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She took my hand. Electricity stuttered through my body as she said, “Tonight, I want some time with your father to talk.”
Oh god, she wants to talk, I thought.There isn’t a damn woman in existence who says that with any positive inflection.
Fear trickled through my gut, causing my legs to wobble a bit. It didn’t stop until we reached our destination, and then it got worse when we were standing on the porch. Andres answered pretty fast for his usual slothful nature.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said, and then forced a smile. “What’s up? Family time?”
“Yeah, can you take Leo for a bit?”
Andres threw his arms wide and growled. Leo did the same. That was their customary greeting when my mother wasn’t around. I shook my head while watching them wrestle each other across the porch, Andres being extra careful about Leo’s size. Those two were going to hurt each other one day.
It would probably be funny. To me, anyway.
Galanthia tugged on my hand. “Should they be biting at each other like that?”
“Trust me. That’s normal.”
She exhaled forcibly. “Are you sure? His canines are—”
“Yeah, they do that.”
They were shifting. That was what Galanthia was witnessing. Anyone outside of our family would have been rightfully concerned about their obscene length while Leo was wrestling his uncle, but every shifter doctor we’d visited had assured us it was normal for his body.
“One day, he’ll have better control,” I told her. “He’s practicing. Andres doesn’t mind being bitten. Right, Andres?”
Andres howled when Leo nipped his hand. He laughed while shaking off the pain, hauling Leo under his arm and carrying him into the house. Spencer sat on the couch with a magazine between his fingers, an unreadable expression on his face. What else was new?
I held up my hand. “Alright, I’ll be back in a bit.”
Spencer grunted. “That means several hours.”
“I’ll pay in steak.”
He folded the magazine methodically without giving away any of his inner feelings about the offer. “Deal.”
Galanthia grinned. “How do you two—or three—want your steak?”
Mixed responses exploded at once. Galanthia wasn’t fazed by the cacophony, appearing to imbibe every bit of information she received without getting overloaded. I didn’t catch much of it, but she seemed content, and so I drifted after her while telling everyone goodbye several times.
On the porch, she took my hand. “Did you get any of that?”
“Nope.”
“Neither did I.”
Our chuckles matched rhythm as we walked off the porch and headed for her house.
***
“I’m not used to sitting back,” I said while fidgeting in my chair. “You sure you don’t need help with any of that?”
Galanthia squinted at me. This had been a routine thing for her, but this kind of squinting didn’t feel judgmental or out of place. It felt playful. It felt cute. Maybe it even felt sweet. I didn’t know. I wasn’t about to try reading between the lines again.
I rubbed my hands together. “I’m used to doing everything.”
“I’m aware.”
“So, give me something to do.”
