Delia gave a small, almost slight nod. It was all the permission he needed. The dark clouds on the horizon continued to roll in, and the wind began to pick up, whipping stray strands of her hair across her face.
Eric let out a long, slow sigh, as if releasing a breath he had been holding for years. "When I was a little boy," he began, his voice quiet, his gaze fixed on the churning grey ocean, "I went to our family's sprawling country estate with my father and my brother, Philip. Our father was busy that day, meeting with other nobles who had come to visit. Philip, who was older and always easily bored, suggested we play a game of hide-and-seek to pass the time."
