Page 65 of Homecoming

Iro took him and said, “Terro, is it? Come on, let’s meet your new Uncle Sohar. He’s going to like that cute mask around your eyes.”

Orla watched him take Terro to meet the others and smiled as the alphas shook his little hand and greeted him respectfully.

Ligo said, “We are going to have to call his father.”

“You know who it is?”

“Yeah. I am going to head inside and make a call. I will see you soon.” He leaned over to kiss her and smiled. “It will be fine.”

She nodded, and he walked inside, going to get his phone. She watched him through the window as he made a call, and he spoke for a moment before he came outside and took Terro, carrying him to Jane. He focused on them and asked, “Does she look familiar?”

There was a pause, and Orla heard, “I thought I dreamed her.”

Jane cuddled Terro and said, “Nope. Though you are the stuff of flashbacks.”

Ligo turned the phone, and Jane blinked. “Yeah, that’s what I remembered, but I was pretty sure you weren’t real.”

“The same here. I can’t make it back to the islands today. How long are you there?”

Jane smiled. “I can probably find a place to stay for a night or two. He’s been looking for you in every face, so it will be nice for him to meet you.”

Serin said, “You can help me break my house in. It was amazing how panel walls and floors came together.”

“Right, so she’s in the town of the main island of the Wonder chain.” Jane smiled. “Not too far from the palace. Ask for Serin’s place.”

Serin chuckled. “Yay. Houseguests!”

“I will be there tomorrow.”

There was another voice that came through the phone. “Hey, Jane! We are almost done here. We just have to finalize some prototypes, and they will be ready for testing. Then, I can send him off to you.”

Jane blinked. “Oh, hey, Violet. Are you over on the big island of Blackridge?”

The voice from behind the man on the screen said, “Yeah. One tiny invisible facility later. Thanks for that, Jane.”

Jane chuckled, and Terro was still staring at the man’s face in the screen. He was reaching out for it and beamed. “Dah!”

The voice muttered, “Fuck it, sorry, Violet.”

There was a dark swirl of energy at the shoreline, and then, a man in dark clothing was sprinting up the hill.

Jane kept her excited and squirming son in her arms while the man who fathered him made his way toward them. She went to meet him.

Everyone watched, and Orla took Ligo’s hand.

The blond hair, silver eyes, and pigmented mask were set in bronze skin instead of Terro’s lightly tanned complexion. Terro was excited and babbling, so Jane offered him, and the stranger took him over. “Oh, wow.”

Orla watched, and the trio had the focus of every eye.

Jane said, “Let’s go inside. We can talk.”

Jane turned and headed for Ligo’s house with a slight nod to him.

Ligo nodded, and the trio disappeared into the house. He exhaled. “Wow. We thought he was delusional when he got back after that trip. He dove into his work, and that was it. He didn’t come up for weeks; we just knew he thought he saw magic, but we didn’t know what it meant.”

Orla sighed. “You know now. What is he?”

“Ocean vortex. She is?”

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