“She did.”
The kettle whistles, and I begin to prep the tea. “Do you miss her?”
“I did at first,” he says, opening up like he never has before. “But after a few years, I realized something.”
I pour water into the cups. “What’s that?”
“I don’t know that I loved her the way she deserved to be loved. I think, for me, I just wanted to win.” He pauses. “I’m not proud of that. And sometimes I wonder if I didn’t do her a favor.”
I’m so startled by the confession, I let one of the mugs overflow onto the butcher block counter.
“Kit!” Rowan exclaims.
I jump, realizing what I’ve done.
“I did love Keira,” he clarifies. “But I’m not sure I was in love with her.”
We’re quiet for several seconds as I wipe up the mess I made. Working up a smile, I say, “Are you ready for that whiskey?”
He laughs softly. “I don’t know why I told you all that.”
“Because we’re family now, remember?”
“You only said that because you thought I was a senile old man on his deathbed.”
“Your age doesn’t change anything. Laverna made me your guardian. Until we turn you back, you’re stuck with me.”
“Do I make you uncomfortable now?”
“No, you’re still you. That was just a knee-jerk reaction caused by shock.” My timer goes off, and I remove the infusers from the cups. “Do you want milk and sugar? I learned that’s how some people like Earl Grey.”
“I can’t digest either, so I’ll pass.”
“I didn’t think about that. Will the flavoring in the tea bother you?”
“I don’t know. We’ll find out.”
“No, we won’t.” I dump his mug of tea in the sink before he can drink it. “I’ll make you something else.”
“I’m not comfortable with siphoning your magic,” he says, startling me with the change of subject.
I rinse the infuser and then rummage through the tea cabinet. “What about a jade oolong? From…China?”
“Taiwan,” he corrects.
“Whatever.”
“That’s fine.”
I spoon the dry leaves into the infuser. “You’re not a sinister mage who wants to drain me and sell my magic. We’ll only take as much as we need.”
“We have no idea how much that might be.”
“We’ll start small.”
“Ash is right though. If we can’t find an elf to stabilize your magic, all this will be for naught.”
“I’m going to ask Ryder.”
