Page 28 of These Little Heirs (Moonscale Heirs Duet #2)

Ciro

I didn’t leave Medwin’s side from the moment I arrived to Moonscale Manor and neither did Cade except to send his younger siblings through the Other World to Heartville where one of his brothers-in-law picked them up.

An assassination in broad daylight could mean riots or panic in the streets.

My and Teal’s mating link was a jumbled mess of emotions.

I just kept thanking the old cats that Teal was alive and so was Morvan.

I sat beside my father-in-law as Medwin filled us in on what really happened. Of course, Clarence Moonscale had his claws involved in this. Then again, what would’ve happened if he hadn’t?

“Don’t think about it,” my cat chimed off from his inner sanctum. “That didn’t happen. We keep Medwin safe until we know nothing’s going to explode and then we get back with Teal.”

Medwin paced, communicating rapidly with folks across the territory over the group link.

I felt as useful as a new bag of sand in the desert.

Every now and then my heart skipped a beat because Teal was reliving it all.

I wasn’t an idiot. Cade dragged me here because he showed up too late to stop the assassination and was worried someone would come after me if they blamed Teal.

I’d have joined the guards out in the community, ensuring everyone had what they needed but my cat wouldn’t have it.

We had kittens on the line. Yes, he said kittens in the plural.

“I don’t think they’re going to riot,” Cade said hours later.

“I think most people like Morvan. I think finding out his brother wanted him dead is a shock but it’s not like Dad killed him.

Maybe then they’d riot but Patrica isn’t a ruler.

She’s a lynx who is probably a bit of a sadist but folks like her too.

They like her because she’s worked with Teal and Morvan to save people. ”

“If you two want to go home to your mates, I’ll be fine,” Medwin said, glancing out of the window.

“As much as I want to see Teal, I’m not leaving you alone,” I shook my head and crossed my legs. “We don’t do that to each other when shit hits the fan. If I had been there when my parents---”

“You were a cub and you’d have been dead too,” Medwin sighed. “We’ve been over this, Ciro.”

“I’m still not leaving until Clarence gets back. So, either you come with us or we’re here,” I said.

“I can stay,” Cade said. “You should go check on Teal.”

“Your grandkid was just born,” I countered.

“Your nephew was just born,” Cade shot back.

“Ciro, please go to Teal. I appreciate that you want to keep me safe but Cade and I have waited out worse together and that was before he was old enough to have a fighting style. That was back when he thought tossing the washing machine at an invader was the best way to go about it,” Medwin’s eyes lit up as he spoke.

“He splattered nicely, though, Dad,” Cade grinned.

I hugged them both goodbye and made them promise not to do anything crazy. The promise wasn’t worth much since their definition of crazy probably didn’t match my own.

The streets were full of people but they weren’t fighting or looting.

They weren’t even chanting. They were standing and sitting in little groups eating and discussing what had happened.

A cleaning company was scrubbing the blood that was left out of the sidewalk and some teenagers passed around a condolences card for Morvan.

London had been through a war against a hate group together.

One asshole wasn’t going to be the thing that crumbled this mighty empire.

“Is Teal okay?” Someone I never talked to asked and everyone turned to look at me.

“He’s grieving,” was the only answer I provided as I wound my way through the crowd. A few others asked questions but I wasn’t comfortable speaking for Teal. He’d answer or not answer questions later.

“He’s not injured,” Patrica slipped out of an alleyway to announce to the crowd. “Teal Moonscale is hale and healthy.”

The lynx winked at me and motioned for me to go as the crowd surged forward full of complicated and personal questions.

“Cats always do the dirty work,” my cat chuckled from inside his inner sanctum.

I should’ve avoided the area all together but I needed to see for myself that London wasn’t going to fall apart while I was gone.

Its crumbling to the ground was the last thing Teal wanted.

One single tragedy didn’t mean the whole thing went down in history like some crazy old human play where everyone croaked.

I pushed such thoughts out of my head and made for the Other World gateway.

The world would make sense again once I was back with my mate.

***

Back in Heartville, Bobby Hemlock, the pack alpha, had questions for me but I told him unless he was placing me under arrest that I wasn’t stopping to talk to him.

“We don’t arrest people here unless it’s murder, rape, or destruction of crop, home, or community property,” Bobby frowned.

“I don’t know what sort of show Clarence is running over there but since I’m not in the mood to deal with his theatrics I thought I’d have better luck finding out if you guys needed back up from one of Medwin’s guys. ”

Medwin’s guy. I sort of liked that.

“He’s okay. Cade’s with him,” I said, starting to walk further into town.

Bobby followed at my side keeping pace. “Morvan is fine. They didn’t save his brother but he’s a traitor.

No one is rioting. Moonscale Meals will still go forward with the launch.

I don’t really know what you could do for them. ”

“And Teal?” Bobby asked.

I shot him a dirty look. Teal was mine and ---

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. He’s a son of Heartville. He grew up slobbering on me. If he needs anything we’re all here. If you need anything, we’re all here.”

“I need the world to stop being a shitty place,” I spat out angrily.

Why was this wolf slowing me down? I just wanted my mate, and not to have to slug Bobby for being in my way.

“We did too and the only way to do that is to start with one tiny peace and keep out the crap,” he said.

“Look, I don’t have a problem with you but I’m tired and I’m hungry and I just want my Frost-damn mate,” I growled.

“Would you like a ride?”

“What? On your back through the woods?” I laughed, my cat mildly amused.

“If you walk four feet that way you’ll be on the path, and I can have a cart come out here. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

“Actually, yes. That I’ll take,” I sighed.

“Good,” Bobby nodded. “Look, I get it. You can do it all yourself. I just hope one day you’ll see that you don’t have to.”

He pulled a chocolate chip protein bar out of his pocket and I took it only nodding my thanks.

I ate it in two bites as the shiny red cart came into view.

I sprinted ahead to meet it and gladly sank into the passenger seat as a teenage wolf drove me back to civilization only pausing at the fay crossings.

I almost knocked on the door but thought better of it.

What if one of the babies were asleep? What if Odie just now started resting after giving birth?

I tried the knob and found it unlocked. All heads turned towards me from the sofa.

The triplets, Odie, Ambry, and the babies had somehow all managed to squeeze onto the sofa.

For a moment, envy coiled around my middle like it would cleave me in half.

Why did some guys get everything? The mate, the family, and the baby?

Then I swallowed down a laugh. Old feelings died harder than old habits, but this was my family too.

My mate was right there in the center of it all even if he looked like someone had left him out in a storm and Cobalt was only wearing a towel.

My kittens were growing inside me. My cat was certain of it.

All I had to do was stand still for one second and take it all in.

Everything I ever wanted was there with me – even if it scared the living daylights out of me.

To have it all was to risk losing it all, but it was a risk I had to take.

If it all fell apart a hundred years in the future, we’d still have now.

“Teal,” I said because I didn’t know what else to say.

Ambry was the closest to the door, and he stretched out his hand and grabbed my arm pulling me over before I even had a chance to shut the front door behind myself.

I landed on top of him and Indigo before Teal tugged me into his lap.

I wrapped myself around him, jostling the others but I couldn’t stop myself.

He’d been so close to that knife. It skimmed over him as he knocked Morvan to the ground.

Then we all saw what it was meant to do.

“I’m sorry I didn’t---” he started but I shook my head.

“All I wanted was for you to be alive when it was all over,” I whispered to him.

“I’m sorry Morvan’s sad. I’m sorry that he won’t answer the phone.

I’m so sorry that you had to watch someone you knew die like that.

I’m sorry that the world isn’t just good guys and bad guys acting their parts.

I’d strangle the world and make it act right if I could.

I’d make all the assholes wear t-shirts announcing their true intentions and make them line up to be kicked right in the balls or puss--- I stopped myself because Eston was perched on the arm at the other end of the sofa.

“I don’t think my grandbabies are old enough to remember what you say now,” he said, trying not to laugh.

Even Teal laughed a little.

“I’m sorry that we missed Baby Steel’s birth and I’m sorry that this isn’t over. Sad stays for so fucking long. It really does but sad means we’re alive and alive and together – those are the important parts.”

Teal kissed the top of my head before pressing his cheek against my hair.

I held onto him until my body gave into exhaustion and I drifted off to sleep in the most uncomfortable position known to cat kind.

I didn’t wake up until everyone was saying goodbye to Clarence and Eston was saying we all needed to eat again.

I ate in a stupor sitting in Teal’s lap, ensuring he ate too.

It was as if his grief was contagious, but I was glad to be able to carry part of it.

What were mates for after all if not to make life a little easier for each other?