ElaineTwelve years laterThe first sound of the morning was a bark.The second was Kael shouting.“Bruno, tell the dog to give that back!”The third was a little girl’s laughter.I opened my eyes and looked at Arsel.My husband was still asleep.Or pretending.“Your turn,” I said.“I’m a grandfather. I have immunity.”“That does not exist.”“It should.”Outside, someone ran down the hallway.Then a child’s voice shouted:“Grandma!”Arsel opened one eye.“She called you.”“Coward.”I got up.Crescent’s main house had changed so many times that I barely recognized some of the rooms.We had added wings, turned offices into bedrooms, turned bedrooms back into studies, and built a new dining room because our family no longer fit inside the old one.When I went downstairs, I found chaos.Miriam, Kael and Harper’s daughter, was chasing a dog carrying a ceremonial ribbon in its mouth.She was nine years old, with brown hair and green eyes.She could understand animal emotions, although she c
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