“Fuck,” I mumbled. “I almost dropped Shadow’s child. And my own.”
“Aurora!” Mera’s shout rang out through the library as she raced into view. “Holy shit, I’m so sorry.” Shadow was behind her, and even though he was walking at just a normal pace, he caught up to his frantic mate. “She keeps zapping herself to our pack members when they show up, and literally no one is ever ready for her.”
I could finally laugh now, relaxing as the unease in my chest faded. “I’ll be ready for her next time. She apparently just wanted to give Tabby a hug.”
Mera clapped her hands, her face clearing of any frustration. “Holy shifter pups. They’re so freaking adorable. I honestly would have ten more, but Aurora still doesn’t sleep through the night. And she’s a boob monster. The combination means I must tap into goddess powers just to function every day.”
She didn’t look tired. She looked luminous.
“We don’t need more babies,” Shadow said with a shrug. “Aurora is our perfect child.”
Mera rolled her eyes in my direction, before turning to the beast. “Babe, all of our children would be perfect, even if they had four fingers and one eye. I know it’s hard to imagine loving another as much as we love A, but it would happen naturally. I promise.”
He shrugged again, and it was clear he was allagree to disagreeon this topic.
Aurora remained where she was, arms wrapped around Tabitha, the pair very content in my hold as I cuddled them close. Shadow’s eye was twitching, but it appeared that since his daughter was now choosing who to zap to, he could no longer tear the arms off anyone who touched her.
“So, what’s the plans for today?” I asked, conversationally.
Shadow turned to Len first. “The traitor royals of Faerie have been taken care of on your end?”
Len nodded. “Yep. Both royal houses have new leaders, and the council was informed that you disposed of the one who attempted to escape.”
Shadow nodded once, and that was the end of that conversation. A little murder chat and we were ready to move on. Mera rolled her eyes once more before smirking at me. “Males. Simple creatures.”
She let out a shriek when Shadow scooped her up in his arms. “We’ll be right back,” he called, already turning and sprinting away. “Keep an eye on Aurora.”
Apparently, he did run if the situation warranted it.
Len and I exchanged a laugh, before we continued deeper into the library. My arms and heart felt stupidly full, a sensation that only increased when Simone and Lucien popped out of a crimson-colored door as we passed by.
“Sam!” she cried, cheeks pink, and huge smile on her face as she raced forward to hug me and the two girls. “I thought I felt your powerful, gorgeous presence here.”
I couldn’t hug her back, but I smacked a kiss on her cheek as she pulled away. “Here and ready for family dinner. I’m starving.”
No rebirth or godlike powers would change the fact that food, and family gatherings to eat food, were my happy places.
“Shadow and Mera will be back in a few minutes,” Len said drily. “The beast got a little handsy.”
Lucien chuckled, stepping closer to Simone, pulling her against him. “Understandable.”
The pretty pink flush in her cheeks made sense now, and since I’d spent the last twelve hours being thoroughly loved by my mate, I totally got it. True mate bonds were intense.
“Oh, we have to show you the new play area,” Simone said suddenly, pulling from Lucien’s hold to wave us all down a small hall until she reached another door, this one white and discreet. “Mera has been renovating and adding rooms to the library like you wouldn’t believe. I haven’t even seen Shadow grimace about it. What his Sunshine wants, his Sunshine gets.”
I loved that for her as much as I loved Simone’s glow of contentment and happiness. There was very little in this world that I enjoyed more than seeing my friends and family succeed and grow into the best versions of themselves. It heightened my own happiness to new levels.
Another version of magic, but this one built on love.
When we reached the door, Simone popped it open and we entered a gigantic space. It had soft padded floors, a dark purple in color. The walls appeared to be padded as well, in a cheery yellow. Near the back corner was a small playground, with swings, slides, a fort, and other play equipment. There was also a reading nook, surrounded by shelves and books, a sandpit—I had no idea how it remained so immaculately clean, but it had to be magic—along with baskets and bins of toys.
“Even though your children are all powerful mini-gods, this is baby proof,” Simone said with a huge grin. “And will age with them as they grow and develop. Shadow’s energy surrounds it so no one can enter unless they’re authorized.”
We’d had no trouble entering, so he’d already input our energy into the security.
Lucien was smiling too. “It’s a safe space for the kids to run wild with each other, and we can all relax here and eat our meals.” He pointed to the top right corner where a huge timber table sat with dozens of chairs around it, designed for large family gatherings.
“Not that we’re totally giving up the table in the dining hall,” Simone added. “It’s the backup.”
