“Sure.” He started to bury it in the dirt between his feet.
Dad took him gently by the wrist to stop him. “No, not that way. Try to put it out with your mind.”
Liam looked at him uncertainly then focused on the stick. After a few moments, he said, “I don’t think I can do that.”
“That’s okay, maybe you can’t do it yet, but I’m sure you will be able to. We’ll practice at it.” Dad passed his hand over the stick and the tiny flame died down. “Okay, first things first. Come here.”
As Liam stood up, Dad did something he didn’t often do anymore. He picked Liam up like he was a little kid. Turning into the embrace, Liam wrapped his legs around Dad’s waist and put his head on his shoulder.
Dad sat down again, holding him in a whole body hug. It felt good, like being surrounded by a hot, comforting fire. He rested his chin on Liam’s shoulder. “Your mom and I already know about what happened with those other boys.”
He mumbled, “You do?”
“Mm-hm. Hugh told us. After talking about it, we decided not to say anything unless you brought it up.”
“Oh.” After thinking about it, he whispered, “I’m not sorry.”
Sorry, not sorry.
Dad rubbed his back. “You know what I think?”
He shook his head.
“I think you did an outstanding job.”
Outstanding. He lifted his head. “Really?”
“Really. You spoke to them in their language. You backed them off, and you made them stop hurting other kids. And you controlled yourself, and you didn’t hurt them in return.”
He had to point out, “I scared them pretty bad.”
“Yes, you did.” Dad’s face was calm. “If you were to talk to humans about this, they would probably say that things should be handled in a different way, and I respect that—but Liam, it’s important to remember, we’re not humans, and neither are those boys. They’re stronger than humans, more dangerous. They’re predators, and they crossed a line. You know what happens when Wyr go bad, don’t you? They can hurt a lot of people before they’re brought down.”
“That’s what the sentinels do,” he said.
“That’s right—that’s part of what the sentinels do.” Dad paused. “I also think it’s important for you to remember, you have two sides to your nature. You have some of me in you, but you also have some of your mom too.”
“That makes sense,” he muttered.
“Your mom is much more peaceful than I am, so sometimes, you might find that those two sides are in conflict with each other. When that happens, you’ve got to give yourself time to think things over. You can always talk to either your mom or me. Between the three of us, I feel sure that we can sort things out. Okay?”
Blinking to clear his eyesight, he nodded. “Okay.”
Dad looked over the water then back at him. “You know how old I am, right?”
“Yeah.” It was actually hard to wrap his mind around the concept of just how old Dad was, but he had a general sort of idea.
Dad smiled at him. “In all of that time, you are the best thing I’ve ever done. You are the absolute best part of me, and I am so proud of you. Your mom is proud of you too, and she understands you better than you might think. You might be dangerous, but you could never, ever be bad. You just have to promise me one thing.”
The weight lifted from his shoulders, until he felt light and free again. “What’s that?”
“You’ve got to stop spying on adults, especially your mom and me. Sometimes we say things to each other that are private, and we say it in a way that the other person might understand, but nobody else would. It’s called taking things in context. When you overhear stuff you’re not supposed to hear, that’s a good way to get your feelings hurt over nothing.”
That made sense. He heaved a sigh. “Can I still play Spy Wyr with my friends?”
“Yes, you can.”
“Okay. I promise I’ll stop.”
“Good boy. Are you ready to go back inside?”
“Yeah.”
Dad hugged him tight then set him on his feet and stood.
As Liam looked up, his gaze caught on the thin white scar on Dad’s forehead.
Dad was so big, so strong. He was stronger than anyone else Liam knew, but still . . . his dad could be hurt. As strong, old and fast as he was, someone could come at his back.
And Liam loved him so much it hurt. It was a good, deep ache.
When I finish getting big, he thought, I’m not ever going to let anything happen to you, or to Mom.
Not on my watch.
Dad held out his hand, and he took it. Together in the peaceful, deepening twilight, they walked back up to the house.
Thank you!
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading my short story Peanut Goes To School. Dragos and Pia’s son Liam is one of my favorite characters, and I’m delighted to share this story with you. I hope you had as much fun visiting with him as I did!
Would you like to stay in touch and hear about new releases? You can:
• Sign up for my monthly email at: www.theaharrison.com
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Reviews help other readers find the books they like to read. I appreciate each and every review, whether positive or negative.
Peanut Goes To School is the final story in a three-story arc featuring Dragos, Pia and their son Liam (aka Peanut). The first story is Dragos Takes a Holiday (November, 2013 release), and the second is Pia Saves The Day (June, 2014 release).
Happy reading!
Thea
Look for these titles from Thea Harrison
THE ELDER RACES SERIES – FULL LENGTH NOVELS
Published by Berkley
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Serpent’s Kiss
Oracle’s Moon
Lord’s Fall
Kinked
Night’s Honor (*September, 2014)
ELDER RACES NOVELLAS
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True Colors
Natural Evil
Devil’s Gate
Hunter’s Season
The Wicked
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Dragos Takes a Holiday
Pia Saves the Day (*June, 2014)
Peanut Goes to School (*July, 2014)
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Rising Darkness
Falling Light
ROMANCES UNDER THE NAME
AMANDA CARPENTER
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(original publication by Harlequin Mills & Boon)
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Rage
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Cry Wolf
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