“—requires seventeen pounds of healthy weight gain. Minimum.”
Zane went dead still and turned to glare at me.
“You’re worse than a ghoul, Casimir.”
“Accurate,” I agreed, kneeling before her. “Your stepsisters’ assessment lacks all value, Serafina.”
She hunched inward, her long hair curtaining her face on either side. Arabesque’s daughters had carved insecurities into her bones, apparently.
“Change your strategy fast, asshat!” Zane hissed as he dropped beside me, then louder, “You’re our whole world, moonbeam. Even if you were ugly, which you’renot, we’d still want you.”
“Seri,” I said, cutting through Zane’s inanity. “What matters is whatwethink. Your stepsisters don’t get a say in that—”
“What my emotionally illiterate brother means is, your laugh makes selkies weep into their kelp beds,” he broke in. “When you bite your lower lip like that? Hades himself would trade Cerberus for one kiss.”
“What my poetically challenged brother means—”
“Is we’re bewitched, bothered, and spectacularly besotted.” He trapped her fluttering hands between his own. “You’re real. And yourours.”
“But Eluned said I was just trash.”
Koa’s roar shook the rafters. Through the windows, we watched him denude a topiary elephant with his bare hands.
“Should I?” She made a vague gesture toward him.
“Stay.” I rose. “Zane will.”
“Already on it.” He squeezed her fingers before also standing.
“Can you take Brumous with you so he can do his business?” She glanced at me, then Zane. “Or I can do it after Casimir is finished—”
“What part of ‘rest your ankle’ requires translation?” I growled.
“I got it, sweetheart. C’mon, Brum-Brum. You can go widdle and poo-poo while Daddy Z tackles Daddy Ko.” Zane flung open the door and strode out, Brumous happily tagging along, and we could hear him shouting as he went. “Yo, Brother Angry Ass! Let’s discuss horticultural abuse over beer! You can murder a six-pack instead of our shrubberies!”
The door clicked shut.
“Really, Casimir, you don’t have to.”
Casimir again. I’d been Casimir four times in less than five minutes.
She’d taken back my nickname.
Even if it was silly, it wasmine. And I’d screwed up so badly that she’d rescinded it.
“Yes. I do.” I swept her into my arms and headed for the couch. “And you arenottrash. You are…”
How could I know how to disembowel a wyvern, but not know how to complement my beloved?
“Are you okay?” She laid her hand on my chest. “Your heartbeat’s really fast.”
I nearly dropped her while lowering her to the couch.
“Cardiovascular exertion,” I lied.
“I don’t think that’s true.” Her nose wrinkled up. “You just said I’m underweight, and you walked five steps.”
The accusation landed softer than dandelion fluff. Dangerous, how her timid challenges sparked something nearly fiercer than desire inside me.
