Page 83 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)

Chapter

Thirty-Five

ELIAS

“You’re sure about this?” Alastor asked.

“Rummage and take whatever you think will help him,” I said.

Whatever would allow Javier to . . . I didn’t know exactly.

Could anyone ever recover from such betrayal?

I knew I’d never forgive my parents for what they did to Niev and her people.

My whole life had been a lie. And, Guardians, even I hadn’t healed yet, but I was an adult with years of life that helped me see the bigger picture.

Javier was only a young man. And my betrayal held so many layers.

How could he ever trust anyone again after such deceit?

It was one of the reasons I wanted him to forgive Teddy so badly. If he had Teddy, if he had her goodness, maybe he could feel a semblance of peace that I felt when I was near her. He’d still have a sense of the family he’d built after his parents had died.

I couldn’t imagine him ever wanting to see or speak to me again. It hurt.

I’d killed, and I’d lied, and I’d taken what wasn’t mine to take. Yet, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to give back any of the moments I’d shared with either him or the girls.

Once Alastor took out his white bowl, he sat in front of the couch. Piercing the tip of Brenton’s finger, he instructed Brenton to release three drops of blood. I didn’t recognize the words Alastor spoke, but Teddy’s body warmed as he said them, and she finally stopped trembling.

Although Alastor said the spell wouldn’t harm Teddy or the boys, I kept a watchful eye on her while I listened to my sons’ heartbeats. By the way Brenton stared at Teddy’s stomach, I knew he did the same.

To think I’d once been jealous of Teddy taking his blood to complete their sibling bond.

While I still didn’t like the idea of her sharing a piece of her soul with him, Teddy freely shared a piece of herself with those she loved.

Their bond wasn’t much different from what she already offered to her family and friends.

And there was comfort in knowing that Brenton would always watch out for her if I couldn’t.

“It is done,” Alastor said, his voice unusually shaky. He coughed to clear his throat. “Would you like me to tell you the memories I’ve absorbed?”

“We trust you,” I said.

“I know.” His throat bobbed. “Without having Teddy as a sort of anchor, I lost control of the spell and saw things I shouldn’t have seen. I apologize for that.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He watched me, assessing me in that way that always made me want to squirm.

“I will be the head adviser for your council,” he finally said.

“If all I needed was to bare my soul to you for you to accept the position, you should’ve told me,” I joked. “I would’ve done it the same day I offered it to you.”

Teddy smacked my shoulder, but Alastor laughed.

“You should know that while Aidas was uncertain of both of you, he still respected you. While he never needed to come to your defense because Javier has never uttered a bad word about either of you, he has been quick to speak well of you whenever the chance arose.” Alastor paused as he rose in one swift movement I was jealous of.

“Yesterday, you told Kieren what happened.”

I nodded while Teddy eyed me curiously.

“Kieren told Aidas, and earlier today, while I was playing with the girls, Aidas explained to Javier the way a fae’s primal instincts work. I don’t know how much of it Javier really absorbed or listened to, but Aidas is trying to help him understand why you did what you did.”

I was grateful to Aidas for it, for the good male he was becoming.

Brenton leaned over Teddy to slap my leg. “So maybe go easy on the youngling and stop scaring him.”

“I’m just having fun with him.” When Brenton huffed, I asked, “Are you saying you didn’t find it fun when my father teased you?”

“I was on the verge of buying very, very large diapers to wear in case he made me wet myself from fear one day,” Brenton answered.

Teddy pushed her head back on the sofa and laughed.

“You think that’s funny?” He fake-glared at her. “His father’s sole goal in life was to terrorize me.”

“He only did it because my mother liked you so much, and it would rile her up,” I said .

“Of course she liked me.” My idiot friend grinned. “Who wouldn’t?”

“I really should go,” Alastor said, interrupting our banter.

Teddy stood, and when he held out his arms to her, she hugged his waist. “Is everything okay?”

To my surprise, he kissed the top of her head. “Everything’s fine. I’m meeting someone.”

Teddy grinned. “Who?”

“No one if you don’t allow me to leave,” he teased.

“Whatever.” She waved him away. “Do you need any more flowers from our herbal plant?”

“If you don’t mind.”

When Teddy moved to go to the kitchen, I stopped her with a hand to her arm and went instead.

“Why don’t I give you one of our plants?” I asked.

“Because the mage doesn’t know how to not kill plants,” Teddy said with a smile.

Alastor put her in the same gentle headlock I’d seen him do to one of Bon’s younglings. When he released her, he rested his arm on her head while he grinned down at her.

His playfulness caught me by surprise, but I supposed whatever he’d seen in our memories seemed to eliminate any reservations he had left with me. Perhaps it was a good thing he’d lost control of his magic and seen more than he was supposed to.

“Is Aidas going back with you?” I asked after handing several flowers to Alastor.

Alastor held up a finger, and after a few beats, Kieren and Aidas stepped into the living room with Hee-haw a few steps behind them. I snickered when I saw our pet.

“Is my donkey wearing a tiara?” Teddy asked .

“Tori wanted to make us princesses, so we compromised,” Aidas said.

“Is that paint on his hooves?” Teddy’s eyes grew bigger.

“It’s washable,” Kieren answered.

When Teddy knelt, Hee-haw went to her. I kept my attention on the donkey to make sure he didn’t headbutt her stomach although he’d never butted anyone hard enough to cause harm.

“You poor baby,” she cooed at him. “What have they done to you?”

Hee-haw snorted before he trotted to the couch opposite of us and climbed on.

“I’m heading out,” Alastor said, peering back at the door. “Are either of you coming back with me?”

“Would it be okay if I stayed for dinner?” Aidas asked Teddy and me.

“Absolutely not,” I answered.

I hunched down when both Teddy and Brenton hit me.

“Vith. Okay, yes.” I laughed.

“Are you sure?” Aidas drew his brows together.

“Yes,” I said.

“He’s an idiot,” Teddy told him at the same time Brenton smacked the back of my head.

I rubbed where he hit me. “You know I’m a king, right?”

“Of idiots,” Teddy muttered.

She yelped when I grabbed her waist and tugged her to me.

“The fact you have to keep reminding us speaks a lot of your kingliness,” Brenton said.

Teddy wiggled out of my hold to push Alastor out the door. “If you don’t leave now, you’re never leaving. ”

He gave her another quick hug before he bowed at the rest of us.

“I want details,” Teddy shouted from the door.

I heard Alastor laugh.

Before I could ask Teddy to sit, she plopped down on the couch, and just as Brenton was getting ready to sit, I escorted him to the kitchen.

“You’re making fries, remember?” I patted his shoulder.

“I need instructions,” he said.

Teddy peered back at him. “Wash the potatoes, cut the potatoes, fry the potatoes.”

“Thanks, sis.” His tone came out dry. “That’s really helpful.”

She blew him a kiss. I sat on the other side of the couch and patted my lap. She arched her brows in response.

“Lie down,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not lying down.”

“You’re supposed to be on bed rest, but I haven’t seen you in bed once since this morning.”

“Really?” She put her hands on her hips, making me grin. “Brent, do me a favor and take my mate to the tavern.”

“Why am I being punished for his bad behavior?” Brenton asked as he stared at a potato with a knife in his hand.

“My company is punishment?” I asked.

Teddy crawled to me and, with a satisfied smile on her face, rested her head on my lap. “The worst kind of punishment.”

Her gaze held mine, and for a few beats, I was lost to the sea of blue watching me.

Before Kieren and Aidas could join Hee-haw on the other couch, I asked, “Do you boys mind going out to get us some food? ”

“Feel free to tell him no, Aidas.” Teddy yawned. “Until he learns some manners and treats you nicer.”

One side of his mouth tipped up in a half smile. “I don’t feel comfortable with that, Mama Teddy.”

“What goes good with fries?” Kieren asked.

“Burgers,” Teddy said with a sleepy smile.

“The burgers Alastor brought back were incredible,” Aidas said.

“Grab us some chicken from the diner in Somnio.” Just so she’d gift me with my favorite smile, I told Aidas, “Why don’t you stop at the bakery and get yourself a box of fruit bombs?”

She looked up at me, and there it was. That perfect smile that I could stare at for days.

Before Aidas or Kieren could bend space and leave, I asked them to hand me the book Ryenne had sent for Teddy. I read the back summary and laughed at the ridiculousness I was about to read. When I opened it to the first page, Teddy wound her arm around my thigh as if to hug me closer to her.

“‘Life happens in the blink of an eye,’” I started reading.

“‘Decisions, whether they’re thought out or the split-second kind, change things. Sometimes they change everything. You don’t know until you’ve lived it, and I’m about to live out my greatest fantasy.

Not wanting to reveal my true nature, I hold on to my magic as Brad, my company’s bookkeeper, slides his slick cock between the folds of my legs.

‘Yes, there,’ I moan, appreciating the full length and girth of him as he fills me and slams my back against the copy machine. ’”

I stopped to stare at Teddy when she started giggling.

“You can’t stop there,” Teddy said through another fit of giggles.

“Yeah, Elias,” Brenton said from the kitchen.

I looked over at him to see he’d figured out how to cut the potatoes into what looked to be the correct size. He poured oil from the jug Evander had sent with him and turned one of the burners on.

“I want to know more about Brad and his width and girth,” he said, shooting me a wink.

Teddy laughed harder.

Guardians, I drank in that sound. I’d read her a thousand more books, just as absurd as this one, if only to hear it over and over again. So I reopened the book and continued.