And just like that, August is not sleepy anymore. Tightening his arms around Nevaeh, he faces Harvey head-on. As much as I want to take him away because I don’t like the direction this istaking, the way Harvey lost his cool just now means separating August from my sweetheart is not an option anymore.
That boy is fearless when it comes to my mate. Harvey doesn’t want to piss off my little werewolf by being loud with his mama.
The tension floating in the room makes him anxious, and I can’t have August feeling unsafe around us. Channeling my Divine, I link my boy to assure him and his eyes find me instantly.
“It’s okay, monkey. Nevaeh is okay. I’m right here. Nothing will happen to you or her. Relax, kiddo.”
August blinks at me before laying his head back and getting comfortable, leaving me to handle this. Everyone thinks August doesn’t talk, andtechnically, that is true, but once he got comfortable with me, I created a link between us so he could reach out without speaking.
He’s still shy and primarily communicates with single words, but it’s still progress. I’m waiting for the day he finally speaks his first words to Nevaeh. She will probably faint when he does, though.
“Promise Papa?”
Like every other time August has called me that, I struggle to keep my emotions in check. He recently started referring to Nevaeh and me as ‘Mama and Papa’.
The first time he said it, I thought it was an innocent mistake. The second time, I thought maybe he was confused and probably missing his parents.
I went to ask Khatri for advice since he’s the only one I trust to talk about something so personal. Plus he has kids, so he’s supposed to know how they work.
It took me some time to accept that August wasn’t just missing his parents, butreplacingthem with us. He was feeling the same love and safety he did with them, and for a small kid,the two people who care for you like we’ve been doing simply means we areMamaandPapa.
I didn’t know whether to cry because he thought it was normal to have a new set of parents just like that or to cry in relief that he knows that we’re permanent, that we’re not going anywhere.
“Promise, kiddo.”
Now that I know August is essentially going to zone out until he wants to involve himself in the conversation again, I tune back into whatever the two best friends are trying to keep under wraps.
“You’re not making any sense, Nevaeh. Did that happen again? Because I swear on Fates if anyone dared touch—” Nevaeh stops him from rambling and giving out more details, but one glance at her pale face, and I start to piece it all together.Again?
My blood freezes under my skin when I consider the possibility that someonetouchedmy mate. Touched herwithouther consent, touched her when she was weak and vulnerable.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get with myself for not being there for her—for not seeing it sooner.
“No! nothing like that.Anxo… nothing like that happened. I promise it wasonce, and Harvey was there—” She can barely get the words out, watching me shake my head as my mind tortures me with the worst-case scenarios. “Angel, nothing happened, I swear.” Her voice is tight, and the way she looks at me, I can see how badly she wants me to let this go.
Seeing her desperation, I take deep breaths to calm myself and sit down before beckoning her. As soon as her eyes fall on my open arms, she rushes over, settling sideways on my lap with monkey snuggled in hers.
Burying my face in her neck, I wrap my arms around both of them to keep them steady. This is the only way I can contain myrage and convince myself that she is safe and protected. Kissing her neck, I rub August’s back soothingly, and he closes his eyes with his cheek against my mate’s chest.
With her fingers running through my hair, Nevaeh lays her cheek on my head. “Okay, no more disturbing thoughts about something that never happened.”
Rubbing his face tiredly, Harvey waits for his best friend to explain before he even thinks about taking a seat. I get this feeling that if he hears what he fears most, I will have to chase after him as he runs out to hunt down Visha himself. I’m not saying I won’t help, only that I don’t do things halfway and never without a solid plan.
My nose is still buried in my sweetheart’s neck, and I don’t care about the dried blood or dirt anymore. I just want to hold my mate and plan the perfect witch hunt of all time.
Sighing, my mate leans sideways into my chest, and I tighten my arms around my little family. “Another vision,” Nevaeh tells Harvey how she met August and how they got out before vaguely adding about his family.
August is now wide awake, so we use big words and codes to tell the complete story. We aren’t ready to have that talk with August yet. I’m sure it would be years before we sit him down and talk about his biological parents and his pack, but for now, there’s no way we’re putting the weight of that knowledge on his tiny shoulders.
“That b—” Grace blocks the curse with her palm over Harvey’s mouth, nodding toward August.
The kid sees my mate and half his family swear in every sentence. I don’t think stopping Harvey is going to accomplish anything.
Shifting the topic to better things, Nevaeh introduces Harvey to the kid he couldn’t look in the eye before. “Monkey, that’s my best friend, Harvey. He’s a Horseman too, just like me.”
I feel him nod his head on her shoulder, dropping the protective glare Hazel taught him to master, and shyly waves. The big guy practically melts from the gesture. Good to know the big bad Horseman with tattoos and a leather jacket isn’t immune to my toddler’s charm.
My boy shyly offers his little hand, looking to Grace for approval, who’s already tearing up that August remembered when she taught him about polite gestures. Harvey could probably fit three more hands the size of August’s in his palm. He takes the hand rather gently, as if afraid to break it accidentally.
