I shrugged, having no answer to that question because I truly had no idea. “Whatever it is, I think it will keep the Courts busy enough so as to not give them a chance to cause problems for us.”
Arthur snorted as he pulled the instructions towards him, his hand brushing my knee.We will see.
“I suppose we will.” I smirked, grabbing the piece of fabric meant for the baby’s butt. “Let’s get this over with so we can show Ivy.”
It took us nearly half as long to build the second one, and once it was complete, we set it with the other in the corner where the walls of a playpen sat. The last thing we did was roll out the heavy, thick rug going in the centre of the room, and pulled the breast-feeding chair to the window, ensuring it was already set with pillows, blankets, and the table next to it had a sun lamp for the late-night feedings.
The space wasn’t complete and would likely require changes, but for Ivy, it was done.
I just hoped she liked it.
“She’s going to love it,” Rowan said, as if reading my thoughts. “Right?”
The four of us shared concerned looks. “We have done the necessary tasks so far.” However, I looked around again warily. “Should we have perhaps put up the other paintings for her?”
Elias shook his head. “No, let’s get her input now so we can get everything done by next week. I don’t want to be thinking about this space while she’s in the middle of giving birth.”
I could agree with that. One less thing to worry about.
Then we could rest.
13
Arthur
They gave me the opportunity to call for our mate. Through the bond, I reached for her, for the light of her presence which remained a steady, beating thread in my chest. As one of the easiest ways for me to communicate with her, I always left the bond open.
The nursery is complete, my love, I said. Instinctively, I knew she was in her greenhouse with Xerxes and Maeve, claiming fresh fruit for the children. It was almost a nightly ritual for her now, though who joined her changed night by night. Sometimes we all tried to attend to her in the greenhouse, especially now that she was so pregnant she required more rest, but she enjoyed the simple routine she’d created.
The bond lit up with happiness and excitement.Is it really?she asked.
I smiled to myself as I replied,yes. We would like you to come and see it. Ensure there is nothing else you want done before they arrive.
Her excitement must have been palpable, because the three males around me all reacted, the energy shifting.
I had to believe she would love the space. When we’d first arrived, the walls had been painted, and the space occupied bytrunks left by Orion during his trips to the island. But now, it was transformed into a space we hoped Ivy felt safe leaving the twins in.
Adrian had painted wards into the walls themselves as we’d taken them from the old version Orion had restored, giving them new life with neutral and pastel colours that were meant to soothe the babies. With the extra wards and charms, this was one of the safest rooms in the house, outside of the children’s bedrooms down the hall.
The cribs were set on the wall to our left, positioned close enough to one another that handling both babes would be no issue. The closet there was tightly locked, filled with things like diapers and a setup for bottles, and a place for Ivy to store breastmilk when pumping—if she chose to do that. We’d wanted to ensure she had a space upstairs to do it, even though going downstairs was simple enough a task for us.
The first changing table was against the wall near the window, and on the other side was an armchair for breastfeeding, with another changing table on the far wall next to the closet full of clothes. Right outside the door to the nursery, we’d installed a new laundry chute down to the fully renovated laundry room, which had—to Ivy’s dismay—been some sort of secret chamber.
I felt our mate before I saw her. Coffee tickled my nose, as well as her coconut shampoo, both of which were welcome scents. Having names for them gave me more comfort than I ever realised, and I breathed them in when she appeared.
The floral dress she wore revealed the swell of her stomach, framing her body almost magically. It also highlighted the heaviness of her breasts; how much larger they’d grown these past months in preparation for the birth. Today, Ivy had her hair in two braids that fell over two shoulders and kept her hair out of her face, a frustration she felt more as her due date neared.
Her eyes widened as she looked around the room, shining with each thing she took in, from the green panels rising halfway up the walls, to the soft yellow paint covering the rest of the room. When her feet hit the carpet, she stopped and dug her toes into the rug, making a soft sound in the back of her throat.
“It’s…perfect,” she said, looking at each of us. “I can’t believe it.”
Rowan moved to her side and took her hand. “You sure? Because we can make any changes you want. The door isn’t done yet, but?—”
She cut him off by leaning into his side with a sigh. “No, I like it. It’s so…calming, in here. And the wards are strong. I can sense that.”
“Adrian should be able to explain them to you, but he’s linked them to a rune he’s going to put on all of us,” Elias explained, crossing his arms. “Ifanyonetries to get in here without our knowledge who isn’t linked to the house—so anyone who isn’t part of our family—we’ll know.”
“We’re putting the wards in the children’s rooms, too,” Orion added. “Before you ask.”
