Page 72 of My Salvation

“Priest, what the hell is that?”

“Don’t be shy, Precious. This is my mate. She won’t hurt you,” he said in gentle tones.

Priest lifted the tiny thing so she could see it clearly. When it blinked at her, Cas’ heart was lost. “Oh my gods, Priest, what is that?” she asked, keeping her voice quiet to not scare the baby.

“This is Precious. She’s a saw-whet owlet. She’s only just fledged.”

“Oh, look at those eyes!”

“She is my special friend.”

The small owl rubbed her beak along his thumb.

“She’s so tiny.”

“Most birds are.”

“Is… is she okay?”

Priest nodded. “She is now. Had a slight fracture in her wing, but we took care of that here.”

She looked at her mate as he held up the bird and bopped his nose to her beak. “They’re all abandoned, aren’t they? The birds here.”

Grinning ruefully, he nodded. “I try to help out as much as I can. Did you want to hold her?”

She shook her head but blew the tiny thing a few kisses. When the owlet replied with a few clicks back, she knew she was a changed woman.

He gently placed the tiny bird back in her cage and covered it up with an adorable pink baby blanket. He walked back over to the sink and rewashed and sanitized his hands. “So, what do you think of birds now?”

“They’re not so bad.”

“Good, because you are kinda mated to one.”

“Is that why you brought me here?”

He nodded. “That and you’re too loving and beautiful to truly hate anything, especially something I care deeply for.”

“Does she need any food? Doesn’t she need light?” she asked, turning back to the cage, pointing to the cover.

“Look at you, becoming a bird momma,” he teased.

“You’d have to have a heart of ice and stone not to be affected by that level of cute,” she protested.

“She’s fine. Remember, owls are usually busiest at night, so she’s resuming her nap.” He walked over to a small fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. He handed her one, then sat down at the round table by the window.

Cas took her water and joined him. “Does coming here help with your bird?”

He shook his head. “He and I don’t get along, never have. I don’t know how to bird, and he doesn’t understand fae.”

“Danielle seemed really comfortable letting you back here.”

He grinned. “About twenty or thirty years ago, I got permission to spend time in the human world to pursue my degree in Zoology, with a concentration in Ornithology, or the study of birds. I thought it would help me to shift, but it didn’t.” He pointed to the building. “But, I met so many people wanting to help and study birds that I knew I had found something I could do. It didn’t matter if I was a shifter or a fae. I was Mr.Aerdan, philanthropist and bird expert, as it were.”

“The eagles back home wouldn’t help?” she asked.

He shook his head. “To them, I am dead. I tried once to ask questions. When I saw one in the city, they walked around me as if I didn’t even exist.” He began playing with the edge of the bottle label. “The eagles of Éire Danu are different than the lions. The lions integrated socially and politically. Not only do Ari and Declan serve as unit warriors, there are also Broden and Ramsey. I am the only harpy eagle shifter to serve as a unit warrior. They keep to themselves in a very insular fashion.”

Cas took a swig of water. “I honestly forgot they even lived in Éire Danu until I met you. You never see them in the city.”

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