Page 45 of Witch's Rebirth
His icy eyes lit up and filled with warmth when he saw me. "Hey, my love." He closed his book and set it down along with his glasses on the side table.
"Where's your partner in crime?" I waddled over to the couch and took a slow, careful seat. He immediately sat up and pulled my feet into his lap.
"Nona and Jacob came by and got her." He ran his thumbs along the arches of my feet and it felt incredible. "I think they're playing hide-and-seek in the woods or something."
"Mmm." He could have told me those two kidnapped my daughter and shipped her off to Timbuktu and I would have reacted the same way. His foot massages were downright heavenly. Good thing I trusted Nona and everyone in my extended shifter family with my own life as well as my children's.
"Jacob needs to meet a girl his own age, I think," Ash chuckled, casting me a sideways glance.
"Oh, stop." I smacked his arm playfully. "Don't be that dad. He's like a big brother to Deidre. He does have the biggest crush on Nona but he'll get over it."
"He does?" Ash paused on his massaging and looked at me in surprise. "How do you figure that?"
"It's obvious to anyone noticing." I scratched his beard. "Thanks for the foot rub angel, but I gotta pee like a racehorse."
"Want a cup of twig and leaf water?" His lip twitched as he helped me up from the couch.
"Yes, please but go heavy on the chamomile and not too much-"
"Not too much caffeine, I know." He kissed me, his eyes mischievous. "This isn't my first rodeo, love."
After emptying my bladder for the tenth time that day, I decided to take a short walk outside for some fresh air. Seth sat cross-legged facing the setting sun on the patio. A circle of sigils were burned into the wood surrounding him. This was where he tuned in to his shadow magic every day.
His aura flickered and hummed with a calm, even-keeled energy. He was somewhere else at that moment, guarding us like the ever-loyal sentry. Ever since we brought our feelings out in the open, he searched through the shadows of every witch and demon he ever touched, looking to see if there were more threats or allies. For the past five years, everything had been blissfully quiet but he never stopped checking.
I stepped off the front porch carefully so as not to disturb him. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I called on Air to listen to the faintest vibrations through the grass and the trees.
There she was.
My daughter trying to hold in her giggles reached my ears as clearly as if she was right next to me. A young fox sniffed the air about ten feet away from her, pretending like he had no idea where she was. The grey wolf nearby ambled toward the tree Deidre was hiding behind, pretending she didn't have a scent either. I couldn't hold in my grin as I walked toward them.
My daughter had the carefree, supportive childhood that I never had. Her best friends had fur and four legs each. Her fathers and I couldn't wait for the day when her magic would shine as brightly as her personality. And when it did, we would guide, cultivate, and encourage her talents to the best of our abilities.
As I approached the cluster of trees where they played, a raven flew out from the thicket and directly toward me. Raum shifted in midair, landing lightly on his feet.
"Hey baby," he greeted, sending a tingle along my spine just with that voice of his.
"Hey handsome." I accepted his hot, possessive kiss which never failed to leave me breathless. "Were you watching them?"
"Of course," he smirked. "She still isn't sure the bird is me, but I'm gonna have to get creative on spying on her when she's a teenager."
"Sooner than that, probably," I chuckled.
His eyes dropped to my belly as he protectively smoothed a hand over it. Even that touch was so sexy and primal coming from him.
He rested his forehead on mine and lifted his eyes to me. "Do you want to know?"
I thought for a moment. "Anything bad?"
His smirk spread to a full-on wolfish grin. "No, not at all. Quite the opposite, actually."
I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, smoothing out his silky black hair. "Then I'd prefer not to spoil the surprise."
"You sure?" His eyes brightened with hidden knowledge, secrets no one else knew. "Not even if it's a boy or girl?"
"Nah." I slid my hands down his firm body and laced my fingers with his. "Let's find the only girl that matters for now and bring her in for dinner. Sal and Brax are making mole."
"Damn." Raum licked his lips as we walked toward the tree line. "That boy is not allowed to move out."
