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I looked out the window at the grassy fields, nodded, and smiled at the excited child. “Yes, grass fields.”
“Those are best for mice,” she said with a nod. “So many tasty mices.”
“Mice, not mices,” Caleb corrected her.
She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. “Right. Mice.”
Covering my mouth, I tried to hide my laughter at the adorable, annoyed face she made. Clearly, that was a word her parents had corrected her on repeatedly.
“Did you go to school yet?” Dan asked her.
She shook her head. “Too young, but …” She paused, sniffled, and continued in a rough voice, “… was starting next year.”
“We’ll enroll you in the best school,” Dan said and glanced at Ezio before looking at her again. “Do you want to go to a school of mixed kids or just one race?”
Lily pondered that a moment before looking at me. “Em?”
No matter what school she went to, she would deal with teasing and bullying due to being a hybrid and a snake.
“Maybe private tutors at first?” I suggested.
“Private toots?” she asked.
This time, I couldn’t hide my laughter, and I ended up laughing so hard I clutched my stomach.
“Sorry, Lily, not toots. Tutors. A teacher who comes to your house to teach you,” I said around my laughter as I wiped my tears.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, and then frowned. “So, no kids to play with?”
“You’ll have kids from our clan to play with,” Caleb informed her. Turning to me, he said, “Maybe we should see if we could set up a temporary school with tutors for the kids?”
Dan sighed. “We have a school already.”
“Yes, but you know there will be teasing and bullying,” I said quickly.
He narrowed his eyes at me and opened his mouth, but it was Ezio who replied.
“What if I escorted her each day?”
We all stared at Ezio.
“You want to escort her to school each day?”
He looked down at Lily, who was looking up at him. “Would you like to go to a school of wolf shifters? I would take you each day and if anyone is mean, you can tell me and I’ll growl at them.”
Her eyes lit up, and she nodded so fast I worried she might give herself whiplash. “Wolves are nice! And soft.”
“Yes, our wolf fur is very soft,” Caleb agreed with a nod. He looked at me. “Until we get more members and can establish a school of our own, it’s not a bad idea. Ezio is one of the strongest wolves in the clan and I trust him with my life, so I would trust him with Lily’s as well.”
“Can I think about it more?” I asked softly, feeling that protective urge kicking in more intensely.
Caleb kissed my cheek again. “Of course. We don’t need to rush the decision.”
“Cows!” Lily exclaimed.
We all turned to see the cattle in a fenced-in pasture, eating grass. Why was it that people always pointed them out when driving or passing by? It was like it was a requirement!
“Rubyhare,” Katar called, “come here, please.”
