Mermania

Kisses and sweet memories

now." "It's all right, Mom, but I'd appreciate help." Craig shrugged sheepishly. "He insisted." Triton and Xanthus raced through the maze of hallways into the more rough tunnels of a crumbling part of the prison. "I'm trying to wrap my head around all of this," she told him. "Last night a police officer shows up and drops off this boy who says he's our son and happens to know where the glasses, the bathroom, and the dog are." Ula picked up the box on top and nodded toward a table in the corner. "We can sit over there if you like." "I met her at your parents' wedding," Grandma Maggie said, "and I remember her being pleasant to talk with, just like your dad. He's quite a charmer. A lot of mothers-in-law don't like their sons-in-law, but your Grandpa Timothy and I liked your dad the first time your mom brought him home with her from college. He was shy at first, and very respectful. I always thought he would make a good father..." she looked at Zach questioningly when she said that. Craig and Kara sighed together. "Yes, just me," Craig confirmed, a sudden surge of hope thwarted. "That was when we moved into this house. And hey, remember- I like it better if you call me Craig." "If you don't answer me," Ron said, "I'm hanging up." "Do you want to sleep outside?" Evan whispered. "It's getting unbelievably hot in here." He grinned down at me. "And, I'm not just talking about you." She shrugged. "Eh. I'd rather not talk about it." In his view, Kara kissed Craig anyway. It brought a grin from both Craig and the old fellow as the cart and wagon rolled away. "Sure. We can take a walk. You can see my dorm room, too." I raised my eyebrow at him, and he lifted his hands in defense. "What? I have a roommate. Chances are that he'll be there." "One of Lennek's many flings," Darmik said, following Rema's line of sight. He stared at Rema, trying to gauge her reaction. She wasn't sure what her face revealed, but Darmik chuckled. "Don't look so relieved," he said, still laughing. Eddie remained in his seat, keeping quiet. He had offered his share of information about Zach's history at the school with no unnecessary elaboration; he had a natural sense for what information was important and what was not. He had remained a bit sheepish, too, keeping his head down and, though he had been sitting right there with them the whole time, staying out of the way. Now he watched Kara and Craig, his head sympathetic, anxious just like theirs. "Hey!" Craig exploded. "Do you think I like doing this, all this searching across the city?" He jabbed a finger toward Zach, who sank another inch lower into his seat. "He's the one I'm doing it for! If I didn't care about him more than anything in the world except you, if I wasn't scared to death that somebody's going to come claiming he belongs to them- Remember Tiffy, Kara? Remember? That's why I'm doing this!" Shane blew out a breath of air from his nose, looking me up and down. He appeared both guilty and relieved at the same time. His gaze lingered on my lips before connecting with my eyes again. "You are too pretty to go through all of this." He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Definitely too pretty." Frowning, Mother wraps the gown over her arm. "Insolent girl. The gown is obviously for me." "Rema," the king's steward bellowed. "You're hereby charged with treason for plotting against the crown." A soft murmur rippled around the room. People turned to one another and Rema caught words like "treason" and "shocking" being whispered. "As much as I can be," Rema replied. "And thank you. Your kindness is appreciated." She had no idea why he was helping her. After all, she was nobody and could never repay him for his generosity. Aaron plopped down beside me on the couch, his movement knocking the book from my hand. "You came all the way up here to read, huh?" he asked, picking up my book and flipping clumsily through it. The sharks hesitated a moment before parting. Still, they continued to glare at him. Xanthus readied himself to respond in case any of the guards decided to attack. An assault would be unlikely; given it must have been Triton who had ordered them to back off. But with so much anger and vicious hatred directed at him, Xanthus held his defensive posture as he approached the castle. Her lips were soft and warm. His hands lowered to her back, pulling her against him. Rema's fingers twined in Darmik's hair, bringing his head even closer to hers. Their bodies melted together. Darmik's mouth left hers. He kissed her neck, her head tilting back, inviting him in. She tasted better than he thought possible. Kara rubbed his head tenderly, just the way she had rubbed Zach's. "See what else you can find," she said. "I'll go finish dinner." I woke several hours later. The house was dark. Evan's hand rested on my stomach, and his breathing was deep and rhythmic. He was sound asleep. David looked at me and frowned. "Why are you asking?" Dinner was nearly finished. She completed it in a haze, without a doubt, this had been the most bewildering two weeks of her life: the night of the boy's arrival, the next morning at the school, last week when they had read the boy's birth certificate, and now this. She burned the biscuits- from distraction, not anger. Certainly not from anger. "I didn't want him to find us," my mom whispered. "We can't get a refund on our cabin. You have to cancel seven days in advance. That's three hundred dollars for nothing, Kara! We can't just pack up and __" Kara reached out and snatched it from him. "Something's on your mind, Zechariah. Out with it." "Hey pal," Craig said, nudging Zach out of the book he was reading beside him on the couch, "Want to play a little catch?""I'll let Xanthus tell you. He knows more than I do. The situation was hard for me to understand since no one spoke English. I would like to know what was said, too." Sara put her hands on her hips and fixed Xanthus with accusing eyes. He responded by pulling her into his arms. She didn't resist. Instead, she wrapped her own arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. "That's good, Craig