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Yarrow toodled right in, and he shut the door. “Oh, it’s nice in here. Warm.”

“Yeah. You know, you probably need a better coat.”

“Eh, in my beaver form it’s a non-issue.”

“Are you sure? I mean, we have an old spring house out back…”

Those super-dark eyes gleamed. “Really?”

“Yeah. We never use it anymore, apparently. And it’s always warm in there.”Cullen, can Yarrow stay in the spring house?

Hmm? Why would he stay there?

For the winter. It would be a good warren for him.

Oh, sure.

“Cullen says it would be fine, hon.”

“Oh, cool. Can I go see it?”

“Sure, but let’s have a cup of coffee first.” Orion grinned at his buddy. Yarrow would be a great watch beaver.

“Totally. It’ll go with the doughnuts. So where are the others?”

“Visiting their parents.” That was innocuous, and he figured he didn’t want to mention new baby and or babies or just recently not pregnant Cosmo or currently pregnant Cullen. Man, it was dizzying.

“And they don’t mind about the spring house? The boys, I mean.”

“No. We’re not using it. It would be nice for you to be close and warm and solid. You could make it a home of your own.” Orion loved the idea of close and personal.

“I’d like that.” Yarrow started, pulling out doughnuts from the box. “I got you blueberry and lemon. I was craving maple logs.”

It didn’t surprise him at all that the beaver who gnawed on logs would like maple. It made sense. In fact, it was kind of deeply satisfying in a way.

“What on earth have you been doing up here?” Yarrow didn’t look upset, just curious, and Orion had to think about what he had been doing.

Moving furniture.

Playing with Elliot.

Exploring the dragonlands with Cullen.

Exploring the Land of Summer with Cullen.

Knocking Cullen up.

“Watching Cullen make some of the strangest magical illusions I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” It was kind of unnatural to wake up with a giant lizard in the bed. Not quite as unnerving as when Cullen started glowing with a bright yellow light. Not a light in that gentle, soft, warm glow of a lightbulb light. But more in that as bright as the sun itself, I think I’m going to go blind, kind of light that even putting numbers of blankets over Cullen didn’t seem to help.

They’d actually had to call Cullen’s mom in for that one.

“Did you know that orgasms change magic?”

Yarrow blinked over, doughnut in his hand. “Pardon me?”

He started the coffee pot. “I’m serious. Like, let’s say you’re doing illusions, and you, oh I don’t know, start growing really, really long toenails, and it’s worrisome. If you give someone an orgasm, it changes it.”

“Oh.” Yarrow tilted his head. “Into something better?”