She flashed to the staircase and coolly leaned against the banister. “Besides that, it wouldn’t hurt to have a guard dog. Or maybe a cat!”
“We’re not getting a cat. I’ll be damned if I have to walk around every corner and have that thing jumping out at my ankles. Besides, Switch’s wolf might eat it.”
They marched down to the second floor.
Gem folded her arms, and it amused Shepherd to see how fixated she could get on something only to change her mind a week later. “Maybe I’ll just sneak one into my room and nobody has to know.” She walked backward, trying to keep up with him. “Don’t be a grump. It’s so depressing around here when everyone’s in one of their moods. Raven spends more time with Christian now, and I need someone to play with. Be an ally with me on this one thing.” She pressed her palms together in a prayerlike gesture. “Please? Please? Please?”
“You want me to risk my standing with Viktor so you can have something to cuddle?”
She pivoted and then walked alongside him. “It can be a therapy dog in case one of us dies.”
“Jesus, honey. You’ve got a morbid angle.”
“I can think of a lot of other angles. Like Viktor having a running partner and Hunter having a playmate. We can teach him how to fetch arrows when we shoot them outside in the summer.”
“Spooky won’t want it digging up his little drug garden. On second thought… I’m in.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened with excitement, and she flashed off to Wyatt’s office.
No way in hell would anyone on their team agree to a pet—for a number of reasons. First off, Shifters were offended by the very idea of keeping an animal as a source of amusement. Secondly, Keystone didn’t have the time. Pets required care, attention, and a somewhat stable household. They occasionally went away on long trips, and there was always a risk of the animal getting injured by accident. They didn’t know any vets, and Niko’s healing magic didn’t work on animals. Several of them often ran through the halls at superspeeds, and they might trip over it. And what if an enemy broke into the house? A dog or cat stood no chance against Breed—no matter how fierce, no matter how loyal. Shepherd couldn’t bear the idea of his son grieving over a lost pet. Besides that, Hunter didn’t need the distraction. He had a lot going on with his education and adjusting to his new home. If he got a dog, he might give it all his affection, leaving none left for his father.
Shepherd passed a hall and caught sight of Kira changing out a candle in a wall lantern. When she finished, she lifted a bag that clinked with the sound of metal pieces inside.
He jogged toward her. “Let me help you with that.”
They periodically had to remove the candleholders from inside the lanterns to clean them. It wasn’t necessary to light every single lantern at night—only the ones in the main hallways or where they slept. Any unused hallways were left dark, and places where they frequently gathered, such as a library or game room, had just enough light to see.
He lifted the bag and followed her into one of Viktor’s offices. The apron did little to protect her brown dress from the wax, and her thumb and forefinger were black from pinching out candles, which created less smoke than blowing them out. They had a snuffer, and he wondered why she wasn’t using it. After lighting a candle, she walked around the room and inspected the others.
Shepherd closed the door. The desk to his immediate right had two upholstered chairs facing it, slightly angled toward each other. Before taking a seat in the left one, he switched his phone from his back pocket to his front. Viktor sometimes came up here to do work or make calls, but the room was too formal for his taste.
When Kira finished, she wiped her hand on her apron and stood in front of him, leaning against the desk. Some of her red hair had fallen out of the blue kerchief, and despite the chill in the air, her cheeks were flushed and her skin dewy.
“You should ask Viktor for a day off from work,” he suggested.
She looked at her fingers, her knuckles red. “Work is good for hands. I work very hard on my father’s land.”
“You’re too pretty for a job like this. You could find a husband and settle.”
“To be wife?Ne. Viktor protects me.”
Shepherd stretched out his legs. “From what?” When she didn’t answer, he thought about her disappearance at the hotel. “Does it have something to do with your vanishing act at the hotel?”
She furrowed her brow. “I not understand.”
Forgetting her English might be rough, he broke it down to basic words. “Why did you leave Hunter alone at the hotel? Unprotected?”
Her eyes flashed with fire, and she held her fist against her breast. “I protect him. Vampire is dead.”
“Howdid you protect him?” Shepherd leaned forward, fingers laced together. “What Vampire? All we found were ashes.”
She averted her eyes.
“So if you burned up a Vampire, why do you need our protection?”
“It is complicated.”
How could he gain her trust? How could he tell her that her secrets mattered? “No one has seen you shift. Are you even a Shifter? Or are you a Mage, like Gem? She has the power to burn men. Is that what you can do?”
