“That’s not funny,” I said softly.
“He wasn’t joking,” Alessio said.
Nevio rested his chin on top of my head. “Why do you save these deranged creatures?”
“For the same reason she bothers with us,” Massimo said as he held out his cigarette to me but I shook my head.
“One of these days we’ll lure you to the dark side,” he said with a shrug.
Alessio put his head down on my shins. “You overestimate our powers.”
Nevio shook his head with a chuckle. “Don’t listen to these assholes. Stay where you are. You belong in the light.”
My fingers slid over my tutu. “I belong with the people I love. I don’t fear the dark.”
Many people thought I couldn’t handle much because I was petite and quiet. It was true I got easily overwhelmed in certain situations, especially if I was surrounded by people I didn’t know, but my family’s darkness wasn’t one of the things that triggered my anxiety. Neither had Amo’s.
I banished any memory of him from my mind, worried Nevio might pick up on my treacherous thoughts.
“Happy birthday, by the way,” Nevio murmured.
“Happy birthday to you too,” I said with a small smile. “Your present is up in my room. I didn’t think I’d see you tonight. It’s early for you to be back.”
Alessio nudged my shin. “Things got out of hand for birthday boy. Happy birthday, Greta.”
“Happy birthday,” Massimo said.
Nevio motioned at a simple cardboard box in the corner that I hadn’t noticed before. “There’s your birthday present from all of us.”
I searched their expressions to a hint of what was in there. Bear had gone over to the box and was sniffing at it curiously, which increased my wariness. I pushed to my feet and cautiously approached the box. I slanted them a look. “There’s nothing cut off in there, right?”
They chuckled, but they had played that kind of prank on Mom and Kiara before. It hadn’t gone over well. Usually they acted more considerate around me, but I still thought caution wasn’t unwarranted.
Nevio shoved to his feet as well and came over to me. “No body parts, promise.”
I squatted down and opened the box, my eyes growing wide at what was inside. Two bunnies. One of them was a lop-eared breed, the other had longer hair, which was mostly matted. They cowered in the box, pressed up to each other, their noses moving quickly and moist, because of their stress level.
“Where did you get them?”
“It was coincidence,” Alessio said, as he sat up. “The guy we paid a visit to tonight had them. They were obviously meant as snake food. The one with the hanging ears sat in the snake terrarium. The other was in a tiny cage that didn’t even allow it to lie down.”
My heart clenched as I peered down at the neglected animals. Bear sniffed at them.
“Back,” I ordered. I didn’t want to add to their stress level, which was why I didn’t try to pet them. They wouldn’t have appreciated it.
“Nevio saved the brown bunny from the snake pit.”
I smiled up at my brother. He shrugged. “You don’t want any bought gifts, so this is the best we could do.”
“It’s perfect,” I said and hugged him briefly.
Then I closed the lid again and picked up the box. “I’ll take them up to my room for now, until the vet has given the okay to keep them outside.”
“Don’t let Dad see them in your room,” Nevio said with a grin.
“It’s only until they’re ready to move out.” I waved at them and left them to their nightly cool down phase before I returned to my room, grabbing a bag of hay mixed with dried wild herbs from the basement. One room down there was devoted solely to the animals I saved and had food for almost every pet that might cross my path.
Bear was hot on my heels, sniffing excitedly. I had a big vacant enclosure at the backwall of my ballet studio where I’d kept two rescue rabbits until early this year when they’d died. The new bunnies could move in there next.