Page 24 of Cathmoir’s Sons (Bad Boys of Bevington #5)

Chapter 24

Magna Cum

LUCA

I toss Law’s transcript onto the table between my parents. “Seriously?”

Law stretches on the couch beside Mom, lacing his hands together behind his head.

Smug asshole.

“They gave you magna cum?”

“Gave me?” He scoffs. “I earned that.”

Checking that my new wards are firmly in place, I collapse onto the couch next to Dad, letting my tongue loll out of the side of my mouth.

Law kicks me under the table.

“Congratulations,” I tell him.

“You better get summa or you’ll never hear the end of it,” Law says, grinning so widely I can count all thirty of his teeth.

I sneer at him. “I intend to.”

“They’re holding a ceremony for the mid-year graduates at the end of Winter Study,” Law tells me. “I’m inviting Kellan as my plus one.”

“Bold,” I say.

He grins even more widely if that’s possible. I expect his head to hinge open. “After today? I can’t be bolder than our mate.”

Mom pats his biceps. “Finish your story. What happened after she came out to the class?”

Law slants me an amused glance. Ever since I introduced Rhodes to my parents, every revelation has been a “coming out” for Mom.

“Her students peppered her with questions. Then Luca and I asked some questions to make her position as Crow Queen clear. Her students left with a great deal to gossip about.”

Luca chuckles. “Law’s underplaying the Q-and-A session. It lasted longer than her class.”

“She handled it like a queen,” Law says, grinning up at the ceiling as he stretches back into the cushions. “She was magnificent.”

She was. Standing at the front of her classroom in almost the same outfit that we first saw her in: high boots over soft leggings, a white button-down shirt that’s probably mine or Law’s under a wrinkled brown blazer, eyes gleaming glacial blue between wisps of black hair escaping her long braid, casual and confident and unafraid and somehow noble. Kellan becomes more her awakened self every day.

I’ve never been prouder to be hers.

“Where is she?” I ask.

She left her classroom hand-in-hand with us. We walked her back to her office. She said she wanted to check-in with Jane Serpa, which I thought was odd because Law told me Jane’s away until Thursday but would join us for dinner at Cait House. I snuck some one-on-one time with Rhodes before he headed off for a swim, then I came to Cait House. I expected her to be here already.

“In the Library with Aine,” our mother answers. “Kellan brought a statue from Isla Cedros for Aine to take to school. They’re on some sort of crystal ball with Aine’s friends planning a presentation.”

Law snorts. “It’s a videoconference. Your phone does them, too.”

Mom wrinkles her nose. “Human technology.”

“This generation of phones have so little metal in them, they can be used by the highest fae. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Holly King has one,” Law says. “I know for a fact that Callan Dùbhghlas has one because I saw him text on it.”

“Challenge you to get his number,” I mutter to my twin.

“Accepted.” He agrees so readily I narrow my eyes at him. What angle is he already working that he’ll be able to get the Thistle Regent’s personal cell phone number in twenty-four hours, which is the standard timeframe for our bets? “You’re off now until Madame Serpa’s class on Thursday, right?”

I nod. “You need me?”

“I’ve hit a ... snag in the search for Kimberly Cavalo-Darling. Your new Plane-Walking skills may come in handy.”

“You think she’s on another plane?” I ask.

Law slants his eyes at Mom, who is growing agitated by our exchange. “I’ll show you what I’ve found tomorrow. Mom, should I get the girls for dinner?”

She leans over and kisses his cheek. “Would you, darling?”

He motions me to follow him. He closes the door to the family lounge behind us and butts his shoulder against mine. “I don’t want her to worry. Dad won’t but she still does.”

“I get it. Where did that murderous bitch go?” I ask as we start walking toward the Library.

“Initially, into Faery. I tracked her through some of the outer lands. She was circling, getting closer and closer to the Court of Cold Mist. Probably tracking the scent of your human’s blood to the place you healed him. Before she reached the Force Isela, her trail faded. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but now I know the lingering stench of Hell. That’s where I think she’s gone.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I ask my twin. I could dip into his mind to find out but I really don’t need to. I’m fairly sure he is.

“Quality time with ... what are we calling him?”

“Hmm. Uncle? Godfather? No, Godfather’s all wrong.”

“Demondaddy?” Law suggests.

I chuckle wickedly, thinking of the various reactions the first time either of us calls Baron Ash “demondaddy.”

“Did you know Kellan’s friend Rachel calls Lords ‘daddy’?” Law asks. “Like, all the time.”

“And?”

Law grins. “Caileán called me ‘daddy’ once. It was hot.”

It doesn’t do anything for me. But it drives me crazy when Rho calls me “kit,” so each to their own. “Should we get her to do it again?” I ask.

We’ve been taking it easy with Kellan—both in her unawakened and awakened states—in bed so far. That’s been down to the uncertainty of our relationship with her. But I know Rho and Law both dominate Kellan in bed and I’m hopeful our group activities will soon reflect that dynamic.

“Fuck, yeah,” Law says. “And I think we need to start easing her into the idea of pregnancy. She mentioned yesterday that her breasts were sore. I’m not sure when her menses are due, but it won’t be long before she realizes she’s late. I want to plant the idea that she’s kittering while reassuring her that her mates aren’t just behind her but are as excited as it’s possible to be.”

“Are we?” I ask.

Law stops and grips my arm. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“I just didn’t expect to be a father before I’m twenty-three.”

“I promise it won’t derail your studies. I know you want another degree or two?—”

“I don’t care about degrees,” I explain. “I want to be out in the world doing what Kellan does, at her side . How are we going to recover the world’s lost treasures when she’s pregnant? When we’re new parents?”

Law frowns and his mind swirls with shock that I’d be questioning our good fortune in having such a fertile mate. “There are four of us. We can handle a kit between us.” He squeezes my arm. “Lu, do you really not want kits? You don’t have to be involved in raising them if you don’t want to be.”

“Of course I want to be involved. She’s our mate. They’re our kits. You always promised me that. I just didn’t think it would be so soon. I thought we’d have years.”

“No one’s promised another minute, much less tomorrow.” Kellan’s soft voice interrupts us. We spin around. How did she sneak up on us? No one sneaks up on a Cait. “I meant it when I told my class that.”

Aine peeks her head around Kellan where our mate’s leaning against the corner of the corridor leading to the Library. She grins, then hides behind Kellan again. Troublemaker.

Law’s face falls. “This isn’t-what did you hear?”

“That you’ve been doing a lot more than scissoring and Kellan’s knocked up!” Aine chirps from behind our mate.

Kellan chuckles.

Law lets go of my arm, strides over to Kellan, and wraps his arms around her. “This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you.”

She tips her head back and nips his chin. “I thought we weren’t keeping any more secrets?”

“We’re not. I wanted to ease you into it. You just forgave us. We had our first group date. You introduced us to your friends. We cost you your job. A lot’s happened in the last two days, much less two months. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

Kellan suddenly sags in Law’s arms, her eyes rolling back in her head. He bends his knees to take her weight and eases her to the ground, propping her back against the corridor wall.

“Kellan? Kellan, love, are you okay? Lu, I think she’s fainted?—”

She reaches up and flicks the tip of his nose with her claws. “I’m not a delicate flower, Law. You don’t have to coddle me.”

Law rocks back on his haunches. For a moment, he just stares at her. Then he begins to laugh.

“But I like coddling you,” he protests.

I reach out, offering Kellan my hand. She takes it and lets me pull her to her feet. She laces her fingers through mine and holds her other hand out to Law. He takes it and kisses her knuckles before clasping her hand in his.

Together, we walk back toward the family dining room.

“So,” Kellan says. “We’re having a baby.”

“We are,” Law confirms. “But if you have any doubts, Kellan?—”

“I don’t. Like Luca, I didn’t expect to become a mother this year, but I’m learning to seize everything life offers me. I told you I wanted kids. If the Mother’s blessed me, I’ll say a prayer of thanks and ask Teddy to start brewing me pre-natal potions.”

I stare at her. I expected a freak out. “You’re okay with hunting for Ulune’s Daughter while you’re pregnant?”

She shrugs. “As long as I don’t have any complications, I should be fine until I really start showing. Teddy has a great midwife. I’ll ask her to take me on, too, and I’m sure she’ll tell me when I need to cut back on physical activity.” She tips her head to the side and grins. “When I do, I have an Italian villa I can supervise from.”

“You do.” Law sounds gleeful. I’m not used to that tone from my grim twin.

Happiness suits him.

Law grunts; I think Kellan’s elbowed him. “You’re not going to share my Italian villa, you know. Don’t you have a kingdom to run?”

“Wait, what?”

Kellan tugs on my hand, picking up our pace, leaving Law trailing after her. I glance over my shoulder. He looks crestfallen.

“You don’t mean that, do you?” Law catches up to us in two strides and grabs Kellan’s hand. “You’re not going to leave me here while you go off treasure hunting in Italy, are you?”

“I don’t know,” she says. “What do you bring to my expedition?”

“I’m head of security,” Law protests.

“We already have a Seer,” Kellan points out.

“But no one’s wards are better than mine!”

I chuff; my wards are just as good as his. But I don’t enter the verbal fray. I’m pretty sure Kellan’s just teasing Law, which Law would know if he’d spent more time with her as himself and not as her cat. Although she’s forgiven him, he still deserves to suffer a little.

“Well,” Kellan allows. “You can come and set the wards. But then you’ll have to head back to Cait House. I couldn’t take you away from all your very important heir duties?—”

Kellan breaks off with a squeak as Law grabs her and hoists her above his head. “You’re not going anywhere without me,” he growls.

Kellan laughs, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Oookay. I guess you can come.”

“You’re the worst,” Law grumbles. “You can’t tease me about protecting you now that you’re kittering.”

“ You’re the worst,” Kellan shoots right back at him. “You got me pregnant when I thought you were my cat.”

Law rubs noses with her. “I am, and always will be, your cat.”

She pokes him in the ribs and he drops her back onto her feet. She takes our hands and leads us toward the dining room. “Have you told your parents yet?”

We shake our heads in unison.

“Excellent,” Kellan says. “I finally get to be the one dropping a bomb on everyone.”

I chuckle at the thought of Mom’s reaction to this “coming out.”