Page 89 of A Fate of Blood and Magic (Fated #2)
“They do sound stronger,” he said. “Why don’t you listen, Brent?”
Brenton smiled, and I loved that Elias wanted to share this memory with him. When Brenton pressed his head to my stomach, Elias mouthed the words, “ I love you, ” which made my own heart beat stronger .
“Leah wants to monitor the boys while I do magic a few more times before she clears me to help heal Respandora,” I said. “I’m excited to see what Alastor, the shifter mages, and I can do with it.”
“It’ll be good for it to be back in mage hands,” Elias said. “Maybe we can build a second home there.”
“Really?” I asked, and there went the tears again.
“Not if you’re going to cry about it.”
I pulled his hair when he resettled on the floor.
“I want the boys’ middle names to be Eiran,” I said. “Before you get all testosterone-packed about me wanting their second names after another male, hear me out.”
“I’m trying to subdue the testosterone.” Elias peered up at me in amusement.
I kissed his temple, the heaviness in my chest lifting.
“I want the boys to have their second name after him because without him, the boys wouldn’t have an uncle.
” Brenton pressed his leg against mine, so I wound my hand around his arm again.
“And because Eiran told me that he’s always painted as the villain when death isn’t supposed to be a punishment.
I don’t want the boys to fear death the way that I do.
I want them to see it as, maybe not a gift but the next adventure.
I know there’s an afterlife, and I know we’ll all be reunited there one day.
It’s natural that we’re going to miss those we’ve lost, but what greater adventure is there than knowing we’ll all be together again?
Imagine, someday, I’ll get to annoy both of you for eternity. ”
“I think the afterlife you’re speaking of is called Enfierna ,” Brenton said, shuddering.
Enfierna as in hell. “Jerk.”
“Although you want to name them after a male who isn’t their father, Eiran would be a good second name,” Elias said .
This time, when he looked up, I pressed my lips to his for a quick kiss. When I sat up, I touched the back of my shoulder where my tattoo started to tingle.
“I think Eiran approves,” I said.
“I would hope so or that would’ve been awkward.
” Suddenly his mouth opened, and he stared at his palm where he had the tattoo Eiran had gifted him of the sun.
“Okay, that was creepy.” He fisted his hand and chuckled.
“Joking, not creepy at all.” He buried his hand under his thigh. “Can you tell him to stop?”
“Maybe stop talking,” I suggested.
On a nod, he pressed his lips together.
“What about their first names?” Elias asked.
“We could name one Elias but then he would think he’s the favorite,” I said.
“So we’ll have Elias and Eli.” His dimples popped out with his smirk.
“You said their hearts strengthened when you did magic,” Brenton said. “What if you choose a name that has a heavy magic meaning?”
Excited, I did a little hop that made Elias jerk forward. “Sorry.” I patted his head, and he leaned his head back to the side of my leg. “Does the library have a baby name book?”
“A baby name book?” Brenton asked. “What’s that?”
“A book with names and their meaning,” I said.
Elias shook his head.
“Then how did you know my name meant guardian’s gift?” I asked.
Brenton chuckled. “It’s part of a song each youngling must learn. The song speaks of a female chosen by fate who would be a gift from the Guardians.”
“Like a prophecy?” I asked but held up a hand before he could reply. “We’re going with yes, because obviously I’m the chosen one from this prophecy.”
“I think you should do something about your mate,” Brenton mock-whispered. “She’s gone insane.”
I pushed him.
“She’s your sister,” Elias said. “You do something.”
I pulled his hair.
“So magical names for the boys,” I said.
Elias crawled to the table at the side of the couch and handed me the living book. With his arm around me, he sat on the couch on my other side.
“Ask your book and see if it gives us anything,” Elias said.
With the book closed on my lap, I rested a hand on the cover. Power radiated from it, warming my palm and sending goosebumps across my flesh.
Can you give me boy names that have a magical meaning? I thought. Good magic.
That same power sizzled, spreading from my palm to my arms and then chest. Eager anticipation filled me, and after grabbing Elias’s hand, I opened it.
He jolted, his eyes wide on our joined hand. “I think”—he laughed—“I can feel the magic from the book. It’s warm, right?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Yeah.”
He rubbed his chest. “Incredible.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
When words started to appear on the empty pages, both Elias and Brenton leaned closer to look.
Elias tapped a name. “Alastor. It means defender.”
It suited my cousin. I wondered if he knew the meaning of his name .
“Caspian.” Elias pointed out another name, which meant white magic.
“I like that one,” I said.
“We can call him Cas for short,” Brenton said. “Look, Easton. It means magical healer.”
“I like that one, too.”
I laughed when I read Loki. When Elias and Brenton both looked at me confused, I shook my head. “You’ve never heard of the Norse god of mischief? There’s a whole series of movies with him in it. He was everyone’s favorite villain.”
“Sorry, Ted, you’re alone on that one.”
“Get us the internet, and we can spend an entire weekend binge-watching all the movies,” I said.
“Did you understand anything she just said?” Brenton asked Elias.
“Not a word,” Elias replied.
Jerks. They were both jerks.
“Ramil,” Brenton added.
I gave him a thumbs down.
“I like Zayne,” Brenton said. “It means good light.”
“I like it too,” I said. “Caspian, white magic and Zayne, good light.”
“Do we have our winners then?” Elias asked, a smile on his face.
“I don’t know,” I said, but my stomach turned in excitement. I pressed my hand to my belly. “What do you think?”
“Caspian Eiran and Zayne Eiran of house Thierry.” Elias’s smile widened.
“They sound like good, strong male names,” Brenton said.
I wrinkled my nose. “I kinda love them. ”
Elias leaned closer to my stomach and laughed. “I think they love their names too.”
That settled it. Our boys had names.