Page 51 of Wolfsbane

She smiled back at him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Call me Katya, kotik.”

A good sign. Mama always started using the Russian nicknames when she liked people. And frankly, I thought “kitten” was a fair nickname for Daire.

She brought plates for everyone else as well, then sat down with her own food.

While I was sad that the kitchen was quieter than usual, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. Daire had been overwhelmed the previous night, so fewer strangers might be what he needed.

On the other hand, Leo was practically vibrating with energy, staring between Daire and me, and I could read him like a sign. He had, of course, heard us having sex, and he was excited about it. There were no secrets in a wolf pack, and Leo knew damned well I hadn’t laid a hand on anyone else since I’d arrived in Idaho. He knew that there was something fundamentally different about Daire, and he was hoping for something permanent.

Something that would change the person I’d become since my return, probably.

“So you’re planning on putting up wards today?” Altair asked, leaning in and watching Daire avidly, like he truly cared very much.

Not for the first time, I had a stab of embarrassment about how I’d treated him when he had arrived. He was a better person than most I’d ever met, and he deserved better. He deserved my ridiculous, too kind brother.

Daire nodded, since he had a mouthful of eggs and couldn’t answer verbally.

Altair almost bounced in his seat. “Is there anything we could do to help? I know, I can’t go out in the light, but if you need paper or components or anything . . . ”

Daire considered, then nodded. “Well, it’s not necessary, but there are a few herbs that would help strengthen the wards, if you have them. Rosemary and sage, specifically. They’re good for protection spells of all kinds.”

Altair practically jumped out of the chair and rushed over to the pantry. “We definitely have lots of those! Katya and I have practically a whole rosemary bush drying right now, and more than a dozen bundles of sage.”

Mama watched him rush off, a pleased smile on her face. He was her favorite, for sure. But then, Leo had been her favorite before, so it only made sense that someone good enough for her little ray of sunshine would also capture her heart.

Some tiny flutter in my chest snagged my attention back over to Daire, and I had a stray thought that I hoped Mama liked him as well. She would, though.

He was nothing like me. He was sweetness and light, like the magic inside me that was supposed to be his.

Too sweet for someone like me. He deserved someone like Leo, who knew how to be kind in return.

Clearly Daire was also focused on Altair being adorable, as he watched him come back from the pantry with a string of half-dried sage bundles and even more rosemary sprigs. Altair was asking about how much he might need, but what came out of Daire wasn’t a measurement, but a strange melancholic observation. “You’re different here.”

Altair paused, cocking his head.

Leo, while he was still smiling at Daire, snorted. “Of course he is. He’s not in a cage eating rats.”

Daire cringed, but before he could fall all over himself apologizing, the vampire grinned and jumped in. “Oh that? That’s because I’ve learned so much since I left. It turns out I can have emotions just like anyone else. I never knew that. Also, Ivan is dead. You have no idea what it’s like, moving on after living so long with the threat of a monster hanging over you.”

I thought Daire might know exactly what that was like . . . or, well, he might once I killed his fucking mother.

CHAPTER 28

Daire

Altair hadn’t known he could have emotions?

I . . . supposed I hadn’t either. How else did a person tolerate someone in a cage, without assuming they weren’t capable of the same kind of feeling as everyone else?

Still, it was sad to think about living while doubting that I could feel.

I’d never really had to doubt that. By Mother’s estimation, I felt too much, and the ease with which tears sprang to my eyes said she was probably right.

Nevertheless, I’d rather know that I was too much than doubt if I was enough.

Altair helped me gather herbs for the spell, putting them into a slightly misshapen basket so they’d be easier to carry. Wistful for a few seconds, he smiled down at that basket and looked to Leo beyond me.

The way he blushed then was sweet.