“Then…what do you mean?” I ask, getting nervous.
“His name is Rowan, and he’s an idiot mage who turned himself into a bird. And if anyone should be stuck with him, it should be me.”
Chapter 16
No Hands, No Wand
Iblink at Ash, so startled I don’t know how to respond.
Looking darkly amused, he says, “Are you surprised that your feathered pet is a man, or that I’m aware he’s a man?”
“Howdo you know?” I whisper. “Howlonghave you known?”
“A while.”
“Then you must also know he’s your family. Why have you abandoned him?”
“I didn’t abandon him—the fool did this to himself. He’s an embarrassment to the Neilfellow name.”
I draw in a sharp breath, startled by the bite of his words. “That’s cruel.”
“Cruel or not, it’strue.”
“Rowan has got to be nearly eighty years old. How much time do you think he has left? Are you really going to hold a grudge over something that happened well before you were even born?”
Ash glances over, frowning. “What?”
“Whether he’s an embarrassment to your high and mighty name or not, he’s still your family. When you figured out who he was, you should have started looking for a way to help him.”
“I’m not his keeper.”
As Ash pulls up in front of my garden gate, a distant flicker of lightning is followed by a rumble of thunder.
“I know that,” I respond. “But I am. And I’m going to save him.”
“Save him?” Ash barks out an incredulous laugh. “He’s not in danger. He’s just a bird. Believe me—he’s more tolerable in this form.”
I look at the man, disappointed. “Thank you for the ride home.”
“Kit,” he says, reaching for me.
I knock his hand away. “Kathleen.”
He sighs, jumping from the cabriolet and tying the horse as I push through the gate. “Wait—don’t leave like this.”
“Goodnight, Ash,” I say, so irritated I can’t even look at him.
He struggles with the gate. “Kathleen, please…”
I unlock the door as rain begins to fall. Wind whips my hair, destroying the curls. I’m tempted to slam the door shut, but I’m not angry. I’m just…sad. And a bit regretful.
I let Ash kiss me. Ishimmeredfor him.
And he’s not a nice man at all.
With a heavy sigh, I lock the deadbolt.
“What happened?” Rowan demands from his perch in the living room. “What’s with the thunderstorm?”
