Not when her sister still bore the scars of that night.
In truth, what had happened to Kandra wasn't really Tao's fault. He'd been little more than sixteen and besotted with the older shifter. She should have known better than to tease a kid five years younger, but even then he'd had that special something—the twinkle in his eyes, the promise of sensuality on his lips. A way of walking that was loose-limbed and yet seductive.
They'd gone to a bar and Kandra, being a mare in her prime, had flirted with a few too many men. Men who had followed them when they'd left. Tao had done his best to protect them both, but at that age his fire-starting skills had been raw. When his fire failed, he'd run.
But not very far, and not for very long.
Still, by the time he'd come back, the damage had been done. Kandra had fought them, forcing them to reach for weapons. The knife that gutted her had been silver, and they'd left it in her as they'd faced Tao's onslaught. The silver had damaged several internal organs beyond repair.
Tao was still paying for her medical expenses. Because of the guilt, because of the self-loathing he felt about his actions, he always would.
Ilianna stopped in front of me and undid the bottle's cap. Sage and a peculiar sweetish smell that vaguely reminded me of licorice stung the air.
"Why was Ilianna attacked?" Tao asked as she dabbed some of the antiseptic onto the cloth and began to wipe my throat. It stung like a bitch and I had to resist the urge to jerk away. "And if you were aware of the impending attack, why didn't you just call and tell her not to leave the house?"
"I tried, but I couldn't get through."
Ilianna grimaced, her gaze on my neck as she continued to wipe it with the cream. "I turned the phone off. Mom's been hassling me to have dinner with them again."
Tao snorted. "Another prospective stallion in the offering, I gather?"
"I guess." She shrugged—like it wasn't the huge hassle we all knew it was.
"You should tell them, Ilianna," he said gently. "They love you. They'll understand."
It was Ilianna's turn to snort. "All my life I've heard my father go on and on about how he looks forward to having lots of little foals under his feet once we come of age. And now that Kandra can't—"
She stopped, but not before a flash of guilt ran across Tao's expression.