Page 82 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
“Huh,” she said, taking a bite of her sub. “I didn’t know that. And you just… carry dried strawberries in your bag for the local ducks?”
“Ah, no.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a blush creeping up his cheeks. “Those are my ducks.”
“You have ducks?” She blinked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged. “We haven’t exactly told each other much, Nia.”
That stung. She realized it was true, and hated how selfish she felt for never asking more about his life. “Well,” she said, trying to make up for it, “tell me about the ducks.”
He nodded toward the canal where the three of them floated. “Taco’s the black one. He was my first. I found him near one of the beaches with a broken wing right before winter hit. Celia’s the orange one, and Cynthia’s the brown. Taco and I raised them from eggs.”
“Eggs?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He leaned back against the tree, gazing at the water. “A few years ago, I was consulting on a dig site for the town. They’d unearthed some tombs and the area was a mess. Trees ripped apart, nests destroyed. I found a clutch of eggs in the remains of a nest—three of them had broken, but two were still whole. I waited for the mother to come back, but she never did. So I brought them home.”
“And Taco helped raise them?”
“Yeah. I guess he figured since I took care of him, he’d pass on the favor.”
“But he’s a boy,” Nia said, frowning.
“Meaning he can’t be motherly?” Lochlan gave her a pointed look.
Her lips pressed together. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
He smirked but didn’t push further. “They live in the greenhouse,” he said. “They eat bugs in the mornings, and when they want, they use a magical doggy door to swim in the canal. Jade likes hanging out with them.”
Nia felt a fresh pang of guilt. She hadn’t even asked to see the greenhouse. It felt like a piece of him she’d ignored. Now that her new magic had grown, she could almost sense it—the life and warmth of it calling to her. “Can I see it?” she asked.
He looked at her, surprised. Then he smiled. “Of course.”
They walked along the canal. The ducks followed in the water, quacking softly, their tails wagging. The setting sun bathed the path in gold, and Nia’s heart felt lighter as they crossed a small bridge. Lochlan slowed, his expression tight, as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
“What?” she asked, a flicker of worry tightening her chest. “Is it whatever happened before… what made you want a distraction?”
He hesitated, then gave her a faint smile. “You mean what happened before I ruined your very pretty clothes?”
She grinned, trying to ease his nerves. “It was a good kind of ruin,” she said, nudging his arm. “But yeah, it was unexpected.”
Lochlan exhaled sharply, his shoulders sinking. “Maybe I shouldn’t have?—”
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I liked it. A lot, actually.” Her cheeks warmed as she said it, but she pressed on. “But I am curious about why you seemed… different.”
“It wasn’t fair to you,” he said, his voice low. “I was wound up, upset, tense. I took that tension out on you. Not in a bad way, but…” His jaw tightened, and he looked away. “You deserved better.”
She touched his arm, her fingers light. “Better than that?”
He gave her a hesitant smile.
“Lochlan, I’m here, okay? Just maybe let me in on what’s going on next time.”
“I’ll try.”
“Good,” she said. “So, are you going to tell me what happened?”
He hesitated, his fingers curling slightly around hers. “My brother stopped by.”
“Your brother?” she asked, startled. “The crown prince?”
