Whitefish River the light is always on

Younger Maegi might have lost her temper once more, and even older Maegi felt a twinge of annoyance at the reiteration—liar, liar, liar! But Meerkat couldn't berate her worse than Maegi had already berated herself, and so she took it in stride, taking deep, steady breaths while waiting for the girl to finish.

It seems senseless, but I promise there's a reason, she replied, rankled a little at the 'kidnapper' assertion. (Again, already part of her self-loathing catalog.) When Niamh came to the island, she wanted nothing to do with her old life. Didn't want anyone to find her. We assumed something bad had happened, and went on the assumption that the children might be hurt in the process, if we gave them up.

She took a pause, re-gathering herself and her thoughts. I needed to trust Phox before I told him. I needed to know he was a good man. You're young, so you might not have been told this, Maegi went on, giving Meerkat a sympathetic look, but a long time ago, my family and the Redhawks had a war. I saw family members dead and dying because of it. And by virtue of my name, I've never been received warmly by a Redhawk in my life. . .until now.

A weak smile, at that, then she moved on: My husband is in the same situation. I did what I thought was best, Meerkat—to protect myself, my mate, and the children. My family. An emphasis, there, just as Meerkat had done.