"My sister tells me those are the same thing."
Sally made a small noise somewhere behind him that might have been a laugh.
Kaelen's mouth moved—not quite a smile, but the ghost of one. "Your sister."
"She's here," Alex said. "The human similar to me near the bear. She came from another world to be part of this. That's what the sanctuary is. Not a political structure. Not a territorial compromise. A place where people like her—people who don't fit anywhere else—have somewhere to belong."
Raqasha's voice cut in, precise as a blade. "That is sentiment."
"Yes," Alex said. "It is. And you asked me not to use it, Lord Kaelen, but your daughter hasn't forbidden it yet. So."
A beat.
Kaelen looked at his daughter. Something passed between them—too quick, too private to read.
Then Raqasha said: "Leo."
Leo's chin lifted.
