offspring. That was a very good thing.

“I am sorrythat my mother is so... her.”

Tamara grinned.“Don’t worry. Mine is great. So, are they actually napping?”

“Yes, Tamara,they are. Noh has given her some venom, and it is reinforcing herimmune system. He is keeping her with him to keep an eye on her incase of side effects. So far, his venom is less aggressive than abug bite to her.”

“Good. Her armlooks better. The swelling has gone down, and she looks better, ifa little dopey.”

“The dopey willfade. She’s under sedation today to help keep her relaxed.”

“Why?”

“Because whenthey break a limb like they did to her, the muscle around the boneis bruised and torn. If pain hits her, the ligaments and musclestense and try to move the bone. They were used to the badplacement. So, we are trying to keep her relaxed so that her bodycan wipe its memory of the previous position.” Venka led Tamaraback toward the kitchen. “Allor, what are we doing for dinner?”

He had cleanedup after the snack. “Tamara, what does your mother like toeat?”

Tamara saidsoftly, “Things she doesn’t have to cook. She loves barbequebecause she can’t do it herself. She used to say she had neitherthe time nor the money.”

Allor nodded.“Barbeque it is. Oh, Venka?”

“Yeah?”

“The neighbourshave lost something and are convinced it’s on our property.”

“So, you thinkthey will come by?”

“Oh, I know it.I will order extra barbeque.”

Tamara waslooking at them. “Why would they want to look for something losthere? Is it a frisbee?”

Venka shook herhead. “No. They are hunting a person, but they aren’t stupid enoughto come onto our territory without authorization.” She chuckled. “Iam not venomous, but I am fast.”

“Does yourmother know?”

“She is focusedon the boys. One of my full brothers is a polar bear, and the otheris a dragon. I am just a black racer. It was strange when I figuredit out, but one of my grans pointed out that most people thinklawyers are snakes anyway.”

Tamara frowned.“How long does it take to become a lawyer?”

“It depends onhow you do in school. If you are good at recalling and thinkingthrough horrible problems with logical solutions, you can take onthe courseload that suits you.” Venka smiled. “If you want to knowmore, you can read some of my books.”

“I am not surewhat I want to do yet?”

“Well, startlooking. I have legal expertise, Noh has investment strategies, andAllor owns gyms and coffee shops.”

“What will mymom do?”

“First, shewill rest. I get the feeling she has been going crazy to keep ontop of things.”

“She has.”

“Then, fromwhat Noh has said, Lya has skills with leather design. Setting up adesign studio on the property is simple. There are plenty of folkin my family with storefronts. If she wants to work with leather,she can. If she wants to own a garage, she can. If she has anotherbaby, it would be awkward for her to slide under a vehicle, so itwould be best if she remained in an advisory position.”

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