She had a cup of coffee in front of her and was warming her hands on it, but she got up to pour me one as well and pull some steaming waffles out of a small oven set into a corner of the counter in her tidy kitchen.
“Th-thanks,” I mumbled. “That’s so nice of you.”
To me, Donna had an au pair vibe that made me feel oddly nostalgic. Not that she was a motherly type, but just a nice person who didn’t mind going out of her way to do something for me. Hopefully, all my au pairs had made it through the apocalypse okay.
She winked at me. “Well, I wouldn’t want to let Inkiri’s mate starve. I’m happy he finally found you.”
I took the coffee while she found cutlery in a drawer and put everything on the table. “Finally?”
She shrugged. “When I first met that lot, he was already looking.”
He had mentioned that. He’d told me about how long his mate call had drawn him to me. “Right.”
“Are you feeling better, Sadir?” Inkiri set the chicken down on a chair next to him. She clucked with indignation, but I couldn’t help grin triumphantly at her when my mate stood to hug me and kiss me human-style.
I let out a contented sigh and leaned into him, careful not to spill my coffee.
“Now I feel better. I was beginning to think you loved the chicken more than me.”
Inkiri chuckled and Donna laughed.
“Yes, the blue softie is a bird person. Wilson usually isn’t that friendly. Then again, it’s not like I get visitors, so she only has me,” Donna said as Inkiri sat and pulled me into his lap. “Can I interest you in chocolate spread?”
My mouth watered as soon as she said “chocolate,” and I bobbed my head eagerly, putting the coffee down so I could pull the plate toward me. “Yes, please.” I watched as she took a big jar of the stuff from the fridge and slathered the waffles with the glistening spread. “The chicken’s name is Wilson? It’s a girl chicken though, right?”
“Yeah, but she’s definitely a Wilson, keeping me company on this lonely island of solitude in the Irish countryside.” Donna left the spread with the spoon still in it on the table—a typical au pair move when no one was looking to chastise them about sugar. “Enjoy. You look starved.”
For the next few minutes, I couldn’t really focus on anything other than the food, and not even the glaring chicken upset me. It was like my body desperately needed the fuel and couldn’t be distracted until it’d had it.
Eventually, I focused on my mate’s clicking again, but before I could swallow and apologize for just wolfing down my food, I heard the door open and close, then Vergis and his daddy came into the kitchen.
I turned on Inkiri’s lap to look at them. They were damp from the rain, their dark blue horns slick with it. Kinnek’s long braids with the silver highlights were matted against his clothes, and he’d taken his shoes off. I didn’t mean to stare at the paw-like bagu feet with the skin folds that protected their claws, but I couldn’t help myself.
Kinnek noticed and made a sound of amusement that sounded more human than bagu. “Well, sweet pea, you have a bit of a chocolate mouth going there. Muffin, do you remember when you were little and refused to eat anything but chocolate for a week? Your chocolate mouth was worse than our Loathly Lady’s here.”
Okay, so maybe Kinnek could be fun. I still found it difficult to get over how alike he and Vergis looked, apart from Kinnek’s longer hair and the bluish gray strands in there that I was more and more certain were a dye job rather than a sign of aging.
Kinnek looked pretty darn spry, and unless they’d gotten distracted or given up due to the inclement weather, the two of them had just killed one of the purple beasts; the kind that seemed to think I was food. Neither of them looked like they’d done anything more strenuous than admire the roses.
Vergis turned to his dad, nonplussed. “Except I was a kid, and he’s a grown twink.”
Donna’s wooden chair creaked as she leaned back in it. “I cannot imagine you as a child, Vergis. You were this big?” She lifted her hand to hip height.
“Oh, he was smaller.” Kinnek nudged his head toward Wilson. “Maybe a little bigger than the chicken. He’d fit into the crook of his daddy’s arm.”
Vergis narrowed his eyes at his father. “Do not compare me to that bird.”
“Aw, baby Vergis must’ve been adorable!” Donna cooed.
“Oh, he was the most precious little bagu baby!” Kinnek rocked back and forth on his paw feet.
“You have any photographic evidence on you?” Donna asked, and dang it, I loved Donna.
Kinnek shook his head. “Oh, afraid not, fair Donna. My Vergis gets very cross with me when my fatherly love does anything to threaten his carefully curated public persona.” He leaned closer to Donna. “Don’t get me wrong, he was the sweetest baby, but he also didn’t shed a tear for the sacrifice he had to make for his first spell. I am quite proud. Got the job done on the first slice.”
Inkiri was very much focused on me, while I remained focused on chewing and swallowing and watching Donna’s eyes go wide as Kinnek spoke. The stupid chicken was back on the table and sort of prowling. Clearly, she was waiting for her opening to get back on my mate’s lap. Not even the waffle I hadn’t gotten to yet seemed to interest her.
“The chicken loves you,” I said through a mouthful of food.
