Page 26 of A Deeper Blue
“You have a family?” asked Rafe, quickly before Azure could even formulate a response to Milo’s statement. Azure felt like his hand on her knee had become stiffer and less comfortable.
“Oh, yes, my wives and husband are a well-spring of pride and happiness to me! Three weeks ago, we planted our first seedlings.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Azure, her hands flying to her mouth and tears springing to her eyes. “Oh, Milo! I’m so happy for you! Seedlings!” Every birth of a Supernatural was wonderful news, but one of the Fae species always meant a lot to her. There were so few of them left on this plane.
“Babies?” asked Rafe. His face softened, and Azure saw the sweetness he often hid.
“Babies!” crowed Milo. “Three saplings for my family!”
“Congratulations,” said Rafe. “That’s really exciting news.”
Azure shoved the chunk of gingerbread she was holding into her mouth and fumbled for her phone.
Milo planted three seedlings!!
She hit the group text thread to her family and sat back with a sniff. Moments later texts returned in rapid-fire.
“Grandma says to let her know if you need anything. Scarlet and Ochre say congratulations.”
“Ah, that is nice. We will invite your clan to the sapling ceremony.”
“I’ll swing by when I’m done with this trip and check the protection spells,” promised Azure. “I want your family to be safe.”
“Thank you,” said Milo, with a happy nod. “We know we can count on you. You are our protector from trolls and all things of the dark!”
“About these trolls,” said Rafe.
“Yes,” exclaimed Milo. “Now, I will sing you the Ballad of Lila and the Trolls of Wallhaven.”
“Lila?” repeated Rafe, glancing at Azure in confusion, and she groaned. She was going to have to explain so many things after this.
Episode 14
Full Moon
Rafe
The sun was setting as Milo dropped them off outside of Grangeville. A few sleepy cattle eyed them from the other side of a fence that was only keeping cows in through strength of habit. They unloaded his bike from the horse trailer, and Rafe double-checked the Hydro Flask was still in place. Everything seemed fine.
“Well,” said Milo, pulling first Azure in for a hug and then Rafe. “I have been so happy to have been with you for this time.”
“Thanks for the ride,” said Rafe, smiling. Milo was hard not to like. Rafe hadn’t been quite sure what to expect from a wood nymph, but somehow he hadn’t been expecting an enthusiastic National Forest Ranger with three wives and one husband.
“We will see you both soon!” Milo said as he climbed back into the cab.
Rafe waved, slightly surprised that he had been included in the invitation to visit the family but not hating the idea.
“The polyamory was a surprise,” he said to Azure as the truck pulled away.
“Well, trees excel when they have interwoven root balls. In some ways, forests are all one organism, and they’re always pollinating each other. And nymphs are manifestations of tree spirits, so…” Azure looked up at him and shrugged.
“I’m with you. It makes sense when you say it,” agreed Rafe. “It was just that I hadn’t spent any time thinking about it. I have to say that the ballad was the best part of the entire trip. I feel so inadequate that I don’t have my own ballad. Although, tell me again why you were using the name, Lila?”
Azure groaned, and Rafe couldn’t help chuckling.
“I was fresh off my break-up with the vampire, and I was on a cross-country journey to find myself. Lila is my middle name. I was trying a thing. Clearly, it didn’t stick.”
Rafe rocked back in a laugh.
