Page 27 of A Single Thread Of Hope

“Clio?” I asked Nate, but he looked like he wanted to start tearing the room down with his bare hands rather than have a sensible conversation about guardians.

He lifted his chin. “She would help them navigate the politics, but she isn’t a nurturer. I’m also not sure she’s powerful enough to fight anyone who would come for the babes to consolidate their own power. Not without the backing of Morrigan, and possibly the Valkyries.”

I mean, Morrigan had saved my life. “Would she…” I couldn’t believe I was asking if Nate’s ex-wife would look after our children if we died.

“Yes. She would. But again, I don’t know if she would be enough.” He looked around the room, like she was about to pop out of the walls and defend her reputation with a knife fight.

Erus leaned back against the wall he was propping up. “There’s one logical person. Powerful enough to keep anyone who thinks to take the power for themselves at bay. Already invested in the outcome.”

“Cy?” I asked, and Demke snorted.

“He wishes.” The dog-man in question just smirked a doggy grin at me. If a dog could flip the bird, I was pretty sure he would.

Erus chuckled. “No. Not Cy. He is more bound to you than most of us. If you die, there’s no way he isn’t following you.”

I frowned, and looked at Cy. Really looked at him with my other sight. The one that I’d been avoiding, to save myself from the pain, now that I’d kind of learned to control it. The connection between us was darker, more tarnished. Dulled from weathering or time.

I tilted my head at him, and he just echoed the movement. “What does that mean?” I asked him, but he didn’t turn into a man. He just gave me a long look that wasn’t even remotely canine. It was knowing, and next time he was walking around on two legs, we were going to have a long fucking talk.

Saving him from my inquisition, Erus spoke up again. “No, the logical answer is Hades, along with Persephone. No one is fucking with them or their… friends.”

There was a hesitation there that I wanted to investigate too, but Teron stood up. “Everyone needs to leave so I can give her an exam.”

Tryp pouted. “You’re playing doctor without me?” He ducked out of the way as Erus swung a palm at the back of his head.

One of the babies was sitting right on my bladder, so if Teron didn’t move this shit along, we’d be acting out a whole different kink that was a lot messier.

Demke shooed everyone out, though Nate lingered. “Go and check on everyone. We don’t want Teron to get performance anxiety as he’s fishing around in my coochie. I’ll be out in a minute,” I said softly, and he left with one more tortured look. “I really fucked up his life, you know.” I wasn’t talking to either Milo or Teron specifically, but Milo’s hands tightened around my ribs.

“No, you haven’t.”

I nodded. “Yes, I did. He had a good life before me. Friends. A job working with horses and kids. I came in and dragged him halfway across the world, putting his life in danger more times than I can count. And on top of that, there’s all this.” I vaguely waved at the two of them.

Teron knelt between my knees to examine me. I had to shift my mindset between Teron the doctor and Teron the man, who’d had his dick in his hand, jerking off to my moans a few days ago.So weird.

“No, Wren. He was merely existing before you. He was living each day in an indeterminable existence of loneliness. I can only speak for myself when I say I would take all the fear, all the danger, to spend just a day with you,” Teron said vehemently.

That would’ve been so sweet, if he didn’t have his head so close to my vagina in a non-fun way. I chewed my lip and resisted the urge to cry. “Same. Love you.”

He looked up at me, and there was a world of feelings and desire in his eyes, right along with the flash of gold that told me Griff was close to the surface. “You’ve brightened my world.” He frowned. “Have you been having any cramps? Back pain?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m carrying triplets. My whole body is in pain.”

He hummed. “I don’t want you to freak out, Wren, but I think your body is preparing for labor.”

Lifting my head up, I stared down at him. “Like preparing for, when?”

Shrugging, he pulled my skirt back down. “Days? Weeks?” He cleared his throat. “Hours? Probably not that soon, but we need to prepare for the inevitability that you’ll give birth in the very near future. Your blood pressure is also quite high, so I’m putting you on bed rest.”

The pounding in my ears was my heartbeat. Milo was making a soothing noise in his chest, but it didn’t help. Not at that moment.

Teron threw his gloves in the trash and came over, gripping my chin. “We’ll get through this, Wren. You will live a long life, watch your babies grow, guide them and love them. I swear this to you.” His yellow eyes were molten. “Do you trust me?”

I let out a shuddering, panicked breath. “Yes.”

“Trust me that I’ll get us all through this.” He stroked a fond hand over the large globe of my stomach. “I won’t fail you.”

I believed him. I had to, because the alternative was too much to bear.

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