Leap of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #4)(79)

Can’t stand here and hug the males all night. Reluctantly, Darcy looked up at Owen. His gaze was on the door.

What a ghastly, manipulative, foulmouthed evil excuse for a mother. And Owen had lived with her until his teen years?

No wonder you hate females. Someone should have slapped her spitless years ago.

When the room went completely silent, Darcy realized she’d spoken out loud. She clapped her hands over her mouth—way, way, way too late—and stared up at Owen.

His eyes narrowed…and then his lips twitched.

Gawain burst out laughing, followed by everyone else.

Owen actually grinned. “You’ve got a cat’s own temper, don’t you?” He gave her hair a tug. “Thanks for the defense, tiny tinker.”

“I like our tinker.” Alec gave Calum a friendly punch on the arm. “Brawd, you’re getting faster at bond-snapping.”

Looking exhausted, Calum gave his littermate a cold look—and Alec only laughed.

“Bonnie,” Owen whispered.

Gawain froze, his expression dismayed.

Calum nodded. “Indeed. She will have felt the bond break.” He turned to Alec. “Brawd, can you check in with her and ensure she’s all right?”

“Aye.” Alec squeezed the Cosantir’s shoulder. “I’ll explain. From what little she’s said about her mother, she’ll be more than relieved to be free of her.”

Owen’s shoulders slumped. “Thank you, Cosantir. Alec.”

“What is bond-snapping?” Darcy whispered to Gawain.

“I don’t know what the Cosantir has done in the past, but”—he splayed his fingers over his chest—“the bond between me and our mother is cut.” His expression seemed torn between sorrow and relief.

Darcy reached up and kissed his cheek before checking Owen. How odd—and sad. His face showed the same two emotions. In spite of the way the horrible woman had treated him, he’d still viewed her as his mother.

She hugged him again. Then frowned. “Calum did this before?”

“Yeah, with Minette’s mother, Genevieve,” Owen answered.

Darcy frowned. “No, Minette is Emma’s cub.”

Owen clarified, “Genevieve and Ryder had Minette, but the cub now belongs to Ryder, Emma, and Ben.”

Oh. And the Cosantir had broken Minette’s mother-cub bond? “I guess her mother was…”

“Abusive as hell.” Owen glanced at Calum. “Calum, about—”

“I’m sorry.” The Cosantir’s face tightened. “Severing of the bond wasn’t my decision.”

Not his decision? After a second, Darcy understood. Herne worked through his Cosantirs, apparently sometimes without permission, leaving them with the guilt. Being God-chosen sure wasn’t for the weak, was it?

Owen pulled in a slow breath and then shook his head. “Cosan-tir…Calum…losing the bond was a shock, but also a relief. You have my”—he glanced at Gawain and got a nod—“our thanks.”

Calum’s expression eased.

Owen’s lips curved slightly. “Actually, what I was asking is what happened to Minette’s blood mother? What if Genevieve has more cubs to mistreat?”

“Word has been passed out to the other Cosantirs. Most females only bear one litter, but if for some reason she is gifted another, she won’t be permitted to keep them.”

“Good to know. Thank you.” Owen glanced at Gawain. “A shame someone didn’t remove us when we were cublings, too.”

Gawain inclined his head in agreement before a frown appeared on his face. “Maybe. Our lives would have been easier, but…would we be the same people? Lacking a mother’s love changed me, made me more open to the blessings of the Mother of All. And you—I saw how your desire to guard the weak grew stronger as you got older. Strong enough for the God to call you.”

Owen’s face went blank.

Darcy nodded. She’d seen the compulsion in the big cahir, his need to protect everyone in his path. Her gaze met Calum’s and she saw the Cosantir had heard Gawain. His nod confirmed what the mage had said.

The pain of their childhoods had forged the two brothers into strong tools that could be wielded by the Gods.

She pulled in a breath, hoping the last ghastly decade had shaped her into someone strong and worthy of the pain.

“All right, people,” Bree announced in a loud voice. “Dinner will be delayed for an hour. Everyone—the chef included—needs a strong drink. Let’s gather around the fire pit and enjoy the quiet evening.”

Shay’s laugh boomed out. “Aye, and you have the right of it, a leannán. Brawd, if you light us a fire out there, I’ll break out the alcohol.”

As drinks were being poured, Darcy retrieved her coat and slipped outside. In the fire pit, a newly lit fire crackled in the dry wood. As she dropped into one of wooden chairs across from the stone bench, a swirl of sparks announced a salamander’s arrival. The fire elementals adored dancing outside.

Twinkling in the firelight, a few snowflakes drifted down from the black sky. There would be more snow before morning. Darcy pulled in a deep breath, pleased that the icy air off the mountains held no stench of rancor. The last few minutes had been, as the human captives would say, intense. Poor Owen and Gawain.