Over the months I’d lived with the Nightshade Bears I came to appreciate that there were so many healers in the family. Not only was Ivan managing most of Lero’s pregnancy stuff but he was also the one who found the right combo of teas and herbs so that I slept soundly at night without dreaming of being buried alive but also could still wake up if Lero needed something. I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before he needed help every time he got up from bed and I didn’t want my medications to get in the way of that.
Because it was Ivan, we were able to stretch out on a blanket in the backyard and enjoy the fresh air while he performed the ultrasound. Our baby was huge compared to the first time we saw them. When his little foot popped up on the screen I was pretty sure that was the biggest baby foot I’d ever seen. Thenagain, I hadn’t seen many babies in utero. Though, that big foot also meant I wasn’t all too surprised to find out our baby was a boy.
“Urso,” I teased Lero, harkening back to his little sister’s name.
“Stop it or I’ll get attached to the name and you’ll be stuck with it,” he teased back, happy tears glistening in his beautiful eyes.
“I think Ursla is a nice name,” Ivan said. “Not every name has to reinvent the wheel and everything that goes out of style comes back eventually.”
“I didn’t mean anything by---” I started and Ivan shook his head.
“I’m not offended. Don’t let Bolt hear you tease about it because then I’ll have to be offended on his behalf,” Ivan shrugged. “Besides, she growls already. It’s the perfect name for her. She’s a shebear and I think she already knows she’s going to be the biggest one in the forest. Plus, a little advice for free – for both of you. It’s okay to tease about it when it’s just a name. Now it’s her name.”
“Sorry,” Lero said even though he wasn’t the one who made the joke.
“No harm, no foul, kiddo. Everyone talks about everyone. That’s how the world turns. Also, I think Urso is a fine name,” he said and grinned at me and that was the moment I knew I’d accidentally named our child and now had zero room to speak about the creativity of anyone’s name.
With little Urso only three months away from entering the world it was time I got down to business to with the nursery. The first step was to take all our ideas from my notes and draw up a blueprint. A lot of practitioners of architectural magic skipped that step these days but I was old fashioned. The mage who taught me and Broug did it that way and I still liked to see it all laid out in front of me.
I spent a whole afternoon drawing it out. I took over the coffee table while Lero alternated napping and reading on the sofa. I got him snacks each time he woke up and it kept me from losing myself too much to the magic. Afterall, it was the first time I worked on anything seriously since Broug died. It was odd working on it without my partner in crime. Still, magic was meant to better the lives of those around us and I couldn’t think of a better way to honor Broug and those who practiced the magic before us than to keep it alive. Perhaps, I’d teach someone else eventually. Maybe Urso when he was older if he showed an interest.
After the blueprints were drawn up, I needed some supplies. Sure, some things really did come out of nothing in my branch of magic but if you hadn’t conjured a material before you needed some of it there in the room to teach your magic how to make it. The supplies were easy enough to get once I let Xenos in on what I was planning. He’d never heard of such magic before, but he was more than happy to prepare and learn what he could about it.
We were in the middle of setting the stuff up to be used on the night of the full moon when from the living room tore a sob that made my heart stop. We both dropped the wooden beam we carried and sprinted into the living room to where we’d left Lero asleep on the sofa. My bear roared undiscernible wordsinto my thoughts. Despite having decades on me, Xenos reached his grandson before I did. Lero stared at his phone and sobbed. I picked up partial thoughts. It was something to do with whats-his-name. The guy that he was upset about the night we met.
“They named the baby after me!” Lero sobbed and I wasn’t sure if it was a happy sob or if I needed to go beat the name out of the guy’s head and tell him to choose another one.
“They’re still sort of friends. They grew up together,” Xenos filled me in on the details as he sat down on the sofa next to Lero and pulled him close. The phone hit the sofa cushion, and I caught it before it bounced onto the floor. I sat on the other side of him unsure of what to do since Xenos was doing what I’d normally do.
“He named the baby Leros,” he said, through his tears.
“Honey,” Xenos said, pulling him closer. “He loved you and when he said he’d make it work, he thought he could. True-mates change things.”
“I don’t want to be poly. I just… I was all alone there. All our friends took his side.”
“Well, fuck them,” I snapped.
“Well, that’s one way to put it,” Xenos nodded, shooting me a questioning look.
“Don’t mind him. He’s picked up my cravings, my back pain, and apparently my anger too. Should’ve seen us last night eating pickles and tartar sauce. Like the whole bottle is gone,” Lero managed a little chuckle and wiped his eyes.
“Ah, we’ll get more sauce,” Xenos said. “And it’s not a bad thing to have a sympathetic mate.”
I opened my mouth and shut it again. I’d seen firsthand the dark side of true-mates and I’d never be that alpha. If it came down to it, I’d go back into the coffin if that was the only way to save Lero.
“Now, that’s not necessary,” Xenos said. “We’re all safe here. Enjoy these moments. Before you know it, you’ll be the ones who are great grandparents.”
“And what will that make you?” Lero laughed through his tears.
“An elder. I think at that age, I will accept the title of village elder,” Xenos laughed. “The day that you become great grandparents we’ll have a feast for that. By then maybe…”
Maybe Andy will be ready to lead.
That was the part of his thought that Xenos didn’t dare speak aloud. I met Lero’s eyes and he grinned at me. All that anger that had bubbled up when I heard about him being lonely dissipated. How could I stay angry when my mate smiled at me?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Lero
