In our yard, Jasmine and Juanita chased Hee-haw while Victoria leaned against Nalari as she played with her toys quietly.
“He did look confident,” I said. “I’m proud of him. He held himself together and spoke eloquently.”
Teddy curled into me, wrapping her blanket around herself tighter. “I’m proud of him too.”
“Why do you want to help Etienne?” I asked. “Is it because of the sibling bond you share with Brenton?”
Teddy’s hand slipped beneath the hem of my shirt, and the way she ran her fingers across my stomach rhythmically made me wonder if she realized she was doing it. My muscles quivered all the same.
“He’s hurting so much,mo elma,” she whispered. “I don’t know if, for some reason, I’m feeling Brent’s pain more or if his pain is that much greater. I think his pain is overwhelming, and despite how much it hurts him to help Etienne, he keeps doing it. I’m worried about what all of this is doing to him. Maybe if Alastor and I find a way to heal Etienne, it’ll free Brent of this . . . burden. He’s been talking about finding his own intended, but I don’t think he’d be able to until he knows Finley’s okay, and Finley won’t be okay until Etienne is.”
I didn’t like the idea of her feeling Brenton’s emotions. Not because of jealousy but because she was already dealing with her own inner turmoil.
I also didn’t like that Brenton was in such distress. He hid it so well that I hadn’t noticed the extent of it. Or maybe Isimply hadn’t taken the time to look. I remembered the anguish I’d felt when Teddy had rejected me the second time. Finley had never rejected Brenton but had taken on an intended while ignoring her side of their bond. Somehow this felt worse, leaving their bond untethered, where Brenton felt the full magnitude of the bond pulling him to her. I didn’t understand how Finley could ignore the bond, but maybe after years of practice, her side had become a mere whisper.
He was tearing himself apart trying to find a solution for Etienne, all to make his mate happy.
“I wish there was something I could do to help him,” I said, voice hoarse.
“When Etienne is better, because he will get better, can you or George place him and Finley in another city?” she asked. “Somewhere far away from Reignom and Somnio. I know Etienne would still have to come for the council meetings, but . . . I swear I could beat both Donnie and Alastor for choosing him.”
I fought back the smile that threatened when she growled.
“Etienne was a wise choice,” I said.
“Not for Brenton.”
“No, not for Brenton.” I paused, raking a hand over my face. “I should never have chosen Finley to go to the compounds.”
“Do you honestly believe you could’ve kept her from going?”
“I would hope so, considering I’m the king,” I said with a tease.
She laughed the way I hoped she would. “I swear I never thought I’d hear you refer to yourself as a king so many times in my lifetime.”
I ran my nose across her ear, nipping at the lobe to make her squirm. Her giggle filled me with joy so I did it again.
“Why don’t we take the girls through the hiking trail?” Teddy asked.
I pressed my lips together. “Are you sure that’s wise? I don’t want you overdoing yourself.”
“A small hike.” She looked up at me with so much hope in her eyes, I couldn’t deny her.
“Only if you allow me to carry you if you get tired.”
When she rose, she peered back at me through the sides of her eyes. “You’re just looking for a reason to carry me.”
As if I could argue with that.
With my magic gone, I could no longer melt the snow in our yard or hiking path. Instead, one of our friends did it. While I was grateful for it, it made me miss my magic all the more. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get accustomed to not having it. It was like missing an intrinsic part of who I was, but I was trying to adapt.
Nalari took flight once I started to lead the girls through the trail, hoisting them up a boulder for them to jump from one boulder to another, each of them close enough the girls could jump with ease. They chattered and giggled with smiles that overtook their youthful faces. I stayed close, though, in case any of them slipped or stumbled, and when they asked me questions about growing up in this area, so many good memories tumbled through my mind. After all, I had spent over a century in these woods. Despite my still healing injuries, clambering up there with my girls was invigorating.
When I felt Teddy’s attention on me, I smiled at the phone she held up to her face while she either snapped a picture or recorded us, Hee-haw trotting beside her.
When the girls reached the last boulder, I helped each ofthem down, but when Victoria clung to my neck, I kept her nestled against me. I dreaded the day she outgrew wanting me to carry her. We walked far longer than I originally planned, but Teddy seemed happy, so I didn’t want to steal any joy she’d found.
After I turned us around, I put Victoria back on the ground to hold Teddy’s hand. She smiled up at me. My mate was wise. This was exactly what our family had needed—time together when we were all relaxed and happy.
