“Male company? Isn’t she too young for that?” Since Sammy was giving voice to Quirion’s own worries, he didn’t reprimand him for interrupting.
“I think so, too, but as Milo has pointed out, she was here before I built the library, and we don’t know when her species comes of age. Anyway, the moat is now full of toad eggs, the male is gone again, and Milo and I kissed as a direct reaction to the adrenaline our bodies produced when we saw what Mildred was up to.”
“You kissed because of adrenaline?” Dre asked.
Sammy elbowed him. “Speed, Dre. It’sSpeedall over again.” He smiled happily.
Dre mumbled something along the lines of, “Speed, my ass, as if anything about Quirion is even remotely adrenaline-inducing, ha!” It was muted enough for Quirion to ignore him. He wouldn’t forget though, he never did.
“Yes, we kissed. Then we talked and made an appointment for sexual intercourse the same evening with the understanding that there would be a bite, to get all the uncertainty out of the way.”
“Geez, brother, you’re such a romantic.” Barion rolled his eyes.
“He is!” Milo had somehow managed to escape Sammy’s clutches and snuggled under Quirion’s arm. “We formulated a hypothesis and conducted the mate experiment after carefully setting the parameters. It was perfect.”
“At least there’s no doubt whatsoever that you’re perfect for each other,” Dre murmured.
“Let them be, my beloved mate. Everybody should be happy in their own way. Congratulations, Milo and Quirion. I’m so glad our family is growing steadily.” Sammy beamed at them all.
“Yes, congratulations, son. I admit, I never saw this happening for you, and nobody is happier than me to be proven wrong.” Alerion’s eyes were a bit misty. His two mates stroked his back, smiling at Quirion and Milo.
“Congratulations from us as well.” Declan winked. “Seems like we have six sons now.”
“Yeah. Luckily, they’re all grown. I’m not ready for children. Don’t know if I’ll ever be.” Troy shook his head. “Anyway, when are you going to do the big mating party?”
Quirion froze. He’d forgotten about that. Why did people see the need to celebrate a mating? Was it to shove their happiness under the noses of less-lucky individuals? Who would he and Milo invite anyway, despite his family and the book club? Was there a protocol to follow? If yes, Quirion hadn’t heard about it.
“Uhm, not in the next ten days. I still have to study for that test,” Milo announced, buying them time, clever mate that he was. Quirion kissed him on the head.
“That test for SBW? Why would you do that? You have Quirion’s money now.” Declan seemed genuinely confused.
“This is about the principle of the thing.” Milo had a fierce expression and his tone suggested how obvious it should have been to everybody. “They wanted to mess with me and my demon. We want to see them squirming.”
“And, therefore, you subject yourself to the stress of relentless studying?” Barion, never the most avid reader or student the world had ever seen, made a face as if somebody had told him he should dance naked for an out-of-control bachelorette party in Vegas.
“It’s not that bad, and I have Quirion helping me. I’m going to ace this.”
“If you say so, more power to you, little brother.” Barion grinned. “Hey, another little brother for me! I’m climbing the ranks!”
“Uh, love of my life, adding more at the bottom doesn’t mean you’re actually climbing anything.” Jon gave his mate a kiss on the cheek. Barion pouted.
“So, no party for the next ten days.” Sammy looked at them with that gleam in his eyes Quirion had learned to fear above all else. “Now the question is, do you want to wait till you get the results of this test before you celebrate?”
“The test is online, and I’ll get the results immediately.” Milo shrugged, probably knowing there was no way to stop Sammy now that he was gaining momentum. Physics could be such a bitch.
“Perfect. Then we plan the party for the day after. Don’t you worry, I’ll have it all sorted out. All you two have to do is show up.”
“Not here at the library, Sammy.” Quirion knew he would give his consent if that really was Sammy’s plan, but he could at least try to maintain the illusion of control.
“Never, Quirion. The danger to the books is far too great.” And that was the reason Quirion loved Sammy—well, tolerated him, despite his shortcomings. He had his priorities straight. “I have a few great ideas and you don’t have to worry about anything. Dre, we need to go, there’s so much to do, and I assume Milo has to resume his studies.”
Milo and Quirion nodded, which caused their visitors to give one last round of hugs and pats before they all returned to their respective homes.
“Well, that was less painful than I feared.” Quirion looked around his now blissfully quiet library. Milo went on his toes to kiss his chin.
“It was perfect. Let’s get back toMicroorganisms and Mutations during the Middle Ages. I’m still not sure I completely understood that bit about how the ambient magic fields facilitated the spreading of the bubonic plague in 1347. I thought Sicily didn’t have strong enough fields to do anything with it?”
“No, it hasn’t, at least not usually. The three volcanoes tend to swallow it all up, but at that time all three of them—Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano—were going through a time of rest, which allowed a flaring up of magic. It was the humans’ bad luck that just then the bubonic plague arrived at the port.”
