"Yeah?"
"Do you love Cristox?"
The question hit me like a punch to the chest. I opened my mouth, then closed it, my mind scrambling for the right words, the honest words.
"I..." I swallowed hard and responded the only way I could. "Yeah, Teddy. I do."
His face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds, a smile breaking across his features that was pure joy. "I love him too."
My throat tightened with emotion, and I reached out to brush his hair back from his forehead. "I know you do, sweetheart."
Teddy was quiet for a moment, his fingers fidgeting with the bear's ear. Then, in a small, almost hesitant voice, he asked, "Do you think... do you think Cristox would want to stay here and be my dad?"
Oh, God.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, hot and insistent, and I had to blink them back to keep them from falling. I cupped his cheek, my thumb brushing over his soft skin, marveling at how small he still was.
"No doubt about it," I whispered, my voice coming out thick around the lump in my throat.
Teddy's smile widened until it seemed to take over his whole face, and he threw his arms around my neck, hugging me tight enough to squeeze the air from my lungs. I held him close, breathing in the familiar scent of his shampoo, feeling the steady beat of his heart against mine, memorizing this moment.
When he finally pulled back, his eyes were drooping with exhaustion, fighting to stay open. "Okay," he murmured sleepily. "I'll go to sleep. But tell Cristox I waited for him, okay?"
"I will," I promised.
I tucked him in again, smoothing the blankets and kissing his forehead, and watched as his eyes fluttered closed. Within minutes, his breathing evened out into the deep, steady rhythm of sleep, his face relaxing into peaceful innocence.
I stood there for a long moment, just watching him, my heart aching with a fierce, protective love that threatened to overwhelm me.
We needed to tell him the truth. About Cristox being his father. About everything.
But first, I needed to know whether Cristox was planning to stay or leave us behind.
An hour later, I sat curled up on the sofa, trying to distract myself with one of the romance novels Mei kept stashed in her basement—historical romances with heaving bosoms and improbable plots. The heroine was just about to confess her feelings to the brooding Scottish warrior when I heard the front door open, the sound making my heart leap.
I looked up, my pulse quickening.
Cristox stepped inside, looking exhausted but somehow more settled than I'd seen him in days, like something missing had finally clicked into place. The peacekeeper's badge gleamed on his jacket, catching the lamplight.
"Hey," I said softly, setting the book aside. "The badge looks good on you."
He glanced down at it and laughed, a low, rumbling sound that made warmth spread through my chest. "Does it? It feels strange."
"You wear it well." I tried to keep my voice light, casual, even as my heart hammered against my ribs.
He crossed the room with that impossible grace and sank down onto the sofa beside me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body and smell him—something warm and spicy and uniquely Cristox. His tail curled loosely near myleg, the tip twitching slightly, and I had to resist the urge to reach out and touch it.
"The Alliance is sending someone," he said after a moment, his voice tired. "Should be here within the week. They'll take over the investigation, handle the peacekeeper duties until they catch whoever's behind all this."
My stomach dropped like a stone.
"Oh," I managed, the word coming out small. I cleared my throat. "That's... that's good. Fast."
"Yeah." He rubbed a hand over his face, his claws catching slightly in the stubble along his jaw. "They're taking it seriously. Priority response."
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to say the words even though they felt like glass in my throat, cutting me as they came out. "So you can leave then. When they arrive."
His head snapped toward me, golden eyes sharp and suddenly alert. "What?"
