Page 19

Chapter Nineteen

T hey all sat at the big kitchen table, even Corbin, who had hauled the fae man in a cocoon of sheets and laid him on the couch, and Cullen kept looking at him, hating that he’d bitten Orion, hating that he’d been bitten by those freaks of nothing natural.

Elliot’s magpie Eddie was watching the kids just over in Cullen’s house.

But Corbin and Cosmo kept staring at Orion. Waiting for him to change into something bloodsucking.

Orion finally chuckled. “I told you guys, I’m fine. I swear, I’m not going to change.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

They still stared. But Cullen kept looking at the fae guy.

“I am. Do you want me to show you later? I can go to the Glade. If I was infected, I wouldn’t be able to.”

Cullen glanced at Corbin and Cosmo and Hawk. “We went this morning. He didn’t disintegrate.”

“Did you take the baby?” Cosmo asked.

“Yes, and Da pronounced that Tisi was healthy, even if he needed to fatten up some, and that he was to come home with his dads.” Cullen grinned a little, then looked back at the fae guy, frowning. “Does he look different? Less pale?”

Pure, desperate hope shone on Corbin’s face for a moment. “Does he look better?”

“I think so,” Cosmo said.

“Hmmm.” Hawk withheld comment, but it was Orion who laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Corbin barked. Corbin didn’t have the most developed sense of humor at the best of times, but the plants were fading, and no one—no one—dared to open the door to the Summerland until they were one hundred percent sure that the fae was healed. Poor guy—they couldn’t even remember his name…

“Well, he’s lying in the sun, for one thing.” Orion waved, and sure enough, there was a stream of sunlight coming through the window, dancing with dust motes. It landed right on the fae man’s face, and he wasn’t smoking or withering away. In fact, it seemed to be helping.

“Holy shit.” Corbin blinked. “He’s okay in it.”

Cullen stared now at his mate. “You healed him.”

Orion tilted his head. “Did I? I mean, I’m sure I started the process. I heal superfast, so it stands to reason that I could help heal him.”

Corbin whooped, then stood up to haul Orion out of his chair. “Goddess, you did it!”

“Has he shown any signs of waking?” Hawk asked.

That sobered them all up as they stared again.

“No.” Corbin sighed. “Not yet.” He put Orion down. “But maybe he will soon.”

“Well, it’s good to see him looking almost golden,” Orion put in. “You’ll see. He’ll recover.”

For Corbin’s sake, he sure hoped so. Cullen beamed at his brothers. “Maybe I can go back to being happily preggers now and not worry so much.”

Cosmo came to hug him. “Of course you can. I’m so sorry this has all been such a worry.”

“Well, no more of this shit. You need to be enjoying your babies, too.” He winked though, to take the sting out.

“I think I’ll take him back to my place and put him by the rose garden window,” Corbin said, going to lift the guy. “Holler if you need me.”

“Later.” They watched him go, and Hawk finally turned to them all.

“Do you think he laid him in the sun consciously?”

“No.” That was Orion. “But I think he knew on some level that if he was still infected it was time to let him go.”

“Well, I’m glad he seems better. Maybe not out of the woods…” Cosmo rose. “Hawk, let’s get?—”

A knock at the front door had them all stiffening and exchanging glances. “Who the hell?” Cullen snapped.

Cosmo checked the door camera on his phone. “Yarrow.”

“Huh.” Orion went to open the door. “Have you been bitten by a vampire?”

Yarrow blinked hard, then whistled through his front teeth. “Nope. I miss all the good stuff. I came to ask if anyone is missing a marten.”

“Like a bird?”

“No, that’s martin with an I.” Yarrow held up a weasel-like creature with a super poofy reddish coat and a big puffy tail. “I mean an American marten. Keeps trying to get into the house. Won’t leave me alone.”

Cullen blinked, utterly fascinated. “He’s so pretty.” He held his hands open, and the marten leapt for him.

Orion made a little squeak, but it didn’t matter.

“Oh my god, he’s so cute!” Cullen held his arms open, and the marten just jumped right into them.

Orion made this great noise that sounded sort of like somebody stepping on a dog toy, but it didn’t matter because Cullen was immediately and totally in love. Not in love like he was in love with Tisi or in love like he was in love with Orion—because that would be creepy—but still. In love. “I’m Cullen, it’s nice to meet you. Did you come to be with the babies, little marten?”

The little one chittered, and he tilted his head, listening.

“I don’t suppose that your name is Martin, because that would be really cool.”

The marten stared at him and blew out a hard breath.

And suddenly he knew, much like Tisi had told them his name only hours after Cullen had lamented he didn’t know it, that this was Roderick.

“His name’s Roderick.”

Cosmo looked over. “You mean it’s not Martin?”

Cullen’s eyes went wide. “I know! I asked him that too, but no. Roderick.”

“I like it.” Cosmo smiled. “Can I pet you?”

Roderick offered Cosmo his head. Hawk watched them, kind of rocking back on his heels a little bit.

“So wait. In Lunastra, we have bears, giant cats, even fierce otters. But they have bears. And yet somehow here, we have a bird and a weasel?”

“Don’t be insulting,” Cullen whispered. He wasn’t sure whether or not weasels and marten were copacetic or if there was some kind of weird specist West Side Story thing going on, but he didn’t want to risk it. “We should find you some food and a nice place to sleep.”

Yarrow was leaned against the doorframe. “Okay, well. You guys are weird, so I’ll talk to you later. I’m gonna go back to my house. Bye.”

Cullen blinked as the door shut. We’ll need to figure out what Roderick likes to eat best and make sure that he’s got a nice place to live.

Cullen rubbed his belly, and their little girl kicked.

Bang.

It was hard enough that it made Roderick jump.

“Oh! Easy!”

“Mate?” Orion came over, frowning. “Did he hurt you?”

“Of course he didn’t hurt me. He’s here to be with the babies. Stop it.” Roderick was going to be great. “No, she kicked. Serena kicked.”

Cullen put Orion’s hand on his belly, and Serena kicked again. Bang.

“Serena, huh?”

He nodded. “Serena. She told me her name is Serena. Our little girl. Like Tisi told us his name.”

Suddenly, like in a rush, Cullen needed Tisi. He needed to hold his son. His son. The thought gave him shivers. Both of Orion’s dads had assured him this little one’s parents must have been destroyed. There was no way they would have allowed anyone to take their baby while they still lived.

And so now Tisi was their son. And he was tired of dealing with shit that wasn’t loving on babies.

He could handle all the rest of the nonsense on earth later.

Right now, there was Elliot and Emily and Tisi, and he just wanted to go. Just be a dad and an uncle. A normal life—if there was such a thing with the dragon-fae, a unicorn, and a pegasus.

Oh goddess, his head hurt.

Love, it doesn’t have to be this complicated. Orion walked with him. “Let’s go play with the babies. Maybe we’ll have some ice cream. But your little gargoyle misses you, and I know that Tisi needs a snuggle.”

“Don’t forget my Emily.” Cosmo hooked his arm with Cullen’s. “Come on, Corbin’s very busy being Corbin. You and I can be very busy being dads.”

He nodded, and they wandered back toward his house. It was nice to have the babies over here because there was always golden light coming through the windows and warming everything up. When they got to where Ed watched the babies, everyone but Elliot was sound asleep.

Elliot was doing one of his wooden puzzles that had dragons and fairies and one unicorn. Elliot was singing to himself. “Dwagon, dwagon, dwagon. Here is a dwagon and a fairy. Hooray, unicorns!”

They cracked up, all of them. It was Cosmo who caught his breath finally. “Absolutely, son. Yay unicorn!”

Elliot beamed. “Wuv all.”

“You are pure love, my boy. Shall we sit and play with you?”

“Uh-huh.”

Cullen snorted. “Okay, but someone will have to help me up off the floor. I am well past the fulcrum point now.”

“I can lift you, baby,” Orion said. “Let’s play.”

Ed chittered, Roderick answered, and Elliot giggled.

And suddenly he felt like it might all just be okay.