Page 11 of Gifts of Fate (Kindred of Arkadia #7)

Connor

“Giddey where in the hell are you?” Connor heard his mate yell into her cell phone.

“Oh Madison, you know I couldn’t miss the Fireman’s Ball. They expect me every year,” Giddey drawled.

“I need you here, like yesterday. I have casework piling up all over the place. Do you have any idea how many outdated laws I’m tackling?” Madison demanded. Connor heard a loud sigh.

“Madison…”

“Don’t Madison me, mister. When is your flight?”

“Hmm, my flight.”

“You haven’t booked it yet, have you?” Madison’s voice got cold.

“I was going to that day you called but then I had to list the apartment and then box up my things. Did they show up?” Giddey asked.

Connor snorted.

“Yes all fifty-two of them, all of them say either clothes or shoes. You’ll need an entire room just for your clothes!”

“Duuuh. Why do you think I insisted on a two-bedroom apartment, even though the rent in New York is criminal?”

“Flight information. You better be booking as we speak on your iPad!” Madison yelled.

“Touchy, touchy. What’s the matter, hun, your bear not giving up the loving?”

Connor choked as his coffee went down the wrong way.

“For your information my bear is hung like a horse lord and can fuck like a porn star,” Madison quipped.

Connor stared at his mate in shock.

“Get it, girl! I can’t wait to meet those hot lions you told me about.”

“Then hurry up and get here already.”

“Fine! I’ve booked my flight for after New Year’s, no way am I missing that. There, I’ve emailed you my info. Happy now?”

“Yes. Miss you, drama queen.”

“Miss you too, ballbuster. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” Madison ended the call and flopped back next to Connor on their sofa.

“Hung like a horse lord and can fuck like a porn star?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s true.” She grinned at her mate.

Connor was leaning in for a kiss when his cell phone started ringing. Sighing, he answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey Professor.” Connor sat up. It was Baron, which could only mean one thing.

“What’s happened?”

“An oily, sniveling excuse for a lawyer, on behalf of some wolf Alpha, petitioned the council that your man Rhys’s time was up two weeks ago. I’m under Council orders to head to Arkadia to execute Rhys, I’ll be there by this evening.”

Madison’s eyes widened and filled with tears.

“What the fuck, man! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” Connor protested.

“Believe me, Griffin and I argued to postpone until after the holidays. But, the lawyer said that Rhys is a threat that must be dealt with right away. The reason I’m calling is, I thought this might be easier coming from you.” Connor fell back against the sofa and closed his eyes.

“I’ll call Gabriel as soon as I get off the phone with you.”

“He has to be brought to the town square. That whining little shit said that he didn’t feel safe going to a house full of vampires.” Connor could hear the contempt in Baron’s voice.

“Fuck! We’ll have little kids out caroling.”

“Connor, you know if it were up to me,” Baron said, using Connor’s real name.

“I know. I’ll call Gabriel now, what time?”

“Around six.”

“See you then.”

“Bye, Professor, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, man.” Connor ended the call and looked at Madison. He could see sadness and anger in her eyes. He knew this brought up recent memories of being taken and abused. She and Rhys had bonded in that tiny cell.

“Madison.”

She shook her head. “There was nothing I could do. I tried. But, that law is ironclad and for good reason. No vampire has ever come back, not after thirty days. It’s been nearly forty for Rhys.”

Shaking his head, Connor dialed Gabriel.

“Gabriel speaking.”

“Prince Gabriel, it’s Connor Arkadion.”

“Connor, perfect timing. I wanted to make sure you’re at the diner later. Ashby and I have a surprise for everyone.” Gabriel sounded jubilant.

Connor hated that he had to be the one to tell him that one of his children was about to die.

“Baron called,” was all he was able to get out.

“Hold,” was the crisp ordered response. In the background Connor heard Gabriel speak to his mate.

“Angel, I’m heading to my office for this phone call. You should take Arthur upstairs and pick out an outfit for this afternoon.”

“Okay. I love you,” he heard Ashby say.

“I love you too, mon ange .” There was the sound of walking and a door shutting.

“Who is Arthur?” Connor asked. He heard a sigh.

“Arthur is our adopted infant son. He was placed into our care last night. Today is supposed to be a happy one for my family. What did Baron have to say?”

“Damn it!” Connor yelled in helpless frustration.

“He’s coming isn’t he?” Gabriel asked.

“That conniving boot-licker Salsiby went before the council and insisted that Rhys was a threat and pushed to have his execution immediately. They’ll be here this evening, Gabriel. You have to bring Rhys to the town square by six for execution.”

There was silence from the other end of the line, he couldn’t even hear Gabriel breathing.

“Then I better make sure that Ashby enjoys this afternoon,” was the emotionless reply.

“If there is anything I can do,” Connor offered.

“I’m afraid there isn’t anything anyone can do. Thank you for being the one to call me, I know that it could not have been easy for you. But, it made a difference hearing this from a friend.”

“We’ll stand by you tonight,” Connor promised.

“That would be most welcome. Until this afternoon.”

Connor was about to fling his cell phone at the wall when Madison’s gentle hand stopped him.

“All we can do is be there for them. I hope they let me try to say goodbye, and thank you. He suffered so much denying himself my blood. His willpower saved me.” Madison leaned her head against Connor’s shoulder.

“It’s not right. This wasn’t his fault.” Connor’s voice broke.

“Maybe this will end his torment.” Madison wiped at her tears and Connor wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

“We need to head to the diner early. Ma planned a huge gift for Kate, Rebecca and Sebastian. But, she didn’t know Ashby would have a baby too. We need to stop at the general store and pray they have another Pack ’N Play.”

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas anymore.” Madison pulled the afghan over her legs for comfort.

Connor looked down at his depressed mate and decided that maybe she needed her Christmas gift early.

“How about you open a Christmas gift?”

“I’m not in the mood.” She sighed.

“How about that small square one? The one wrapped in green paper.” Connor suggested, smiling at his mate. She looked up and a grin started to tug at her lips.

“What’s in the box?”

“Open it and find out!” Connor said, nudging her leg with his own. Madison eyed the gift then looked at him, before her eyes wandered back to the small square box.

“Hmm I wonder what it could be?” Connor asked playfully.

“Argh! You got me!” Madison bounced off the sofa and sat in front of their tree like a kid at Christmas.

Her eyes were still edged by sadness, but there was a sparkle back in her eye.

She picked up the square box. She tore into the wrapping and stared down at the plain white box.

Carefully she lifted the top. When she moved aside the tissue paper he watched as her face was transformed into a look of wonder.

“How?” she asked, her trembling fingers reaching out to touch the textured canvas before she thought better of it, and continued to stare. She carefully lifted the small painting out of the box and walked back over to the sofa to sit next to her mate.

Connor looked down and was still impressed by the pure beauty that he saw.

Right after mating with Madison and hearing that her sister was missing, he had gone to Doc to see if he had any pictures of the three of them together.

He had found one, the three of them as babies.

Connor had then taken the photograph to Caleb and commissioned a small painting.

Caleb hadn’t simply copied the photo. He had taken his own personal experiences with Doc and Madison, and stories about the missing Maddie, and he had brought them to life.

Little Maddie looked to the side of the painting with wide-eyed wonder, staring beyond her brother and sister at a landscape painting in the distance.

Baby Maddox was staring at Madison, his tiny mouth quirked to one side, frowning slightly.

Madison stared right back at her brother, her face full of laughter.

In the background he had painted three white, Bengal tiger cubs. Caleb was truly a genius.

Madison couldn’t stop staring at the painting. She propped it up on the coffee table and sat back on the sofa, her eyes never leaving the small canvas.

“I hope you like it.”

“I love it. It’s the best Christmas gift I have ever received.” She looked up at him as the tears started to spill over onto her cheeks.

“Come here, wildcat.” Connor pulled her into his lap and held her close.

She pulled back suddenly and looked him in the eye.

“Do you want a baby?”

He blinked. “Like now?”

“I’m not sure if I would be a good mother, but I know you would be a wonderful father. I look at that painting and I can’t help but wonder what our baby would look like.”

Connor held her at arm’s length, his heart racing. He desperately wanted a child, but only when his mate was ready.

“I would love to have a child, but only when you are ready. I think you’d make a wonderful mother. I mean, look how much you look after Giddey,” he said, smiling.

Madison grinned back at him. “Do you really think so?”

He nodded. “You live to protect and help people. I can only imagine what you would do for our child.”

“What time do we need to leave to head to the diner?”

“About eleven.”

She looked over at the clock and turned back to him, licking her lips.

“Let’s try. If it happens, it happens. But, I want you to know, I’m not against it.” Madison ran her hands down his chest.

“Wildcat, you have me so hard thinking about getting you pregnant.” Connor groaned when she reached between them to cup his hardening dick.