He releases my hand only to squeeze my shoulder. “I heard Adam ripped your osseointegrated implant out. If you have all the pieces, I can probably reintegrate it. My magic aligns with the transmutation and restoration disciplines. I can probably restore your leg to its previous condition if you’d like.”
The other man in the room, a huge, beefy guy with black hair, joins us as Amos is talking, resting his hand on both our shoulders as well, and giving me a little static electric shock. “I can help too. My magic can feed Amos’s in the case of complex spell work, and this sounds like it’s going to be an intricate weave.”
Amos nods, leaning over to peck the man’s cheek. “Thank you, darling.” He smiles at me. “This is Dakota, Fox’s thunderbird parent.”
Dakota’s gaze travels from my head to my feet along a laconic path. Before he can say anything, I remember who these men are. “The Patervulpises,” I recall, grinning. “I’ve been promised an orgy with you after my hookup with Darcy,” I tease. I have no intention of doing that, and I’m pretty sure I’m not in a hookup anymore. Hmm, that might be something Darcy and I need to talk about. New parameters and all.
Darcy’s arm wraps around my waist. “I think we can admit we’ve gone beyond a hookup,” he mutters, “and you’re not fucking them while I’m living in your ass, and since you’re moving in with me, I fully intend to keep you filled for the foreseeable future.”
I kiss the top of his head as a wide smile spreads across my face and the Patervulpises stare at Darcy like they’ve never seen guyliner before. “Raincheck, then. I do want you to try to fix my leg, though. I think we have all the pieces.”
Amos and Dakota both blink out of their stares and return their attention to me. “Of course,” they agree in unison.
“Cool. Thank you. I really hope it works. When do you think we can do it?”
Amos takes a deep breath, looking around and nodding to himself. “After we eat.”
My heart flutters with the same excitement I had when I went in for the surgery that gave me my leg. “Let’s eat, then.”
25
They let me be unconscious for the reintegration spell. Darcy suggested it, and I thought it would be a good idea. I didn’t want to be awake for any problems, and everyone agreed that would be for the best.
As I open my eyes, I feel normal. As in, my leg feels exactly like it did before the demon ripped it out. Around the massage table I’m on (this is where we decided to do the spell work), Dakota and Amos look down at me with expectant expressions, but Fox, Romily, Bellamy, and Darcy are all there too.
Darcy is petting my hair again, so I smile at him reassuringly and reach up to take his hand. “I feel normal.”
His wry smile encourages me to sit up. “I ain’t quite sure what that’s supposed to mean. Y’ain’t no one’s definition of normal.”
I chuckle, ignoring the fleeting desire to kiss him, because it’s just a means of putting off the inevitable. With his solicitous help, I sit up, pulling my leg up so I can examine the implant.
It looks exactly like it did before. I can’t help the bubble of laughter that bursts out of me as I hold out my arms to Amos for a hug. “Thank you!”
He hugs me with the firm hold of a man who’s definitely raised at least one kid. “You’re welcome, sweetie. It was a pleasure to do.”
Dakota pulls him back when he releases me, then picks him up in a bridal carry. “Bed,” he says, giving me a gentle smile. “I’m glad it worked, but my husband needs to sleep now.”
I nod, understanding that Amos put in a lot of work and probably drained some of his energy store for me. “Thank you.”
The husbands leave, and Darcy hands me my leg. “See how it works,” he suggests, and he’s right. It would be frustrating if the restoration project worked on this end, but the leg was broken. It looks fine, but sometimes you don’t know that something is broken until you get it on. “When I was thirteen, I had a prosthetic that went through a car crash with me. Everyone thought it was fine, but when I put it on after the accident, it locked up and wouldn’t bend like it’s supposed to.”
“How did you lose your leg?” Romily asks as I snap the leg on.
“I don’t remember. I was a baby, about seven months old. The only thing my parents ever say is that I was in an accident with a door and a jump swing.”
The expression on everyone’s faces morphs into horror, which is how people look at me when I tell them it involved one of those baby jumping swings.
“I don’t remember it,” I remind them, standing on the leg and walking a few feet. Thankfully everything seems to be in working order. The battery pack is even charged, so that’s helpful. “I learned to walk with a prosthetic. I was three, and I remember having to go to physical therapy for it and having a crush on the PT there. He was the nicest man, and I threw a fit when they told me I wouldn’t have to go see him anymore.” I laugh. “Baby Elijah knew what he wanted. I still keep in touch with the guy. We went on a couple of dates, and he’s become a good friend I can always count on for anything.”
Darcy reaches up and grabs me by the shirt collar, pulling me down and kissing the hell out of me. Our tongues tangle, and my dick begins to think we’re about to get some. The kiss steals my breath, and when I pull back for a lungful, Darcy holds me there, looking in my eyes. “You know you’re mine now, right?”
A dopey smile creeps up my lips and I laugh again, happy. “Is that what you want? I thought you might just want a fuck buddy situationship.” Exclusive fuck buddies are a thing; I’ve had one before.
Darcy presses his lips to mine again. “You are not a situationship, Elijah. You and I are as inevitable as the sunrise.”
“What?”
Romily’s laughter disrupts our moment. “And Fox said humans don’t have fated mates.”
