Chapter 15
The next day, Alec and Eleuthereia joined Larissa and Arnath in a mid-morning picnic. As he rested against his oak home, Alec smiled as he watched Eleuthereia’s growing bond with Arnath and Larissa. He did not fail to notice that Eleuthereia was not afraid to sit at the lake’s shore beside him and dangle her feet into the shallow water. Arnath was still beyond the vanth’s reach, but his mate Larissa chatted with her arm-in-arm. The vanth’s toes often brushed against Larissa’s ochre fins without either of them flinching; once the shock of realization had passed, Eleuthereia seemed comfortable enough to enjoy her finny in-laws. .Alec sighed in relief, happy that the mother of his egg would be accepted by his family.
The tranquility of the scene did not last long. As he starte
