Page 60 of Free for Adventure
He grinned and shrugged. “What is up to you is to figure out what you want. The older families on the islands all participated in the original mining of Emerald. Funds aren’t the issue, but location is a complication, so if you want to take courses or learn, virtual learning is your primary option.”
“Oh. Right. I think I have to go now.” Ohno and Dorian were looming, and Exoval looked anxious until he saw her standing ten feet from his brother.
He chuckled. “I think you have to as well. The idea for a ceremony space is a good one. If they can lure in more females who can match us, they might appreciate the security of our acknowledging the seriousness of the situation.”
She smiled. “Thank you, brother?”
He grinned.
Exoval rushed around his brother and hugged her. Butterflies took off in a cloud, and he murmured, “I don’t want you to leave, but I am not used to people right now, and Ohno says you have things to do.”
She turned and kissed him, and he relaxed immediately. He pulled her in tight and held her against him from chest to hip. The storm of butterflies surrounded them, and she hung on until she felt that Exoval was ready to let her go.
She stroked his neck as he leaned back. “You will see me soon.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I will. We have to chat with Kekoa as a pack.”
“Oh. Got it.”
“But tomorrow, you have to swim with Ohno, and after that, we can meet with the king.”
“I was supposed to finish dance classes.”
He grinned. “What do you need to know? I am a good instructor.”
“I just got two days of instruction, and then stuff happened.”
Exeter chuckled. “She can ask Thera to teach her.”
Exoval blinked and smiled. “She’s a great dancer. When her dad would head out on expeditions, he would leave her behind, and Illu would teach her endlessly.”
“So, she’s been here before?”
Exeter chuckled. “Months and months. Her father was a deepsea researcher, and we were on his migratory path. When I first met her, she was six and playing with kids in the town while her father took a research team shark diving.”
“So, she’s been here before?” Amby blinked.
Exoval smiled. “Certainly. She spent about one or two months a year here. The locals called her Teehee because she was always giggling.”
“So, you know her.”
“Yes. She is a very sweet and gentle soul, but at the same time, she has no fear of anything below the surface.”
Amby asked, “Where was her mother?”
Exoval grimaced. “Her mother was another researcher who died giving birth to Thera. Her father picked her up as he passed through her mother’s homeland and raised her on his boat as he travelled the world for research.”
“She knew her mates?”
“Ah. No. Once she was ten, she wasn’t allowed to go with the apprentices anymore. The males who are her mates are the same type of alpha as her father. Orcas. Her father did not let them socialize.”
“Oh. Her father approved of her coming here?”
Exeter spoke. “Her father died two years ago.”
Amby stared at him. “How do you know all this?”
“The waves murmur what they hear. I hear a lot of gossip.” Exeter shrugged. “I also babysat Thera with Exoval when she was seven. I am attuned to mentions of those I know.”