Carefully, Baron pried the cat free. “Helen, I wonder if you might send a tea tray to my study. I’ll be visiting Stonewall shortly, but I have business to attend first, and I’d welcome the refreshment.”
“Certainly, milord.” She tossed her final handful of scraps to the cat army. “I always hope to see my favorite on feeding day, but she’s rarely here. That big white one with the sleek coat and those adorable peach-colored tufts on her ears.”
Beside her, Leon blanched. “That’s a boy! He’s a boy.”
“Nonsense! You should see the way all the other ones crowd around her, trying to impress the pretty girl.”
“He’s the king,” Leon said hotly. “That’s why they crowd around. He’s in charge.”
Baron cleared his throat. “The tray?”
Helen retreated into the kitchen, and Baron stepped forward to pull the door closed. He sighed.
“What did you say to Corvin?” he asked quietly.
Leon scowled, picking at the bone scraps in his hands, flinging bits of fish meat to his noisy subjects below.
“I told him I’m not going to school,” the boy grumbled at last.
That hadn’t made the list of expected answers. Baron raised an eyebrow.
“Birdbrain’s all set on going to Fairfax next year, like you did, andfine,he can go if he wants, butI’mnot going. That’s all.”
“All right ...” Baron considered his words. “I enjoyed my time at Fairfax, but that doesn’t mean it’s suited to everyone.”
“Exactly. School’s for people like you and beak-face.”
“People like . . . ?”
“People with brains.” Leon hucked the remainder of the fish carcass across the yard, sending the cats dashing after it. “People with manners. People with sense.”
Baron smiled gently. “If you’re interested in a formal education, I don’t doubt your capability for a moment. Besides that, manners can be taught and sense can be practiced.”
“You forgot brains.”
“It’s a misconception that anyone can operate without one, so I think you’ll find yourself already properly equipped for that requirement.”
Leon picked at a spot on his apron, avoiding Baron’s eyes. “Dad wasn’t going to let either of us go.”
Baron swallowed. “He said that?”
When Leon looked up, the boy’s eyes had shifted, his pupils narrowing to those of a cat. It was a swift change, there and gone in a blink, but it betrayed the emotion churning inside. Just because Leon hadn’t fully transformed didn’t mean he wasn’t bothered.
The great secret of the Reeves estate was that all three of Marcus Reeves’s sons had been cursed with magic. Despite the scorn and fear directed at Baron, he was still the safest of the group. His twin brothers were Animal Affiliates. Shapeshifters.
The last time an Affiliate—Dorothy Ames, a little girl of ten—had been discovered in the kingdom, she’d been executed. There was no registration law, no branded witch’s mark that couldprotect the twins. The official folklore of Loegria said only one shapeshifter was born to each century, a savage animal that consumed a human child and took its place. Once the demon was rooted out, supposedly, the country would be safe for another hundred years.
Ironic, then, that Baron knew three Affiliates, none of them particularly savage, though Leon put in a good effort with some insults.
“Father didn’t understand,” Baron said softly, “what it’s like to live with ... this. But he tried. More than anything, he wanted to protect you and Corvin.”
Leon didn’t respond other than to slide his hands into his pockets.
“I have an errand in Stonewall. If you’d care to accompany me, we can stop by that bakery you like, and you can interrogate them for the secret of their blueberry scones.”
“Sure.” Leon looked away. “The crow will want a few biscuits too.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged.”
