Mera nodded. “Yep, totally agree. The older I get, the less inclined I am to even offer a second damn chance. Not for those trying to destroy the worlds and my fucking family. One strike and you’re dead.”
Shadow looked like he wanted to drag her out of the room again, but before he could follow through on that thought, Mera leaned forward and slapped her hands on the table. “Before we go any further, there are two very important things we have to discuss. After which, we can settle into the next phase of our lives without any more world-ending bullshit.”
A spark of hope lit up around us. I prayed that she was right.
As an Origin god, who I was praying to remained to be seen. Possibly the Sphere of Origin itself since it created all the life before us. Or maybe it was to the combined energy of this pack.
Both were powerful and beyond these worlds.
Everyone waited patiently for Mera to continue. “First, we need to decide on Sam and Len’s couple name?”
I blinked at her. “Couple name?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Yep, every couple in the pack gets one. Shadowshine, DesertAngel, CrimsonBee, and now we need one for you two.”
As the couple names flowed from her lips, the others around the table exchanged smiles that spoke of the deep love they all shared.
Mera regarded us carefully, tapping a finger on her chin. “Slen is not going to work. Neither will Lamantha. That style of name has not worked for any of us. What are your nicknames for each other? I’ve heard you both use something.”
“Winter,” I said, meeting his clear, stormy eyes. “When Len feels strong emotions, his eyes turn into a winter storm, silver and grey, filled with power. It’s my new favorite color.”
Mera’s face softened. “Aw, that’s fucking adorable. I definitely know the storm you’re talking about when he gets pissed off.”
“And other things,” I replied casually.
As laughter rang out around the table, Len’s chest rumbled, and he hauled me up from my seat into his lap. “When you have a stunning and powerful mate, what do you expect?”
Gods, he was going to be the death of me. Just settling against the hard lines of his body, cock jutted against my ass as I wiggled, I almost forgot what we were even talking about.
Mera was a thankful distraction, so I didn’t embarrass us both. “What do you call Sam?” she asked Len.
His lips twitched, and those purplish grey eyes caught on mine. “Storm. Like those rare natural phenomena in Faerie that change everything. They breathe in new life and energy, remaking our world, just as she has remade mine.”
Mera let out anotherawwwas her face softened. “There’s really only one option and I’m digging the duality of it.”
She paused, and I found myself strangely excited by the prospect of getting a true couple name.
“WinterStorm. Since both of you have a reason to embrace the storms in your life, and the beauty of your bond.”
WinterStorm.
Emotions swelled hard in my chest, as the two sides of who we were to each other collided.
Shadow’s chest rumbled but he didn’t comment. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but if I trusted my gut, I thought he was happy. This coming together of friends and family was cementing the strength of this pack.
“It’s perfect,” Len said as he moved his hand, thumb slowly caressing the bare skin between my jeans and shirt. “Our power and our personalities combined.”
“Perfect,” I agreed.
Our food arrived a moment later, and I reluctantly removed myself from Len’s lap. For a second there, I almost thought he was going to refuse, but after a growled“Later,”I was sitting on my own chair once more.
All three babies appeared at the table then, ready to eat, just like their food loving parents. As I dished some Faerie fruit onto Tabitha’s tray, I remembered that Mera had said there was a second important thing to discuss.
When I asked her about it, she just smirked. “The second thing I have to show you, so let’s enjoy our food, and we’ll get to that later.”
Okay, then, cryptic goddess.
“Where’s Galleli?” Len asked as he sipped on a glass of Faerie ale. It smelled like whiskey, but with a richer oaky taste and more of a kick.
