Midnight Truth (Shifter Island #4) - Leia Stone Page 0,4
burst into laughter, a fully free I-don’t-care-what-people-think laugh, and the sound was like liquid sunshine. It warmed my heart, causing me to grin as well.
“Shouldn’t talk with your mouth full,” he admonished with a side-eyed look at our grandfather. “Don’t tell on her, okay, Pappy? She didn’t know.”
Geoff rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched as if he were trying to suppress his own laughter. “I suspect it won’t matter this once.” Grandpa looked at me. “Annette is very kind, and she does her best to teach manners to everyone in the house—including me and your aunt.”
I swallowed the cake and then licked the remaining frosting from my fingers rather than wipe them on my dress.
“Well, I’ll try to remember any scrap of etiquette I can,” I said, raising my eyebrows before I turned my attention back to my cousin. “Thank you, that cupcake was really yummy.” I winked at him.
“Family,” he grinned, nodding his head, like seeing me happy made him happy. Truthfully, seeing him happy made my own heart float in my chest.
“More cupcakes?” he asked, turning to Grandpa Geoff.
Geoff rolled his eyes. “Oh, all right.” Holding up his pointer finger, he said, “You may have one more because you shared with Nai.”
Donovan waved for me to join him. “Let’s have more chocolate.”
“Sorry,” Grandpa said, stepping to my side. “Nai and I have work to do.”
My cousin nodded somberly. “Be safe.” He stared at my feet. “When you come back, we’ll have chocolate.”
My eyes welled with tears. “Thanks.”
I instantly loved him. I loved everything about him and this place. For the first time since leaving Montana, I felt like I’d come home.
Gramps led us back out into the hallway we’d been walking down before Donovan had called out for him.
“He’s so sweet,” I said, running to catch up.
Gramps nodded. “Seeing the world through Donovan’s eyes has been one of the greatest joys of my long life. His mind might not make connections like yours or mine, but he has the best heart: loyal, honest, and kind.”
His eyes grew misty, and I swallowed hard to contain my own emotions as my heart squeezed.
Shifters didn’t get diseases—and we rarely developed disabilities. With our rapidly healing genetics, physical or mental disabilities were just really rare.
“He’s three-quarters human, one-quarter high mage,” Gramps said as if reading my mind. “With being raised in the mortal world, you’d be familiar with autism. That’s the closest thing I can think of to relate this to.”
“He’s perfect,” I assured my grandfather, but the sadness in his expression remained. The only knowledge I had about autism was what I’d read in school, but I could imagine that Donovan wasn’t all chocolate and smiles all of the time.
“We love him very much,” Geoff assured me. “In fact, I’m confident we’ve learned more from him than he has from us.”
Before I could fully digest that last statement, Gramps stopped in front of a set of wooden double doors, smaller than the ones in the foyer, but the wood was polished and smooth. He then turned to face me. “Before I declare you my heir, you’ll need to meet our ancestors and get their blessing. Considering the circumstances, they’ll manage much of your spirit training.”
Okay. My brain was on overload, and his words made no sense. At this point, I’d just roll with it. I forced a smile.
“Whatever I can do to help so that Kian and the others don’t get your power…” I told him.
Gramps smiled tightly. “Once I start your initiation as my heir, Kian cannot refuse your entrance to High Mage Academy, assuming you pass your initiation test. Then you’ll be allowed to attend school for training with the other high mage students and then become my rightful heir.”
Initiation test?
I shook my head. Best to not even touch that one right now.
“Great. Let’s get started.” The sooner I passed this part, the sooner I could get back and make things right with Rage.
He nodded but didn’t move to open the door, his eyes reflecting some sort of unease. There was something else there, a look I couldn’t interpret.
“What?” I asked, trepidation worming through me.
He winced. “The blessing is … powerful, and if you aren’t … well, it could be dangerous.”
Of course. But there was no way I’d let Kian and the others raise the dead or take my grandfather’s power. “There aren’t any other options, right? And you think I’m our best hope at stopping crazy-Kian and his cohorts, so … I’ve got this. Let’s do it.”