“We’re trained to be truthful,” he said with a grin. “Would you rather be the emperor with no clothes?”
I side-eyed him as I checked the water for the pasta. “Cinaed might enjoy that.”
“Good point.” He moved the pasta from the refrigerator. “Remember your first attempt? Too bad I didn’t film it. No one believes me when I tell them you turned boiling spaghetti into that geological formation.”
How was I supposed to know instinctively that I had to stir the pot? “Thatwas a teacher failure. You shouldn’t have assumed I knew what to do.”
“I thought it was obvious!”
He was right, it should’ve been obvious, but it hadn’t occurred to me. “You know what they say happens when you assume.”
Our banter continued as we finished preparing the meal—a simple marinara that smelled genuinely appetizing. Bart tossed the salad as I cut the bread. Out back, Cinaed and Cael relaxed with glasses of wine.
I went to call them to dinner, but I stopped as I felt Cinaed’s contentment. His presence was warm and steady in my mind. I listened as he described the land clearing project to Cael. We were gradually transforming Katarina and Adelais’s overgrown island into our new home. The cottage itself had been surprisingly well-preserved, protected by ancient spells that had kept it essentially frozen in time. The surrounding land, however, had grown wild over the centuries. We agreed to tackle it in small bits at a time.
“I’m really thrilled for you two,” Bart said, standing next to me. “After everything you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy.”
The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard. I’d always tried to be a mentor to my younger siblings, but Bart had surpassed me in many ways. He’d said he looked up to me, but seeing the clarity of his soul, it was I who admired him. “Thank you.”
“Always.” He squeezed my shoulder briefly before turning back to the food. “Now, let’s get the food out so we can impress our mates with your culinary progress.”
We carried the meal outside to the stone patio where Cinaed and Cael had set a table. The evening was cold, but the magical heating charms generated a comfortable bubble around the area. It was an example of how Bart and Cael worked together to create something amazing.
Cinaed looked up as we approached, his amber eyes met mine appreciatively. We’d dreamed of our life together, but we never realized the little things like cooking were so hard.
“You made this?” he asked, his gaze shifting from the food to me. “It smells amazing.”
He’d probably have said the same if it was awful, but it was hard to lie to your mate. “Under close supervision from my inhuman brother,” I clarified, setting my bowl onto the table.
“Don’t let him lie,” Bart said, putting down the salad. “Rod did all the cooking. I just gave him pointers along the way. With a little more practice, he’ll be experimenting with his own recipes.”
The compliment came from a good place, but it was utter rubbish. “Nice try, but you don’t need to worry,” I said. “If I poison Cinaed, he’ll just regenerate.”
“The goal isn’t to make me hate food,” Cinaed smirked. “Stick to the basics for the first decade or so.”
Dinner went better than I’d expected. Cinaed didn’t need to lie about the food, which made me ridiculously happy. It even made it worth the indignity of having my baby brother give me lessons like I was a kid.
“How do you get supplies?” Cael asked, refilling wine glasses. “Do they fly them over?”
“By boat,” Cinaed said, before taking a bite of whatever incredible dessert Bart had made. “We take turns moving it.”
“Moving it?” Cael asked. “Doesn’t it have a motor?”
I laughed, because I wasn’t alone. “The loch has strict restrictions on motors,” I said. “Some days Cinaed pulls it, others I use magic. There’s a dock near the castle, and Malachy bought us a car that sits there for when we need it.”
“Which is almost every day,” Cinaed added. “You’d be amazed what it takes to furnish an entire house.”
Cael raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Bart. There was a story here. “Spill,” I said.
Bart’s expression was the closest thing to a scowl I’d seen him give his mate. “Evidently, I’m too organized.”
“I never said that.” Cael pointed to Bart. “When I moved in, I’d realize I’d forgotten things. When I suggested I needed to go get something, your brother always had it somewhere in the house. It might have given me an inferiority complex.”
Cinaed and I exchanged glances before we both laughed. “If the chip on your shoulder was any bigger, you wouldn’t be able to walk,” I said. “What really happened was you complained because he made you look like a slacker.”
“What?” Cael tried to look wounded, but he couldn’t sell the lie. “Fine, but it’s not normal to be so organized.”
“Speaking of organizing,” Cinaed said. “I could use some of that this spring. Rod and I are going to lay out a rose garden. Neither of us have green thumbs.”
