Page 43 of Immortal Bonds

"I don't want to see any naked bits, but I wanted to bring you breakfast myself."

The voice was Mira's.

"Come in, sister. I should have known you would intercept our meal."

The door pushed open further, and a cart rolled through, followed quickly by Mira. She was smiling, looking from one to the other. She discreetly sniffed the air and, if anything, became even happier. She bounced on the balls of her feet and pushed the cart over to her brother, who stood there with his hands on his hips, pants slung low, looking like a delightful snack that Creighton couldn't wait to take another bite out of.

He balled his fists, not wanting to let the aroma of his desire interrupt whatever the former queen had come to see about. He didn't think she would interfere in any way, but if she cast judgment, it could be devastating.

Daddy opened his arms, and Mira bounced over to them. They hugged for a moment, then she pulled away and looked at Creighton. Her hands pressed together under her chin. "I cannot say or express how happy I am that you're here, that you and my brother are now mated. It is an honor to have you as part of our family."

"Creighton Hale." Creighton's eyes widened. Hearing his former last name was a doozy. He had taken to not using it much with people. First name basis was fine, because people tended to think of someone by what their species was, so he was Creighton the vampire who made stuffies. "You know?" he choked out.

Daddy came over, but Creighton stopped him with a hand up. He needed a clear mind, and he would sink into the comfort of his mate's embrace too quickly. He could tell it bothered the other man from the way he went stiff. Mira put her hand on her brother's back as she approached.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to upset you. I only wanted to let you know that you are safe here, that I understand what you've been through, and that you are welcomed to this family. Anyone else you've known, any other life you've lived, is long gone. You will be Creighton Saint from here on out."

Daddy looked over at Mira. "He will be Creighton Nyxwing, as you know — that was your original surname."

Mira rolled her eyes, and it made Creighton giggle. "Of course, I remember my own name. Don't be daft. I was simply saying that he’s part of the Saint family now, as you are. I believe when you formally announce yourselves as a mated couple, you should list your surnames as Saint, so no one misunderstands how important you are to this family, to this entire kingdom of people."

Creighton fought back tears at her pronouncement. It was everything he had ever hoped for in a maternal figure. He'd wanted his parents to love him, to accept him as he was, but he was never quite what they wanted or needed. He thought he'd never experience it.

Then came Mira Saint, a woman who by all rights didn't need to welcome him. She chose to. She chose him, just like his Daddy had. The app might have matched them through some magical algorithm, through fate itself. Still, it took intention to show up every single day, to text and to encourage someone, to love on them from afar without knowing anything more than details about their life; not what they looked like or how they sounded.

The siblings separated, and Mira held her brother's hands, swinging them side to side. "I won't stay long. I need to check on my other children, because currently, from what I understand, they’re all scattered and struggling."

Creighton tilted his head, curious to know more. "Is everyone okay?"

Mira shook her head sadly. "I don't know that they are. Hadrian has been trying to keep Eden company and cheer him up. It doesn't seem to be working. Soren and Romilly are in meetings about everything going on with the Fae, and Archer is in the playroom that Romilly built him. That means Eden has been alone."

Creighton perked up at that. "Does he want me to come play with him? I can do that, absolutely." He bounced a little, and Mira smiled at him. There was a soft growl, and when Creighton looked at his Daddy, he could see his dragon’s glowing eyes. "Or maybe I'll stay here," he said quickly.

Mira laughed loudly — free and joyful. "Yes, I imagine you should." She let go of her brother's hands, then pushed him towards the bed as well. She rolled the cart the rest of the way over to them and then said her goodbyes.

When she was gone, Daddy laid all the trays of food on the bed. "You're okay with us eating here?" Creighton asked.

"If it gets messy, we will wash it. The comforter is up so it's not as if we're laying in our own lovemaking. Even if we were, I love the taste of you. It wouldn't bother me one bit." The salacious grin thrown Creighton's way made him shiver.

They ate, and his Daddy watched him take every single bite as he slowly ate his own food. Creighton would have pressed him to know why he wasn't diving in — the man had to be starving given what had happened between them earlier — but he was too enamored with his own meal to really question it.

Another knock at the door came right as they were finishing up.

"Come in," Daddy called out.

This time it was another Saint. Eden leaned through the door, his expression subdued. "Can I talk to Creighton?" he said.

"Of course you can, nephew. Come in."

Eden shifted through the door at a slow pace. The excited, energetic man that Creighton knew so well was nowhere to be found. With the door closed behind him, Eden crossed the space and stood at the side of the bed. He paused there, looking at Creighton as if he wanted Creighton to read his mind.

"Have a seat. I'm going to get all this food put away, and you two can talk," his mate said as he stood.

Creighton shifted over a little and patted the space beside him. Eden clambered onto the bed and pressed the side of his body directly against Creighton's. "Can I?" he asked as he leaned over.

"Yes," Creighton said easily, understanding that Eden wanted to lean on him.

The connection was soothing in a way. Eden melted a bit, the stiffness he'd had drifting away. Daddy cleared up the food as promised and pushed the cart out into the hallway. He used his phone to call down to the kitchen to let them know they were done, then went to wash his hands before coming back with a damp cloth to clean Creighton's face.