“Nope,” Teddy said.
Brenton angled his head in confusion. “I can’t ask how the male is doing?”
“Fine,” she amended. “Ask but then we move on.”
“He’s responded well to Alastor’s and Teddy’s magic in combination with the medicine,” Leah said. “I tested the components of a seizure pill the scholars have been working on, and it’s near completion. They missed only one component and believe they should have the medication completed in a few days’ time.”
“Will you need to increase the dosage, or is he fine where he is?” Brenton asked.
I loved the sound Teddy made when she growled.
Brenton held up his hands. “That’s the last question.”
“It goes against doctor, or healer-patient confidentiality laws,” Teddy said.
“We don’t have such a thing here,” Brenton shot back with a smirk.
She crossed her arms. “Well, you should.”
“I agree, we should,” Leah said. “It would make my job easier when families ask questions my patients don’t want them knowing the answer to.”
“You want to make a note of that?” I asked Brenton. “When we meet with the council to discuss what medical equipment needs to be updated, we can bring that up.”
Brenton pretended to write in the air. “Noted.”
Leah shook her head although amusement filtered through her expressions before they sobered. “For now, Etienne is stable. Since the magic and medicine used are newto me, I’m assessing him every day to monitor for improvement or regression. I won’t know if we need to adjust the dosage until I consider the evidence.”
“Okay.” Teddy huffed when no one spoke. “I’m done pretending. How did you two . . . you know?”
“After your celebratory dinner at the castle, we started talking,” Leah said when Alastor remained quiet.
His chuckle was low and light. “She’s being kind. After that night, I found reasons to summon Leah, almost every day. Eventually, she felt pity for me and agreed to meet with me in person.”
“I didn’t pity you.” Leah squeezed his arm. “I came to like you. I even started looking forward to your magic summoning me.” She turned to us, but I felt her attention on Brenton. “It’s different for two individuals to come together when we aren’t soul-bound mates. My mate died several years ago when we were both younglings.”
“And I assume if I had one, she died during what should’ve been my lifetime,” Alastor said.
A darkness spread over his features, but in a blink, it was gone.
“Without the bond, there isn’t that instinct to trust and draw you together,” Leah said. “It’s all very unknown and a little terrifying. A lot terrifying.” She laughed. “It’s why we kept our meetings a secret. That, and to be honest, I didn’t want a relationship that could lead to an intended.”
“I wore her down, though,” Alastor said with a smirk.
She smiled affectionately at him. “Although Daxon, my mate, died many years ago, it hurt to put that chapter of my life away. Alastor lets me talk about him, though, and it’s helped me begin to heal from that loss.” She leaned closer to him. “Fate can sometimes be cruel, but you can’t let fearguide you. It isn’t an easy path to follow, but I’m glad I did.”
I heard Brenton drink his glass of spirits quickly before he poured himself another glass. How I wanted that for him. Not to let fear keep him from stepping away from Finley and finding an intended who could fill that deep and lonely hole that lived in his chest.
“Do you think the land will continue to respond to you the way it did earlier?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Only one way to find out.” Teddy raised her brows in question.
Before Alastor stood, he touched Leah’s thigh and gave her a light squeeze. Her cheeks reddened with a deep blush, but she didn’t bother hiding her smile.
Together, my mate and her cousin walked around the land that once again belonged to them. And just as it did earlier, the land responded to them. Green spread all around us, with dead trees coming back to life while new shrubs sprang from the fresh soil.
The girls ran across the fields where magic played in their hair. The snowflakes that fell melted before they reached the ground, and the girls seemed to bask in the warmth it offered.
Teddy’s laughter filled the air with such delight that I reveled in it, wanting to draw out every moment.
