I picked Lakota up, making sure to support his head, and placed him against my heart. His skin was so soft, and he sighed as if the warmth of my body soothed him. The pieces of my life were locking together in that moment—a love story that had begun on the day I met Logan and had finally found its ending.
I pressed my lips against his dark, silky hair. “Why would she have sold him on the black market? Why not give him to an orphanage?”
“I didn’t ask, Silver. The mother doesn’t know his fate, and I didn’t want to risk offending the woman or she might have walked away from the deal. I just hope the money we paid her does some good in this world.”
Logan leaned forward and drew in a deep breath, owning Lakota’s scent. It was something Chitahs did when they wanted to imprint someone to memory for life. He’d done the same with his younger sister and also with me.
I turned Lakota in my arms so that we could both see his pudgy little face. His skin was darker than mine, his hair a rich brown. “He must be Native American with a name like that. Maybe that’s why the mother gave him that name, so there would be no question about his heritage. What a handsome little man.”
As if hearing us, the baby opened his eyes. Blue eyes.
I looked down and noticed his newborn diaper. “How old is he?”
“Days.”
“We don’t have diapers. We don’t have food,” I said, kicking myself for not having planned for the unexpected.
Logan brushed my hair back, his voice soothing. “I’ll cut up a few shirts and make diapers. The bottle might last until morning, and we’ll head back early. You have nothing to worry about, Little Raven. I’ll protect my son.”
I splayed Lakota’s tiny fingers, looking closely at his fingernails and memorizing every little detail as if he might disappear.
“He should know that he’s adopted,” Logan insisted. “I don’t want to begin our relationship with a lie.”
“I agree. We won’t keep secrets from him. But what if the mother finds us? What if she wants him back?” Suddenly my heart clenched, and I was overcome with a protectiveness I’d never known.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now, he’s ours.”
We quietly watched Lakota for a long time, mesmerized by this precious little life that had fallen into our world like an angel. I suddenly imagined our future. His first words, his first giggle, a little boy learning how to brush his own teeth, trips to the park, teaching him how to tie his shoes, his first girlfriend, and eventually watching him grow into a man. What kind of influence would we have on his life? Would he be a strong leader, a compassionate soul, an attentive husband?
When he began to wriggle and cry, Logan sat beside me and nestled the baby against his chest. Lakota instantly calmed when Logan turned on his motor and began purring.
I got up and wrung my hands. I didn’t know the first thing about newborns. I’d been around everyone else’s babies, but I couldn’t remember how much or how often they ate. What was different about raising a Shifter baby? What if we were snowbound in the morning and trapped here for another few days? I couldn’t magically produce milk from my Mage nipples.
“Female, take a seat,” Logan barked. “You’re burning my nose with all that doubt.”
“I can’t help it! It’s twenty degrees out there and our car is too far up the road to walk with him. He’ll freeze!”
Logan chuckled. “I cleared the path, remember? I’ll clear it again. The SUV is not as far out as you remember. We have warm coats.”
“But she didn’t leave us that baby sling thing! What if I drop him?”
Logan threw back his head and rocked with laughter.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I do love it when you’re riled up.”
I cocked my head toward the door, my heart racing.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, alarm in his voice.
“I don’t know. I thought I heard something outside. Are there bears out here?” When I looked out the window, something large was moving in our direction.
An animal.
Chapter 19
The End
