“Marking time in children’s years gives you a new perspective,” Rod said, his fingers linked with mine as we headed toward the house. “It moves at the same pace, but you notice it more when you see the little baby you held in one hand running around like a terror.”
“That sounds way too personal,” Owen said with a laugh. Rod’s youngest brother had grown up in the last ten years. His once lanky frame was more muscular, and the carefree attitude had been replaced with purpose. “And accurate. Classes endedlast month, and I couldn’t believe an entire school year had passed. It feels like weeks earlier we opened the school and welcomed our first students.”
“Don’t get too upset,” Lysandor said. “It starts all over again in two months.”
“You two should visit more often,” Rod said, echoing my thoughts. “It’s been way too long.”
“I know, I know," Owen said. “We've just been so busy with the school and the ranch, we forget there's a world outside Wyoming.”
That was a feeling Rod and I understood all too well. “Welcome to adulting.”
“I know, right?” Lysandor answered.
I loved that life hadn’t destroyed their playful spirits. Of all the mated pairs, they’d had no defined role when the war ended. That freedom sounded great in theory, but it left them without direction. We were all proud of them for taking time to discover their passions before making life-changing decisions.
After traveling the world, Lysandor decided his heart belonged on the open prairie. He didn’t, however, want to go back to the family’s ranch. His status as the “almost” Southern Guardian made it difficult to let others make decisions for him. His mate was one of the most powerful mages alive, and he’d grown beyond being the baby brother.
His solution was to buy a large tract of land adjoining his family’s and run it himself. Branimir had spoken of his son's venture with equal parts pride and concern the last time we'd met. “How’s the ranch coming along?”
“It's harder than Dad made it look.” Lysandor grimaced. “Herd management, personnel issues, feed prices, vet bills. It’s way more complex than I expected.”
Five years of parenthood gave me a new perspective on ‘simple things.’ “I’ll tell you what our mothers told us—youdidn't see the early struggles and growth. By the time you understood what you were seeing, your parents had already gotten good at their jobs.”
“You're so right,” Lysandor said, shaking his head. “I’d also never expected to run the ranch. I assumed Thal would do it. I figured I could just coast along and enjoy life. Thank the Earth Dad comes over often to give me lessons. It’s his excuse to check on us for my mom and O’s parents.”
“I’m glad he comes over,” Owen said. “He’s a lot easier to deal with than our moms.”
They laughed at some private joke.
Owen had also needed to find himself. He decided his passion was academics, and he wanted to teach. In any other age, Owen would be the preeminent mage of his generation. Bart, however, was in a class of his own. Rather than take a job at Utrecht and work in his brother’s shadow, Owen opened his own school.
“Speaking of Mom,” Rod said in a tone that meant Owen might regret what came next, “she said you told her your new school was going to ‘leave Utrecht in the dust.’ Whatever that means.”
“Hey, I needed to sell the product,” Owen said, his expression lighting up with enthusiasm. “I was raising funds for an endowment.”
“Wow,” Rod said with mock surprise. “This must be what they teach at the school. Who knew when we donated to your school, we were donating to your school?”
“Grumpy old man,” Owen said.
Rod put his arm around his brother and pulled him into a hug. Seeing him with his family reminded me of when we first met. “Ignore him, Owen,” I said. “Tell me about your school.”
“It's incredible, Cinaed!” he said, not pulling away from his brother. “In addition to unicorns, we've got eleven differentshifter communities sending children. Eleven! I had hoped for three or four.”
“We've had to hire specialized teachers for each species," Lysandor added, his voice steadier than his mate's. “They all teach other subjects. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find a wendigo who could also teach a core subject?”
Their unique nature as bonded mates gave them the perfect foundation to create such a school. “Nope, but it sounds expensive,” I said. “No wonder you created an endowment.”
“Money won’t be an issue.” Owen waved a hand at my concern. “The Shifter Assembly offered to help fund us after hearing about our curriculum. We’ve already received applications for next year from a jackalope family and three lynx families. Word of mouth travels fast.”
“I’m not surprised,” Rod said. “The Council and Assembly have been trying to address educational inequities for decades. It’s incredible how you’re filling both at the same time.”
We reached a fork in the path, and Owen paused, looking down the branch we weren't following. “What's down there? More gardens?”
“Guest houses,” Rod replied.
“Houses?” Lysandor raised an eyebrow. “Plural?”
They really hadn’t been here in a long time. “Rod’s parents aren't content to stay at the castle when they visit now that there are grandchildren to dote over. So we built three guest homes. Out of sight from the main house, of course.”
