“Well, for one thing, the rest of your cousins are all blabbermouths...”
“How did you pick up knowledge? It’s not a physical thing you can pick up. Unless you’re talking about a book. Are people writing books about my pack? If so, that’s interesting. I’d like to read one.”
Pausing, Animus glanced down at me. His brow furrowed and his mouth was slightly ajar.
“I didn’t meanliterally,” Animus clarified.
“Oh. Okay. That makes more sense.”
Another pause. “I advise you don’t act dumb with me, Leveret.”
Hot defiance flared in my chest, momentarily smothering my happiness.
“I’m not acting, and I’m not dumb. Please don’t call me that,” I said.
Animus’s face changed. His brows knit in the other direction and his eyes widened softly.
“I... I apologize.”
“It’s okay.”
When Animus went quiet for a while, I watched the earthbound landscape transform. The thick tree cover dispersed, fading into rugged earth that sloped upward. A dark mountain loomed ahead.
I’d never been so far from home—I didn’t recognize my surroundings anymore.
“Leveret,” Animus said.
“Yes.”
“Why haven’t you asked me why I kidnapped you?”
It hadn’t occurred to me until now. I was too busy enjoying the scenery and conversation.
And the sensation of Animus’s claws gently holding me.
“Why did you kidnap me?” I asked.
He scoffed. “I can’t just tell you.”
“Then why did you ask me to ask?”
“You know, that’s a good question,” Animus said whimsically.
I smiled, amused by his roundabout logic.
Then I remembered Lupa’s face, and how upset she sounded when Animus lifted me into the sky.
“My sister’s worried about me,” I mentioned.
“Yes, I’m aware. Unfortunately, that’s all part of my grand plan.”
Animus sounded a bit sympathetic, but not so much that he turned around and dropped me back off at the grove.
Animus tilted his head at me. His black hair flowed behind him like raven wings coasting on a thermal.
“You have nothing to worry about, Leveret. It’s not my intention to harm you,” he said.
That should’ve been a relief, except somehow I was already aware of that, so my feelings didn’t change. Still, it was nice of him to deliberately tell me.