Page 60 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)

Klein

At last, the party was beginning to die down.

Klein was relieved; he’d folded every dress and tidily piled them on the feast table, and he’d stacked the plates neatly, ready to be washed, all while interested, naked young women who had rarely seen a man before tailed him, plucking at his clothes the second he stood still long enough to be caught up to.

Eventually, they’d given up on trying to bed him and had flopped gracefully around him, trying to tempt him with vodka instead.

He was relieved when he spotted Lucy coming toward him.

“Ah, Lucy. You’re feeling much better, I see.

I’ll be having nightmares for weeks.”Klein peeled himself away from the gaggle of drunk students, who were trying to stuff flowers under his eye-patch, as he spotted her approach, relieved to see she’d found the folded clothes and had helped herself to a dress.

He doubted anyone was going to miss it very much.

“You and me both.”Lucy shooed the women away, and they obeyed wordlessly, scattering with a low bow. “Are you having fun?”

“No.”He shook his head.

“Why not? You have a new sister now. That’s exciting.”She smiled as she sat beside him on the bench, dropping her head onto his shoulder.

Lucy was right. It was something to celebrate but also to mourn—the missed years, the unanswered questions. Freya had never known their mother’s love and never would.

“Great. More work.”Klein sighed instead. He’d had enough emotions for one day. “I hope she isn’t like her twin, but I won’t hold my breath. I suspect I now have two of Lai to clean up after.”

“You know you don’t have to work for them, right?”Lucy laughed.

“Are you offering to take my spot?”

“Not at all. Let them take care of themselves a little bit.”

“Lucy, dearest. We still haven’t taken care of the first disaster, yet here you are, setting up the next one. If I left them to their own devices, it wouldn’t matter how thoroughly we rebuilt our home. They would reduce it back to rubble within a week.”

“Can I ask you a question?”Lucy glanced up at him. Klein nodded, curious about what was on her mind.

“You take care of the family a great deal. But you get nothing out of it. So why do you keep doing it? Isn’t it frustrating?”

He pondered her words. He’d asked himself the same question more than once and always came back with the same answer. “Wouldn’t you? Would you leave them, knowing that they might never talk to each other again if they didn’t come together for meals?”

“Family is important to you, huh?”

“They are all I have.”

“You are a kind soul,”Lucy said, smiling at him.

He simply shrugged, unable to respond to the compliment. What could he say to that? Deny it? Laugh it off? “We should return tomorrow, now that our affairs are in order. It sounds like your magic has been boosted as well.”He gently changed the subject.

“It has, but we have a traitor in our midst.”She said, watching his reaction closely.

He frowned, looking down at his hands. “What makes you say that? I thought it was Agata.”

He wasn’t sure if he was as ready to forgive the witch as Lucy was. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the woman. His rage ran too deep; he would drown in it.

“No. I don’t think it was her. She said they were in our camp, and although that woman was wrong about a ton of things, I can’t stop thinking about it.”Lucy said, taking one of his hands and interleaving her fingers into his.

“Who do you think it is?”Klein squeezed her hand lightly, letting her lead the conversation.

“I think your father is too straightforward, too rash. If it’s Ryan, we are all screwed, he’s too smart.

But doesn’t know about Freya, which would give us an advantage.

Lai could be a double agent, sent back to spy on us; it would explain why he was so desperate to come along.

But I’m not too sure that’s his style. I think Al would have insisted on being here with us if it was him.

”She paused. The incomplete list hung heavy in the air between them.

“What about me?”

“You’ve been treated like a servant by your family since before I’ve known you.

You’ve had to watch the way your father runs things, and he’s run them straight into the ground.

If it was you, I wouldn’t blame you. Losing the house would give you an out.

”She watched his face closely, watching for a twitch that might give away his guilt.

“I would just want to know why you chose to work with that horrible woman.”

“My gods. I do have reasons. “Klein raised his eyebrows, then laughed. “Maybe it is me. Personally, I suspect Louis. That child is a slippery little bastard.”

“Preschoolersare assholes,”Lucy agreed, poorly hiding a smile. “Maybe you’re right. We gave him too much power, asking Ryan to teach him letters.”

“We? I believe that was your mistake. Ibet he is plotting with the griffins,”Klein teased affectionately.

“They probably offered him worms,”she whispered, sounding like she had it all figured out.

He couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Now we know for sure that we can blame you, enabler. For shame.”

“Oh, I was always going to be the one that got the blame. Look at me; I’m a walking disaster.”She was still smiling as she closed her eyes and snuggled into his side.

“That’s why you got the job. A perfect match.”He wrapped one arm around her. She wasn’t cold in the slightest, her body still radiating the heat of the fire, but it seemed to him that she wanted the hug. He had gotten a lot of practice in picking up on signals from women that night.

“Are you trying to butter me up? Because it’s working.”

“No, just...”Klein sighed deeply, like he was finally able to breathe. “I’m just glad you are okay.”

“You and me both. It was horrible, not being able to move after she gave me the tea.”Lucy shivered, shaking away the memory.

“You have strange double standards.”

“What do you mean?”Lucy asked, confused.

“You’re so quick to forgive your would-be assassin, but won’t extend the same mercy to Eleanore.”Klein slid a finger under his eye-patch, fishing out a daisy he’d missed in his first sweep.

“Agata tried to kill me because she believed it was the right thing to do,”Lucy sighed.

“She is very dear to Freya, and if I decided to harm her, well. You saw how fucking big that dragon was; I don’t fancy my chances, even after all that’s happened tonight.

Plus, this whole school literally worships me now.

In their eyes, I’m a merciful God. That isn’t a bad legacy to leave behind. ”

She hesitated before continuing, her voice quiet. “If Agata tries to kill me again, I will not hesitate, but that’s a big ‘if.’With Eleanore, it’s only a matter of when.”

“I understand.”Klein kissed her on the forehead. “Let’s get our home back.”

“Yes, let’s,”Lucy agreed, looking a little disappointed that he’d kissed her forehead instead of her lips.

Klein placed his thumb against her lips, knowing well enough what she’d hoped for. “Don’t stretch yourself too thin.”

“Me? Never,”she said innocently against his thumb. She still pouted when he kissed her forehead again.

“Hey! No making out with family!”Lai called out, approaching them with Freya.

Lucy sat up, fixing the pair with a withering, venomous smile. “Hypocrite,”she whispered.

“Hypocrite?”Klein blinked at her, then looked up at Lai and Freya, the puzzle pieces taking a moment to fit together.

“No…”he breathed, unable to summon any other response. Had they really? Why? When? Oh no.

Lai and his sister looked convincingly embarrassed, quickly retreating with significant distance between them. They sat apart on the bench opposite the fading bonfire, neither one daring to break the awkward silence.