With one remark, they sat on the same hill with fairy lights surrounding them. Stone looked at the sky. Lysander was right. The stars were nicer here. He took a cleansing breath, letting his past go. The air smelled amazing. He would have a good life here. His gaze moved back to Lysander. How could he not? He had the perfect mate.
Frost sat in silence, rocking Celina while she worked furiously at consuming her bottle. He practically felt Gemini pacing the floor of their new home. It was a mirror image of the cabin before any changes had been made to accommodate patients. They wanted Celina to feel as safe and stable as possible. Plus, they were happy with what they had always had. They didn’t want the grand structure Lucifer had tried to create for them. Everything had changed so quickly. Frost just needed a little time alone with his miracle.
His last patient had been seen for the day. When Celina finished her bottle, they would go home. He had set the demons free from their duties for the night. Frost was alone without protection, but he was also more dangerous than the two beasts put together. He didn’t need guards right now. Frost had a heavy heart. He couldn’t stop picturing Stone’s face. Frost had a growing feeling that he was the bad guy. First, Celeste. Now, Stone. He definitely had a way of pushing people away lately. His only excuse was life had been pretty damn overwhelming since moving to Wulfe. Frost genuinely wanted to breathe a little and just savor being a husband and father. Unfortunately, he had a bad feeling that would never happen if he didn’t handle all the things he had shoved to the back burner. Frost wasn’t a coward. He wouldn’t keep acting like one.
“I’d really love to see you, Celeste.”
The words had barely died on his lips before she appeared: beautiful and powerful as ever. She looked serene, as if she expected anything. Then, her gaze locked on Celina. She froze to the point of unreadable. Frost supposed that meant his wards had kept her from seeing him—the way he had hoped.
Frost kept rocking. “There’s someone you should meet.”
Celeste visibly swallowed. “Is it okay—” She motioned between them.
Frost glanced down.
Celina’s bottle was empty.
Frost set it aside and stood. “She probably needs to be burped.”
Celeste looked as if he handed her a precious jewel as Celina settled in her arms. As he looked on, silent tears spilled over her lashes as she stared down at Frost’s miracle baby. “It’s been millennia since I’ve seen my brother speak anything into life that wasn’t born of rage and hatred. She’s flawless.”
Pride and love swelled in Frost’s chest. Not only for his daughter, but for the dad and aunt he never expected to have. “We let Lucifer name her. He chose Celina.”
A watery chuckle burst from Celeste. “Of course he did. He knows how much I hated when he called me that. It’s not a shortened version of anything, but he enjoyed teasing me, pointing out that name is technically one letter shorter than Celeste. I loved it when he smiled at anything at all, so I let him have his fun.”
Celeste touched Celina’s wrist, and a golden bracelet appeared. “This will grow with you, little one, so you never forget me.”
Frost fought the urge to cry. He had never considered how much Celeste had lost when forced to banish her twin. Frost didn’t know if she had anyone else. Maybe her life in heaven had been every bit as lonely as Lucifer’s life in Hell.
“The doctor in me wants to point out how dangerous jewelry is on a newborn, but it’s you. I’m sure you have way more power than I have education.”
Celeste smiled as she moved Celina onto her shoulder to burp her. “You have nothing to worry about. This little girl is an immortal. Like you, she carries the blood of the gods.” Celeste focused on him. “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t need all the love anyone is willing to give her. Even the most powerful beings shrivel without love.”
Despite not directly referencing a thing, Frost knew Celeste looked into his heart and saw the weight he carried. Stone had always been good to him. This horrendous thing had happened to him, and everyone—including Frost—failed him now. Frost recalled exactly how Stone looked at Celina. For reasons Frost couldn’t see, Stone loved Frost’s daughter. He had taken pride in protecting her. That was all he felt from Stone when he was there. Frost had taken a sledgehammer to all of that.
Celeste moved on as if she had meant nothing by her statement. “Thank you for letting me meet her, even if it’s only this one time.”
Frost blinked, returning completely to the moment. “I don’t intend this to be a onetime thing. She’s your niece. I want her to have all the family she can handle. All the family I never had.” He didn’t blame Lucifer or Celeste for not being a part of his life growing up. They hadn’t known he existed. But Frost had known a family had been out there somewhere, uncaring of his existence.
More tears spilled down Celeste’s face. Her pain was a silent, stoic suffering Frost felt from only standing near her.
Frost couldn’t stand it. “I’m sorry I disappeared. It seems I was cursed.”
That brought Celeste back to life. “What do you mean? Tell me everything.”
The outrage in her tone made Frost smile despite the situation. “It seems Bodhi is back and is—somehow—controlling a dark fae. The fae possessed Stone, using him to get close enough to me to curse me so I doubted my every decision. His spell made me feel overwhelmed by this town and my abilities as a physician. The moment Lucifer took away the enchantment, it was like breathing free air. Every decision I’d made in months was tainted with a doubt I’d never felt in my years as a doctor. I wasn’t me.”
Celeste nodded along. He could practically see the wheels in her mind turning. “It’s likely a dark fae created by the power of his magic. Fae aren’t born of the power of nature. They come from the byproducts of Druid magic. Dark produces dark. Light produces light. I can’t see Druids. They’re unnatural creatures. But there are other beings who can find the dark one. I’ll ensure that’s handled.” She eyed Frost. “It looks as if you’re properly warded now. No one can curse or possess you again. However, I fully intend to keep a closer watch. Nothing and no one will touch my family again.”
Frost winced internally. He cleared his throat. “We won’t steal too much of your time, then. Gemini and I decided, for Celina’s safety, to relocate our home to Hell.”
Celeste didn’t explode the way he’d expected. She continued to nod along. “Good. Your father is extremely powerful. He can keep you safe. I can’t see you there, but I trust my twin. He might no longer want a relationship with me, but that’s on me. His hatred could never extend to you or yours. He’s too prideful to shun anything he’s created.”
Frost’s smile grew bigger the longer Celeste spoke. She didn’t want to claim Lucifer could love him, but just like Frost, she knew he did.
Celina let out a loud belch that sounded like a drunken sailor, making them laugh. Their gazes met. They wore matching grins. One way or another, this family would be a functional one. All it took was one tiny little girl to bridge a gap as old as time. Celina might very well heal them all.
Heaviness sat on Lysander’s chest. He felt like he was the only person who recognized how deeply amazing Stone was. His laughing eyes and flirtatious ways were a brightness the human world needed. But they had lost him, and their loss was Lysander’s gain. He wished he felt more triumphant. Stone deserved better from the people he cared the most about. Lysander wished he could soothe that hurt. Some things had no balm. That didn’t mean Lysander didn’t plan to make Stone too happy to think about his friends’ betrayal. He fully intended to do that.
