Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Giza

Between the shopping, the menu changes, cooking, the invitations, the seating arrangements, the emails with the state about bonfires in the nature preserve, and all the other last-minute details, I'd barely had time to think.

Which is good, because whenever my mind did settle, it settled on Harper and our daughter, and honestly? It was easier to shy away from those thoughts, the way my tongue might avoid a painful tooth rather than risk irritation.

When I thought of the way she'd cried in the doctor's office, when she told me she didn't want to leave…the fierce hope made me almost sick to my stomach. Because I knew how easily that hope could be yanked away, if and when she decided to return to her life.

I convinced myself I would know soon.

Our agreement was that she would stay with me until Thanksgiving, which was only a few days away. All my energy had been spent preparing for tonight , however, and despite the uncertainty, I knew I had plenty to be thankful for.

Everyone agreed it was the best Kap'paral we could remember.

Of course, since none of us were farmers, it wasn't a true harvest festival, but that's not what we were celebrating tonight, not truly. Tonight, we celebrated our friendships, our loved ones, and our bounties in other ways.

Luxor and Zoe danced—far too enthusiastically, to my eyes—with little Emmy and her friends near the speakers Sakkara had set up. They were lit by the bonfire Cairo monitored, being assigned that job by his adorable Mate, who bustled back and forth, monitoring the dessert table and fussing over Harper.

Karnak and Jess circulated with Sakkara, greeting as many people as possible and welcoming them to our celebration. It made me proud to see them so outgoing, and I knew the people of Eastshore would be pleased with their new d'malk — mayor , I reminded myself.

And those people of Eastshore? At least half of them were here tonight.

I lost count of the people who arrived, claiming to have been invited by one of my brothers or a friend. They were all excited and joyful and carrying their own offerings of food and drink, so they were welcomed cheerfully.

That was what Kap'paral was all about, after all: fellowship.

I moved among them, my Mate at my side, welcoming them and explaining various dishes—it had been Harper's idea to set out little cards explaining the name and ingredients of each of the foods I remember my grandmother making. I was amazed by how friendly and appreciative everyone was .

There were so many new faces…and a few old ones.

"Giza? Giza, is that you? You got old , d'kap !"

It had been many years since I'd heard that honorific—used to show deference to a clan elder—and the usage surprised me almost as much as the male who was striding toward me, a big grin on his face.

"Tanis," I murmured joyfully. Then louder, " T'mak , it is so good to see you."

We met beside the fire, slamming together in a hug that made my bones creak. The younger male lifted me off the ground, and I pounded his back, and we were both laughing and trying to talk at once.

I grabbed his shoulders and set him away from me so I could study him. "It has been too long, my friend." I knew he'd settled here on Eastshore, but he'd left in the spring, before I arrived. "Are you back to stay?"

"We are," he announced with a grin, then twisted and lifted his arm, beckoning someone closer. "All four of us."

The tiny female who stepped up beside him seemed timid, almost completely dwarfed by my large friend. But the way Tanis gently enveloped her, wrapping his arms around her and cradling her in front of him, left no doubt she was very special.

"Giza, may I introduce my Mate, Olivia Zhang? Liv, you remember Giza?"

Her voice was as tiny as she was. "From the facility in Denver, I do. He has more hair now."

"Orcs don't go bald," Tanis quipped.

But I wasn't paying attention to the teasing, because my gaze had been caught by another miracle.

Olivia's stomach bulged even larger than Harper's.

Tanis's Mate was pregnant.

I lifted my awed gaze to her face. "The four of you." My voice cracked .

But she smiled shyly, dropping her hands to cradle her stomach the way Harper had begun to do. "Tanis and I are expecting twin sons in the spring."

More new kitlings. Our people would survive, if only in our children's memories .

When I blinked, tears rolled down my cheeks and tangled in my beard.

Clearing my throat, I lowered myself in a formal bow. "Thank you, Olivia, for loving your Mate enough to carry his sons. Congratulations to both of you."

"Oh, stop it," Tanis grumbled, then opened his arms for another hug.

I embraced them both—gentle with the small female trapped between us—then smiled down at her. "I am delighted the pair of you reconnected. I remember you being friends in the facility—your father was the one to teach us English, yes?" When she nodded shyly, I dropped my chin in acknowledgement. "And now I see perhaps you were more than friends all along. When you left the island, Tanis, we assumed you were just Ms. Zhang's bodyguard."

"He was," she said, patting her Mate's arm. "But he's more than that too."

I wanted to ask her about her music, about her tour, which had recently ended. I wanted to tell her about the performance of hers I'd seen a few years ago. But for now, something much more important needed to be shared.

"My Mate is also pregnant." The words were strange to say, a mixture of pride and fear. Harper wasn't my Mate yet, not truly, not until she accepted it. "I would love to introduce you to her."

"We'd like that," Tanis agreed with a nod. "Sakkara was telling us about her, and I really want Liv to start making friends."

His Mate pinched him. "I can make my own friends." But she smiled up at me. "But yes, I would like to meet your—Harper, Sakkara said?"

I nodded, my throat still having some trouble with the whole words thing. "Harper, yes. She is Melinda's sister."

"Oh, Cairo's Mate." Liv twisted to grin up at Tanis. "She's the owner of that divine little bakery!"

The way Tanis's eyes glowed with love for his Mate made my chest tighten again, made me want to hug them. So many of my brothers had found happiness here on Eastshore Isle.

Could I be next?

"Newcomers," Tanis announced, and I realized during my distraction, he'd been watching the crowd.

I followed his gaze to see a car pulling up, headlights blazing. I didn't think anything of it until I saw the silhouettes of first Melinda, then Harper, hurrying toward it.

Ah.

So this must be Mr. and Mrs. O'Donnell. The ones who'd caused so much trouble for Meli and Cairo. The ones whose arrival my Mate had been both looking toward and dreading.

I cleared my throat again. "Um, please excuse me." I nodded to Tanis and Liv. "I am…needed."

I hurried off before I could hear their response, vowing to make time for them both soon. I knew Harper didn't actually need me for this confrontation with her parents—she was perfectly capable on her own—but I wanted to be nearby just in case.

Besides, perhaps I needed to be there.

The older couple who spilled out of the car looked a lot like my Mate and her sister; while the man I presumed was Mr. O'Donnell embraced Meli—I heard him explain their lateness because they'd missed the first ferry—Harper's mother reached her .

I knew my Mate had been nervous about how her mother would react to her pregnancy. I knew she'd caused trouble for Meli, which had ultimately pushed her into Cairo's arms. But now, I had to admit that Mrs. O'Donnell didn't look at all upset.

"Oh, my precious sweetheart, look at you!" The older woman was holding Harper at arms' length, beaming as she examined her daughter. "You are positively glowing , darling! Pregnancy definitely agrees with you!" She pulled Harper in for another hug.

I saw my Mate exchange bemused glances with her sister and raised my own brows in surprise.

"Oh, Richard!" her mother cried, reaching out blindly to pull her husband and Meli into the embrace as well. "We're going to be grandparents ! Can you believe it? Oh, Harper, darling, why didn't you tell us? When your sister admitted you'd asked her to call because you were afraid…"

"Mom." Harper's voice was muffled against her mother's hair. " Pffft , Mom!" She straightened. "You—I…"

"What is it, honey?" her father asked, his voice low and sincere.

Harper's shoulders slumped. "I was afraid you'd think I was… I mean, I've spent my whole life doing everything right, and now…"

I could see a gleam of sorrow in her father's eyes which told me perhaps he understood. But her mother just clucked impatiently and hugged Harper again.

"Making me a grandmother is the right thing to do, darling. Oh my goodness, we're going to have so much fun shopping! Is it a girl? Please tell me it's a girl!" she squealed. "Pink! We're going to pink all the things!"

Harper's eyeroll was subtle, but I tended to agree with her. It was clear her mother was a bit self-centered. But my Mate noticed me, hovering in the shadows, and reached out her hand.

I was at her side in seconds, and when Mrs. O'Donnell noticed me, she gasped and stepped back.

"Mom, Dad." Harper laced her fingers through mine, took a deep breath, and turned to her parents. "This is Giza. My Mate."

"Another orc?" Mrs. O'Donnell blurted. "And he's so old ."

Harper's chin rose, but I responded for her, smoothly inserting myself. "Your daughter is far too mature and intelligent to be satisfied to spend her life without someone with experience of his own."

To my surprise, her father began to chuckle and offered me his hand. "I think you just might be right about that, Giza. Please, call me Richard."

As I shook his hand, I inclined my head slightly, a sign of respect from my childhood. "I would be honored, d'kap ." When I straightened, I turned to include his wife in my gaze. "Thank you for attending our Kap'paral. May you be blessed with bounties in the coming year."

Perhaps it was the formal cadence of my speech. Perhaps it was the way I was trying so damn hard to be charming. Whatever the reason, Harper's mother's hand fluttered to her chest, and she murmured, " Oh my ." Then she stuck out her right hand. "I'm Susan, dear. Welcome to the family."

I bowed over her hand as if she were a princess, and I heard Meli snort in amusement.

Harper squeezed my hand as I rose, and I shot her a glance. She was smiling at me. "Why don't you take Dad over to the fire and rescue Cairo? You can listen to them talk about catalytic converters or tire pressure or whatever. Besides, I think the stories are about to start. "

I loved that she knew the itinerary of a traditional Kap'paral and respected my traditions enough to understand why they were important. So I bent and brushed a kiss over her lips, for my own pleasure and to remind her mother that Harper was my Mate, then I nodded to Richard.

But by the time the pair of us had reached the bonfire, the atmosphere had turned expectant. Cairo materialized beside us and muttered, "Just in time. Did you finally bring me that band saw you keep promising?" to his Mate's father, who just laughed and slapped the grumpy male on his shoulder.

I might have responded, but little Emmy was suddenly at my side, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the children who had gathered in a circle. I allowed her to pull me to the place of honor in front of the bonfire, but I shot her father a look.

Sakkara had the grace to look abashed. "I might have told her that it's traditional for the host to tell the story behind Kap'paral , and Emmy decided that was you."

Well, I would be honored to take that role.

With a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders and lifted my hands, palms down, as those around me quieted.

My eyes closed. "For the clean waters and the bright skies, we give thanks."

To my surprise, Sakkara offered the traditional response: "We give thanks."

My eyes flashed open, and I saw him grin as I continued. "For the rains and the life-giving floods, we give thanks."

This time, I heard Karnak and Luxor join Sakkara's, "We give thanks."

My chest swelled with joy and gratitude as my voice grew in strength. "For the birdsong and the sweet scent of wildflowers, we give thanks."

More voices joined: Tanis and Liv, Meli and Zoe, and some I didn't recognize. "We give thanks!"

"For the deer and the mushroom and the barley and the squash, joined today in this meal, we give thanks."

I heard Harper's voice clearly among the swelling of the crowd: "We give thanks!"

My gaze found hers easily, where she stood by the dessert table, and I smiled. "For fellowship and friendship and loved ones here and gone; for the strength of our clan and the sweetness of our hearts…we give thanks."

This time, I think everyone there echoed the final blessing back: " We give thanks !"

As the words rang through the clearing, I lowered my hands and addressed the gathered crowd. "May you be blessed with bounties in the coming year. I welcome you to Kap'paral , a celebration of our blessings this year."

Taking a deep breath, I held each of my brother's gazes as I began the traditional stories.

"Long ago, when the world was young, Malla the Beginner grew lonely. She looked at the blue skies and swift deer and the clear water, and she longed to share them. So she birthed the first of the clans, and they went into the world, and it was good." It had been ten years since I'd heard these words, but the gentle cadence was as familiar to me as the tap of the kahp against the muni . "But the people grew hungry, and so Torvar the Strong, who had planted the first trees, showed us how to plant the barley and the corn and the squash. And it was good."

From the dessert table, Harper was smiling at me, and I felt my own heart lighten with joy. "Now the people had crops to water, and Markep the Merciful heard their pleas and sent the rains. When the people hungered for meat, Palton the Hunter showed them how to hunt, and it was good."

It was good. My gaze took in those gathered. Our new neighbors and friends who were here celebrating the bounty with us, who cared enough to listen to stories of gods they did not know, gods my brothers and I barely remembered.

"But it was Malla the Beginner who took us in her hands and showed us that, more than water and meat and crops, what we need to survive is one another . That is why we gather in fellowship at Kap'paral to celebrate together." I inhaled, knowing I was right where I was always meant to be. "Now, who wants to hear the story of the clever rabbit and Palton's Spear?"

The children's cheers buoyed me, and I realized that yes , my kit and Tanis's kit would carry on our people…but so would these children. They would listen and hear and remember the stories of the Kap'paral , and our history would live on.

That was everything I'd ever wanted.

As I spoke, I met Harper's gaze.

Well, almost everything.