"This is Aspen," Khush said, patting the little snake's back with a finger, "and the other one is Reign. I think you can guess who named whom."
Since Khush had long since given up his last name and everything it signified, the babies would be called Reign and Aspen Harvell. They were good names.
As more and more people wanted a peek at baby Aspen, Khush relented and hung around for a while, which I imagined was what Dustin had wanted. He may have acted annoyed when he sent Khush away, but I was pretty sure he'd just wanted his mate to take a break.
Khush had been focused on Dustin non-stop since he got pregnant, taking care of his every need and ignoring his own. He'd lived in a cramped apartment for Dustin's sake, stayed up watching over him who knew how many nights. And I imaginedthey both had many sleepless nights in their future, though we'd try to help out as often as possible.
They both needed to take any time off they could get.
Pulling my phone out, I texted Touya to make sure Khush and Dustin weren't added to the chore rotation for at least the next two years. They needed to focus on their kids, and I didn't think anyone in the Sanctuary would mind picking up the slack.
"What are you up to?" Keoni asked as he sidled up beside me with a plate stacked full of bite-sized finger foods.
I showed him the text I'd sent, and he smiled, then fed me some of the food.
By the time we returned to my bedroom, it was past midnight and I was exhausted. Who knew celebrating and being happy could tire you out too?
Like last night, we curled up together in bed again, and I removed my arm and pulled the sheets up like yesterday too. I'd woken up before Keoni this morning and put my arm back on before he woke, and I planned to do the same this time.
Maybe some day, I'd feel comfortable letting him see the scarred remains of my left arm, but I wasn't there yet.
Keoni tugged me into his chest, and I sighed happily, soaking in the warmth of his skin. I smiled when he kissed my temple, and turned my head to share a sleepy kiss with him before I drifted off. I hoped I'd get to do this every night from now on.
Sixteen
Keoni
It'd been a weeksince babies Aspen and Reign arrived, and we'd finally managed to carve some time out for ourselves. Things had calmed down in the Sanctuary once more, and it hadn't taken as much convincing as I'd thought it would to get Zephyr to go out.
While having to use the wheelchair was a little annoying, I was still glad to be outside. As much as I loved the Sanctuary, it could get repetitive sometimes.
I'd debated about using the newly reactivated dial to go somewhere other than the town we were primarily anchored in, but I didn't want to go somewhere completely unfamiliar.
We stumbled upon a yard sale as we were walking aimlessly, and I discovered Zephyr was a big fan of them. I got to watch him flutter about from one old-looking object to another like a bee among flowers, and it was adorable. He ended up buying a bunch of things and then using a portal spell to quickly dump them in his room so we wouldn't have to carry them around.
After a quick lunch at the café, we decided to go to the park we'd visited the last time we were out. It felt like it'd been ages since then, but it was less than two weeks ago.
Zephyr sat on the same bench as before, though this time when I held his hand, he was all mine.
We chatted for a while before something made me look up, and I tilted my head as I gazed at the strange creature.
"I know I haven't spent a lot of time in the human world, but are raccoons supposed to act like that?" I asked, and Zephyr glanced at me, then followed my gaze to the raccoon who had been watching us for a few minutes now, its arms crossed over its chest in a very human gesture. Could they be a shifter?
Zephyr stared at them for a long moment, his brows furrowed. "Those markings..." he murmured, and I glanced back at the raccoon to see what he was talking about.
The raccoon had a streak of white between their brows. The tip of their tail was also white, and so were their paws. I had seen a few raccoons before, and I didn't think this coloring was common.
Before I could ask Zephyr what was so fascinating about it, he let go of my hand and got up, taking a few steps toward the raccoon, who stayed where they stood, unflinching.
I glanced around to make sure, but we were alone in the park, which was good, because I had a feeling things were going to take a turn for the strange.
When Zephyr and the raccoon were only a foot apart, Zephyr tilted his head, then sucked in a breath and fell to his knees. I couldn't go to him since he was on the grass and I was in a stupid wheelchair. What the hell was going on?
My confusion grew as Zephyr pulled the raccoon into a hug, and then the raccoonhugged him back. What the hell?
Zephyr was mumbling something, his voice low and rough, and it took me a moment to catch the word he was repeating again and again. "ReiReiReiRei."
Oh! I didn't think this was possible.
