Inkiri nodded, awkward with his horns so close to the wall. “Yes. I think they have some stored as well. I’ll peel your initial off one tomorrow.”
I snorted. “It’s just a superstition.”
“I don’t know, sweet thing. Humans have myths about magic, but they thought it wasn’t real, not until you. Maybe your grandma knew and found a way to tell you.”
“Hah, if she’d known, she should’ve warned me about ever going to Ireland.” I shrugged. “Then again, she left Ireland, so maybe that should’ve told me something.”
Inkiri wrapped me in his arms. “If you hadn’t come to Ireland, I wouldn’t have felt the mate call, and if I hadn’t felt the mate call, then I wouldn’t have come to Earth to find you. Sadir, I know you suffered, and what happened to the humans who were used for the magic is a terrible wrong, but holding you, knowing you are safe? Those are good things that came despite it.”
I nodded. I didn’t dare to say it out loud, but I felt at least a little bit like that. Sometimes. When he was holding me and helping me not think about everything that had changed because of me.
He cuddled me the rest of the night, and we talked more about brownies—the magical creatures and the food. With there not being any monsters here that I had to run away from, I found it easy to fall asleep, especially when I was in Inkiri’s arms.
Chapter 14
We had breakfast in the kitchen, at the same big table where I learned and practiced Lugarran writing. It pulled out until it was large enough to seat everyone, and since we’d come here, it hadn’t been folded in.
Inkiri had headed downstairs ahead of me, saying he was going to help set the table. When I made it into the kitchen with no shoes on but a fresh pair of cat socks with my shorts, Inkiri and Nokim were already chatting at the table while Charles was at the counter milking the almonds, a half-asleep Kinnek hug-cuddling him from behind. Kinnek was not made for mornings.
Inkiri looked up when I walked in the kitchen and grinned.
Nokim’s chair wobbled precariously when he jumped to his feet. “There he is! Oh, this is going to be interesting!”
I scratched my head. “Huh?”
Kinnek groaned. “So noisy. Noisy morning people, bad noisy morning people. Charlieeee…”
“We have a strict ‘no loud noises before noon’ rule in this house,” Charles said, never once taking his eyes from where he was squeezing the milk from the pulped nuts.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone right behind me said, “Then why are so many people being so loud already?”
I squeaked a little, and when I turned around, I nearly fell on my ass. Vergis at least had the decency to grab my arm before that happened. It was really the least he could do, given that he’d been the one to scare me like that.
Of all the things I might’ve said to him, I picked: “Why do you keep doing that?”
Vergis looked at where he’d grabbed my arm. “Saving you from falling on your face or getting eaten by a bear or other random creature? I have no fucking clue, Princess.”
I pursed my lips, doing my best to think of a comeback.
Kinnek was rubbing his cheek against Charles’s back. “Muffin? Is Muffin here?”
“Yup. He’s on restriction. You grounded him.”
I finally managed to find my balance again, and Vergis let me go. Then he looked at his parents with the kind of expression I’d always imagined kids would have on their faces when their parents were very affectionate in front of them. It was nothing I had any direct experience of.
“I’m not grounded, I’m an indentured servant.”
Nokim clicked. “It’s not so bad! I’ll help with your chores again today. Inkiri has learned some interesting prophecy magic from his mate! We can try it together!”
Vergis looked at me as if I were a hair in his breakfast porridge. “Has he?”
“Yes.” Inkiri’s voice was low, and the soft purr he ended on made me turn and look at him. As soon as he knew he had my attention, he held up a basket he’d been hiding in his lap. “Charles said we could use these winter apples to do your apple magic, Sadir.”
Vergis snorted in a very human way and walked past me to get himself a cup of coffee from the pot on the stove. There was a big jar of cold brew coffee in the fridge, but Vergis liked his morning coffee hot, and Nokim always made sure to warm the cold brew before Vergis came down for breakfast.
“What, are you Snow White now, Princess?”
Kinnek sighed. “No, but they’re going to do folk magic. Who knows? Might work with a Loathly Lady dispenser.”
