Winter's Warrior: Mark of the Monarch (Winter's Saga 4) by Karen Luellen Page B

“We should have smooth skies from here on out,” Evan said, watching his brother make the penny disappear.  Reaching into his pocket, he snuck another penny out and pressed it into Alik’s hand in a practiced, lightning-fast exchange.
    “Great, Evan.  Thanks for helping there,” Alik said winking up at his little brother’s offering of more entertainment ammunition.
    “No problem,” Evan nodded back.  “I need to help the flight attendant with her injury and check on mom.  You guys keep having fun,” he said even as he pushed the woman past Alik and back to the galley-way where Margo lay peacefully.
    Farrow had made her way over to watch from a distance.  Her heart swelled in her chest watching Alik with the traumatized little boy.  After a while, the toddler crawled closer, so he could search for the missing penny in Alik’s hands, his small, sticky fingers pulling Alik’s huge, thick ones open one at a time, concentration deep in his face as he really was trying to figure out where the missing penny went.  Then Alik would reach around the little boy’s head and produce the coin from his neck or behind his knee or even from inside the Sleeper Sleeve. 
    After one especially clever trick where Alik magically turned one penny into two, the little boy burst into the most beautifully contagious laughter.  Farrow and Alik couldn’t help but laugh, too. 
    The two boys sitting on the floor of the airplane, and bonding over magic tricks, had drawn an audience and before the last trick was performed, Meg, Sloan, Farrow and Creed were watching in awe as the little guy had gone from terrified on the floor between the seats to curled up in Alik’s lap, relaxed and playing with a simple coin.
    “Alik, you’re really amazing with him,” Meg cooed softly at her brother, handing him the bottle of sports drink with a straw in place.
    “Nah,” Alik said smiling down at the small body squirming in his lap.  “He’s the amazing one.”
    Without a word, Alik held the bottle up to the little boy.  Danny cocked his head to the side before reaching out to take the straw between his lips and sipping once.  He seemed to like the taste well enough, or recognized it to be what Meg had given him before, because after he swallowed the liquid, he ducked back down to take a few more deep draws on the straw. 
    “That’s the way, big man.  That will help you get your strength back.” Creed smiled over at the little boy who’d obviously won everyone’s heart.
    “Maybe you have an appetite now?” Meg asked, not expecting an answer.
    Danny looked up at Meg over the drink he was still sipping grasped in his hands.  His eyes went wide and he nodded a few quick jerks of his head, blond curls fell into his big blue eyes adorably as he moved. 
    Alik grinned widely, “Well, at least we know you understand English, kiddo.”
    “I’ll go fix something for you to eat, and be right back.  Okay?”  Meg smiled at the pink coming into the baby’s cheeks.  He was already feeling better. 
    After the gentle encouragement to respond, Danny seemed to blossom.  He nodded again and offered a half smile.
    “Excellent,” Meg grinned back and stood from where she had been kneeling to head back to the galley, ready to move heaven and earth to find some food for the sweet little boy sitting in her brother’s lap. 
    “Oh hey,” Meg stopped and turned back to the toddler curled in her brother’s wide lap.  His large blue eyes looked up at Meg expectantly.  Her first thought was an empath reading. 
    He feels safer with us than he ever did at the Facility.  She smiled at his emotion.
    “Do you already have a name?”  The little boy frowned and looked down at the shiny pennies still in his hands.
    “Look, my name is Meg,” she said, pointing at herself.
    “That is my brother, Alik.”  The little boy followed Meg’s eyes and looked up into the smiling face of his magician playmate.
    “Do you have a name or do they