“Mmm. Good thing I have gardening to keep me in fighting trim.”
“Everything about you is good, my love.”
His cheeks heated, and he grinned, happy to be right there with his mate.
He really had worked a lot of his worry out in the garden…
Chapter
Twelve
Evander met with his father and his two brothers a few weeks after the incident in the Land of Summer, having dragged a patio table and chairs into Corbin’s garden, which was now in both the human realm and fae. The flowers looked different, though many were the same, but the colors came across wildly varied in the different lands.
He bowed to his father when he arrived, brothers in tow, and waved him to a seat. “Cosmo made snacks. Corbin is under the weather today and won’t be joining us.”
“Is he well?” Father asked, and he shrugged.
“He’s pregnant. Morning sickness is… a challenge.”
“Yes, I remember that well. All of you boys were difficult that way.” His father fluffed his robes before sitting, which was when the rest of them did as well.
“Have you heard from Alyster?”
“Not yet. I assume he’s staying a bit hidden to find out what he needs to.”
“Ah.” He certainly hoped that was the case, but he worried. Alyster was imminently practical, though, so he would be well.
Surely he would.
“Has anyone heard anything else?”
“There’s absolute hysteria going on about what your mate and his brothers did to the envoy.” Gregor shook his head, his lips tight.
Evander raised an eyebrow, a rush of anger hitting him. “Did you point out that it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been vampiric?”
Kristofer rolled his eyes, his little brother so very dramatic. “Now the rumor is flying around that the reason that it happened is because they’re infected—the triplets.”
Father growled deep in his chest. “It’s all nonsense. Prejudice because they’re part dragon. So they can’t possibly…”
Evander rolled his eyes back. He was not going to listen to this bullshit. “Can’t possibly what? Defend us from the vampires? That’s what they’ve been doing their entire lives!”
Kristofer shook his head and sighed. “You know how hidebound we can be.” He looked at Gregor, arching an eyebrow. “Right, brother?”
Gregor blew out a hard breath. “I admit that I worried that our standing in the courts would be lessened by your mating.”
He understood that, even if he didn’t agree. Status was very important to Gregor.
“Of course, I explained to old and grumpy that having new magic just raises us.” Kristofer winked at him from across the little low table. “I personally am looking forward to teaching your new child all about the hunt and how to torture his father.”
“You are, are you?”
Kristofer gave him another naughty little glance. “I mean, it is going to be a boy child, yes? A Lord of the Hunt?”
Evander had to stop for a second, because he just assumed that it would be a boy.
What if it wasn’t a boy?
His clan court tended to throw males because, well, it was their place, but it didn’t seem to be an issue with dragons.
