Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
Evander thought Corbin was feeling a teensy bit put upon.
He was grumpy about the attempted bird abduction of Elliot, which seemed to have genuinely been a giant bird who used rocks to grind its food in its gullet… And he was feeling big and ungainly. And he was very down that Evander couldn’t go to the dragonlands.
So Evander had an idea.
They had already had a very formal party with Corbin’s mother and father. They’d had a feast with his father and brothers, save Alyster.
But now he thought it was time to go to the conservatory and have a baby shower with the dragons.
He wanted Corbin to smile. He wanted to see his mate laugh and be happy.
This was supposed to be a good time in their lives, but Corbin was just so grumpy.
Evander understood. There was a lot going on, and it seemed like every time they turned around, something else was happening that wasn’t positive.
But there had to be a lot of happiness here.
He didn’t think Corbin had even explored decorating a nursery yet.
Evander had the cradles finished, so they needed to do that.
He had told Cosmo and Cullen, and they had gotten a whole bunch of stuff.
Nothing that was a theme-specific, but things they could turn into theme-specific stuff.
A changing table. A bed for when the babies were old enough.
A couple of beautiful antiques that he could refinish.
Maybe that would gently encourage Corbin to focus more on the coming babies than on how sad he seemed to be. In a lovely open-window shower with the conservatory and the dragonlands, which were still warm and wonderful, that would put a smile on Corbin’s face.
Evander really wanted more than anything, just to put a smile on his mate’s face.
“Hey! Psst!”
Evander looked around from where he was gathering things together in the kitchen to find Orion looking like a secret agent pressed up against the doorframe, making with the shifty eyes. “Yes?”
“Are you ready for me to go get him yet?”
He chuckled. Orion was terrible at keeping a secret.
Honestly, weren’t unicorns supposed to be these wildly private creatures?
“Almost. All I have to do is take the rest of this food down and check to make sure your mate and his brother are ready. Hawk is dealing with all of the decorations and lights and things out on the dragonland side.”
“Oh, well here, I’ll help you.” Orion came over to grab the tray from him. “You get those drinks, and I’ll carry this.”
“Thank you, my friend. I appreciate it.” Ev took the two jugs of tea and milk because Corbin had been craving milk lately and carried them with him. They headed for the conservatory, Orion humming a jaunty little tune that sounded perhaps Irish.
Irish and fae had a great deal in common, actually.
“Why do you think he’s so upset? Is it that I can’t go to the dragonlands, Orion?” Evander asked. “The trips keep saying that it’s not fair, and I hate that he’s so unhappy about it.”
Orion gave him an appraising, sideways look. “I think it’s because right now, that’s the place which feels the safest. He wants to be able to go there with the babies in case something happens, but if he can’t take you, then it defeats the purpose.”
That actually made a great deal of sense, and he nodded, grateful for the thought. “I think perhaps I can see that. Not that I wouldn’t love to go to Lunastra and see all the wondrous things, because I would, and I know it’s half of him, but it seemed as if he were far too emotional about it.”
“Oh lord, don’t tell him that. That he was too emotional. Never ever tell your pregnant mate they’re too wound up.”
“Of course not. I would never do that. The last time I did, he threw something at me and hit me in the head with it. It stuck in my antlers.” Which had been as hilarious as it was sad. It hadn’t made Corbin smile, though.
“Yeah, well. I can totally— hello, what the hell is this?”
A small humanoid form had popped up in between them and the conservatory. The shape of it, wide-shouldered and yet also somehow blocky and a little bit dumpy. “Hello,” it intoned. “May I help you carry anything?”
Orion stared, then looked at Evander, then stared back at the creature. “Uh. Sure, what’s your name?”
“My name is Lare.” The creature smiled, revealing sharp dragon-y looking teeth. “I am what you would call a house ancestor.”
“I have read about you.” Evander had been reading a great deal about mythology from the human world in the books he had found in the library. “Your name is derived from ancient Rome, yes?”
Lare smiled and nodded. “I am. Or it was. What was the question?”
Evander chuckled and fought not to roll his eyes. Only he and Corbin would get a house-spirit who was scatterbrained. “Would you like to carry the drinks for me?” He handed over the gallon of milk and the gallon of tea.
“Yes, thank you.” Lare took the drinks. “Am I hauling these to the party?”
“Yes, please.” He smiled, but it was a futile gesture because the little guy popped out of existence, completely disappearing with a poof.
Orion snorted. “Well, I sure hope he’s taking them to the party here and not somewhere in Rome.”
“You and me both.” Tucking his hands behind his back, he strolled on, allowing Orion to continue to carry the heavy tray.
“You’re an asshole.” Orion was laughing, though, following along behind him, and when they got to the conservatory, sure enough, Lare was standing there, the drinks having been put on the table.
“What else may I do for you, my Lord of the Hunt?”
He blinked. “Perhaps you could fetch the last tray of sweets for me? I would appreciate it.”
Nodding, the little guy trundled off, and he had to admit it was kind of pleasant. Aspen came to lean on his leg, giving him a curious look from her bright, wolfy eyes.
“Get used to him, baby girl. He’s gonna be around, I think.”
Orion nodded, putting the heavy tray down on a table. “Yeah, once you get an infestation of house spirits, they don’t go anywhere.”
“Good to know. Now you can go get Corbin.”
“Cool, I’ll be right back.” Orion headed off, humming that same jaunty tune, and he had to admit he loved this family so much.
Everyone had their own personality. No one was suspicious of each other or torn up by court rules.
In fact, he thought his brothers were learning a great deal from his new brothers-in-law and from their mates.
They were relaxing around him and not seeing him as competition anymore.
Evander straightened the tray Orion had laid down and looked around at the preparations, wandering over to where Cosmo and Cullen were laying out a bunch of gayly wrapped presents. “Do you need me to do anything, guys?”
Cullen whirled and hugged his neck, surprising him. “You’ve already done something amazing,” he said. “Look at this place and those cradles. They’re gorgeous.”
“I had a great deal of help from Hawk on that,” he admitted. “He’s very good at woodwork, and apparently Gavin told him some tricks of the trade as well.”
“Well, I think it’s amazing.” Little sparkles that looked like tiny fireworks flew from Cullen’s ears, exploding around their heads.
“You did a great job,” Cosmo told him. “Now could you tell him I’m not mad at him?”
Corbin had been avoiding Cosmo just a little bit since the incident with Elliot and the bird.
“I will, but I think that maybe you’re going to have to do the same. He feels terrible.”
Cosmo rolled his eyes. “None of us could have done anything. It was a bird. And trust me, Isabelle did a great job. Did you see her burning the feathers off that thing?”
“Well, no, but I did hear about it.” He winked even as Cosmo turned even brighter pink.
“Oops, sorry.”
Evander chuckled. “Yes, everyone has their limitations. Hawk cannot come to the Land of Summer. You felt unwelcome sometimes in the place you were born because you had dragon blood. Your father must stay in the Land of Summer for an eternity to be with your mother. I cannot go to the land of the dragons.”
Cosmo nodded. “And then there’s Orion.”
Cullen’s eyes flashed a bright purple, and he shook his head.
“Okay, so there’s Orion who can go anywhere, totally, and who’s super magical, but, you know what?
He doesn’t heal quickly. He can get hurt by anything.
It takes a lot to harm any of us—Orion doesn’t need any kind of special weapon to get hurt, or die, and his blood cures fucking vampirism.
Do you have any idea how I worry about him?
About people taking him and using him? Your people, human people, vampire people.
” Cullen shook his head. “You’re right, Evander.
Everybody has their limitations. Orion can go where he wishes.
You have giant antlers and are like a stud. ”
Cosmo arched one pink eyebrow. “Actually, sort of officially, isn’t Orion the stud?”
Evander started to laugh, suddenly absolutely tickled, and he laughed so hard that the house shook with it, his entire body hurting with the release of his amusement.
“What’s funny? I want to laugh too.” Corbin gasped as he walked into the room. “Oh, look at all of this!”
“Hello, love. We were just laughing at how studly Orion is.” Evander moved to kiss his mate. “They tell me this is a shower.”
So many words that meant the same thing. The fae language was much simpler.
“Okay, oh, this is lovely. Thank you. Thank you all so much.” Corbin came to him and hugged him tight, tears in his eyes, that rounded belly pushing into his hip.
“I just want you to be happy, lethean. It’s all I want.”
Lady Calla came in, peering quietly, Lare at her side with a tray of goodies in one hand, Blaze in the other.
Corbin blinked. “Uh—”
“Your spirit of the home led me to the party.” She nodded to everyone, even offering him a smile. “Thank you for the invitation.”
“Mother, this is a surprise.” House spirit?
He literally showed up a few minutes ago. Lare. From Rome. He’s very—
Squishable.