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As Isobel, heck, as a stepmother, should I have known the answer? “Callen has shared so little with me,” I explained. An undeniable truth.
“Well. She attends the Academy, so there are no grades, only tracks. Mirren is advanced for her age. She shows an aptitude for the arts, so the bulk of her studies are focused in that direction.”
“Oh yes. The Academy.” A school for the offspring of immortals? “I love focus driven programs for children, encouragingtheir strengths and talents.” Had always wished to incorporate more of that into my curriculum. Alas. The school system resisted my efforts, focusing more on assessment-based education. “Did you and Sorcha attend the Academy?”
She hooked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Oh, yes. Though I admit I’m envious that your father had you schooled at home.”
Good tidbit. “You didn’t like the Academy?”
Gavina’s gaze darted. “I received a wonderful education, but I think someone with my experiences would’ve done better in a softer environment.”
So badly I wanted to probe. Should I? Getting personal and making a lifelong friend wasn’t my main objective here. “Were you taught by–you know?”
“You know?” she asked, clearly confused.
I had to actually say it out loud? Very well. Leaning toward her, I whispered, “Berserkers.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Bee workers?”
Help me. “Ber-ser-kers,” I said with more emphasis.
“Ohhh. Berserkers,” she echoed without moderating her volume. “You mean the sentinels.” She gazed at me, shy and sympathetic, looking as if she required a hug. “Many of the instructors were sentinels, yes.”
Sentinels, hmm? Kind of sounded like a sports team. “Have you ever seen one lose control?”
The color drained from her cheeks, and she shuddered. “Oh, yes. A gruesome sight I hope to never encounter again.”
Worse than what I could suddenly imagine? Men ripping each other apart with their bare hands. Blood spurting here and there. Gore everywhere. I waited for her to continue, but the woman who’d waxed poetic over peas clammed up.
“How often do sentinels erupt? What sets them off?”Slow down.“I mean, you might know something I don’t.”
“Oh. Well. They usually only erupt, as you call it, when anythin’ they consider theirs is threatened. That’s why times of war are so dangerous.”
Did I dare ask more questions? How far could I push this before someone suspected soul switching?Wouldanyone suspect soul-switching? How common was the practice, considering the harshness of the consequences?
“I see,” I said, nodding. “Tell me more about you. I’m fascinated.”
A morose exhalation seeped from her. “The women in my mother’s clan are raised so different from those of Clan Bruce. But donna worry,” she rushed to assure me. “With Mirren, I’m adhering strictly to Callen’s customs.”
“That’s, um, good to know.” What customs? How many clans were there? And how did they vary? “I’m sure you’re doing an amazing job with Mirren.”
“I love having her.” Gavina pressed a hand over her heart, so graceful. “She’s a bright light of my life. Being with her helps me feel close to my sister again.”
“That’s wonderful.” A moment of communion passed between us, and oh, how I’d missed this. The love and support of family and friends. “How’s Mirren doing in school?”
“Struggling, honestly,” Gavina said, whispering now. Concern dripped from each word. “She has trouble with reading. Nothing I’ve done has helped.”
Hmm. Maybe I didn’t need to keep my distance. In this area, I excelled.
Callen and Jamie strode into the room before I could work up a good strategy, and the space immediatelyshrank. They were just so big. If muscles were gold, I’d be inside a treasure chest right now.
I cleared my throat. Not that I was admiring the physique of either male. The pair weren’t my type, and both scowled at me, deducting multiple points from their hotness scale.
“Da!” Mirren called, and both men blanked their expressions. They went from angry to neutral in a nanosecond.
Aaah. So that wasn’t something Callen did to keep me in the dark about his emotions. It was a berserker thing. Meant to protect their fragile womenfolk?
I rolled my eyes.
