Page 257 of Season Warriors & Wolves

Nia threw a grape at Snow and Snow threw a whole bunch back at her. This ensued a whole food war which my son jollily began participating by throwing pickings of cheese at his grandfather’s beard and hair.

Caiden sighed, asking me, “Your turn to stop it this time.”

“No. It’s yours. I was the one who got between Snow and Visha last week, remember?”

His eyes drew shut. “Fuck.”

I threw a grape at him, hitting the idiot on his head. “Bad word to use around my child.”

Sam was fighting sleep and trying to attentively listen to the same story I’d told him hundreds of times already. The story people had composed songs and poems about—the Battle of Two Guardians. Squished between his mother and I in our bed, he glanced from me to her in approval of my story telling. After all, she was one of the guardians. Snow nodded slowly in approval, caressing his hair back from his brow, almost giving up to sleep herself.

He yawned, his mismatched eyes disappearing behind heavy lids. One mine and one his mother’s. Silver and gold.

“Shall I take you to your room, my prince?”

He nodded and turned round to kiss his mother’s forehead. A habit he’d picked up from me some time ago now. “Night, ma.”

“Night, my little darling. Sleep well.”

I extended a hand to him, and we walked to the end of the corridor, to the bedroom Mal had painted the colours of the night sky. A first birthday present from his uncle who was gods knew where by now after I had temporarily freed him of his duties almost five years ago now.

Memphis raised her head from the corner of his room, watching my son while I tucked him in. He sighed like all the world was weighing on his shoulders, and it made me laugh a little. He did carry my entire world on his shoulders. The day he was born, the weight of my world had doubled. He held some. His mother held some. Soon, my little daughter would hold some.

Sam blinked up at me. “Will the monsters ever come for ma again?”

I shook my head. “No. She has me and you now. We will never let them back, will we?” And we’ve already chased so many of them away.

“Wait until I become a big Aura like you, papa. We can fight them together.”

I kissed both of his little hands before tucking them under his blanket. “Alright, my prince.”

She was still sitting up in bed when I returned, one hand holding a book and the other on her stomach, rubbing slow circles. All day—I waited all day to see this. Her in my bed, wearing my ring, bearing my child, wearing my shirt. The sense of belonging I’d always missed, I’d finally found it.

“What are we reading today?” I asked, grabbing the rosehip oil she used and kneeling beside her in bed.

She glared at me. “Last time I told you that, you put me in this situation.”

I recalled it differently. “Good thing I didn’t ask you that two hours ago when I fucked you on the bath, on the table or on the sofa. Several times.”

Her sneer was feral. “Weren’t you about to be useful?”

“Yes, my queen. Pardon my insolence.” I pulled her shirt up, and she flapped her feet joyously when I poured the oil on her stomach and began rubbing it in her skin.

She sighed, her head dropping back.

I kissed her belly. “Is my daughter giving you a hard time?”

“Her aunt is. Your daughter is well behaved.”

“Thora will get around it. She is well capable, my love. You trusted her five years ago, why not trust her still?”

“She is too stubborn, Kil.”

“Hm. Reminds me of a particular someone.”

“Not like me.”

“Very much like you, my little grump.” I grinned when I felt a little kick under my palm. “We’ve woken her.”