Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
AMbrOSE
“ H ow?!”
Sebastian’s cackle made me smile as I stood outside our larger tent.
While Godr had left to retrieve me, the clan had expanded his tent so that Sebastian could stay with us.
He had a little section all to himself that he could close off to have his very own room.
He loved it. There hadn’t been any part of joining the clan that he disliked.
But I think the best part for both of us was that we could see each other whenever we liked.
I didn’t come home late and run off again a few hours later, forcing him to care for himself.
And when I was busy with a patient, he had Godr and the rest of the clan to watch out for him.
He was a happy kid. And currently kicking Godr’s butt in a game Godr called stone circle.
I was godsawful at it, but Sebastian picked it up like he’d been playing all his life.
Ducking into the tent, I found them seated at the low table, setting up another round. Godr mock-scowled at Sebastian, shaking a finger at him.
“You’re cheating somehow. I haven’t figured it out, but I will.”
Sebastian just grinned wickedly, putting his hands behind his head in a cocky pose that made me laugh.
“He doesn’t cheat. You’re just awful at that game,” I said as I kicked off my boots to come join them.
Godr gasped, staring at me with wide-eyed betrayal. “My own bondmate? How could you!”
Snickering, I smacked a kiss on his lips and jerked my chin at the game. “Go on. I want to see this so-called cheating.”
“I’m not cheating,” Sebastian said, then smirked. “I totally could, though. He’s really easily distracted.”
“True,” I nodded, snagging the bowl covered with a towel that had been set aside for me.
I couldn’t always eat with the clan if someone needed me, but Godr and Sebastian always made sure I was fed.
I leaned against my bondmate as I ate, watching with a smile as Sebastian taunted Godr throughout the game.
He was totally cheating, but I wasn’t going to say anything.
Sebastian was the king of distractions, and Godr was very easily distracted.
Especially now that I was home. He wrapped himself around me, only half focused on the game as Sebastian sneakily switched some stones around.
They had little symbols painted on them, one set for each player.
Each person tried to get their pieces across the board first, but I could never figure out how it worked.
While they played and teased, I let myself soak in the image of the three of us together.
I’d thought after Alora died that I would spend the rest of my life alone, raising our son and running my practice, dealing with awful patients who never listened until stress or old age took me.
Instead, I had a clan who cared about me, a team of healers to support me, and I got to raise my son with a loving man who was determined every day to make me smile.
When I wasn’t busy, we went riding together and snuck private moments when Sebastian was off with his friends learning the ways of the clan.
He might never be as big as the other boys born to barbarians, but he was fast and scrappy.
Within days of meeting him, the other boys had accepted him like he’d been living there all his life.
It was so much better than in town where he mostly avoided the other kids, who teased him for having a physician father who everyone hated. Here, he could truly be a kid.
A whinny made Godr’s head come up, and he kissed my temple, ruffling Sebastian’s hair as he went to put on his boots. “I’ll be back. Make sure he doesn’t cheat,” he said to me, laughing when Sebastian stuck his tongue out in response.
It didn’t surprise me that he wasn’t quick to come back.
One of the mares was close to giving birth.
He’d warned me he would need to help her when the time came.
I took Sebastian to the river to wash up, and got him ready for bed.
It was cold now, so there were small fires in the center of each tent to keep warm.
I added a log and kissed my son good night, crawling into bed with a sigh of relief.
The only thing better would be when Godr came to join me.
He excelled at being my little spoon, and I slept better holding him.
“Ambrose, kolrav. Wake up. You must see this.”
I grumbled in protest. I didn’t want to get out of my warm bed yet. But Godr was insistent, and when I didn’t wake up fast enough, he started kissing me. If there was one thing that could get me to wake up, it was his lips on mine.
In my sleepy state, I momentarily forgot we shared a tent until Godr grinned against my lips.
“Soon. Come with me, rokhandar. I have a gift for you.”
Resigned, but still smiling, I let him tug me out of bed.
I pulled on my boots while he checked on Sebastian, covering his little body with a thick fur to keep him warm.
All those sappy, gooey feelings that Sebastian complained about whenever I saw him and Godr being sweet came out, and I had to fight the urge to drag Godr off somewhere to show him my appreciation.
The cold winter wind whipped around me as we stepped outside. I shivered and curled in on myself, suddenly not feeling so sappy toward my bondmate who’d dragged me out here.
“Godr…”
“Trust me,” he chuckled, taking my hand and dragging me toward the field where the horses normally slept.
Now that it was cold, they slept around a big fire near where the horsemasters took turns sleeping.
The newest horse hand, a young man who’d only come of age a few weeks ago, was asleep in a tent with the mare who had given birth.
I thought Godr would bring me there to meet the new arrival, but he dragged me past it and all the way to the far end of the fenced-in field.
We were out of sight of the clan and away from the fires.
In the summer, it might be a fun spot to get frisky, but right now, my balls wanted to climb into my body, it was so cold.
Wrapping himself around me, Godr rested his chin on my shoulder. “Look up.”
I did, gasping as I took in the ocean of stars above us. Even in the middle of the night, torches were burning and lights spilled from inns and houses in the town I grew up in, so I’d never seen stars quite like this before. The night sky sparkled with them, and it seemed to go on endlessly.
“The stars are beautiful in the summer heat, but now, in the middle of winter, is when they shine the brightest. I have been out here many times alone, wondering about their meaning and my place among them. I never imagined sharing them with anyone. Not until I met you.”
I turned a little in his arms so I could look at him without giving up the view. That same sparkle shone in his eyes as he smiled at me. “I want to give you the stars, kolrav. I want to give you everything that will make you happy.”
“You make me happy,” I told him, leaning to press my forehead against his. “You didn’t just show me how to love again. You showed me how to be free. I’ve never been more happy than being here with you.”
GODR
It was in his eyes that he meant what he said.
My Ambrose was happy. It was all I’d wanted since the moment he arrived and was put in my care.
And since I’d gotten him back, and he accepted my claim, it was all I could think about.
Rath called me a lovesick fool, like he was any better.
I didn’t care. As long as my family was happy, I was happy.
“You two are gross,” a familiar voice spoke behind us.
I snorted, looking over my shoulder. Sebastian was bundled up in a fur, scowling at us both.
I’d intended this moment just for Ambrose, to bask in his love for a little while, but I couldn’t even pretend to be unhappy that Sebastian had come to join us.
When he was close enough, I picked him up, squishing him between us until he laughed, and his scowl went away.
Ambrose looked just as pleased to see him, wrapping his arms around us both with a smile.
Jerking my chin skyward, I asked Sebastian, “Do you see the warrior?”
He frowned, looking up. I pointed a gloved finger in the direction of the group of stars my own father had shown me when I was Sebastian’s age.
“He protects his clan with a spear made from stars.” My finger moved to another cluster.
“The huntress is said to watch over all those who follow her footsteps, guiding their arrows to never miss. She is Rath’s favorite. ”
Sebastian snickered. Rath had taken to being an uncle with great pride and had demanded more than once to teach Sebastian to hunt. To my great pleasure, Sebastian preferred the stallions in the field to hunting. Rath had vowed to change his mind eventually.
“What about the horsemaster?” Ambrose asked, leaning his head against my shoulder.
I pointed to the cluster directly above us, seeing its shape like an old friend.
“The horsemaster is always with me, watching over the herd and keeping them safe. When my father first told me about him, I couldn’t look away.
I snuck out of my bed that same night, looking up at the sky to see him again. ”
“Why?” Sebastian asked, eyes still glued to the stars.
“To make a wish. The horsemaster is not only the protector of the herd. He protects all who have a stallion’s spirit in their heart. I asked him to become the greatest horsemaster in the entire world.” I chuckled to myself, shaking my head. “Silly, I know.”
Ambrose’s arm around me tightened, and he pressed a kiss to my shoulder affectionately. “Not silly. It’s sweet.”
I hummed, leaning to kiss his temple. My father had told me I could only make one wish to the horsemaster in my life. If I could go back, I would wish for this. My bondmate and our son cuddled together under the stars. I could imagine nothing better.
“Can I make a wish?” Sebastian asked.
Nodding, I jerked my chin toward him. “Go ahead. Make sure it’s good. You can only make one wish.”
His face settled into the serious frown that reminded me so much of Ambrose.
He lifted his chin, screwing his eyes shut as he made his wish.
When Ambrose’s eyes closed, I knew he was doing the same.
I smiled at them both. I might not have gotten my wish, though I was confident I was one of the best. I could accept that because in exchange, I’d received something I never knew I needed.
“Okay!” Sebastian said as he finished. “Can we go back now? I’m cold.”
“Then you should have stayed in your bed,” Ambrose said with a smirk.
Instead of putting Sebastian down, I shifted him onto my back to keep him warm as we trudged through the snow back to our tent.
“If I’d stayed in bed, I couldn’t have made a wish!”
I nodded solemnly in agreement. “True. He had important business to attend to.”
Ambrose poked my side, fighting hard against a grin. “Don’t encourage him, brat. He’s going to be a troublemaker thanks to you.”
Leaning to rest my forehead against the light of my life, I replied, “He gets his smarts from you. He has to get something from me too.”
Ambrose barked out a laugh, and Sebastian cackled, pleased. I just smiled, leading my family back to our tent to warm up and get some sleep. Tomorrow would be another day filled with fun and joy and laughter. I couldn’t wait.