Chapter 15 Cornelius
Cornelius
“Have you seen Matthew?” I asked Balthazar as I peeked into the security room that was down the hallway from my office.
“Umm, no. But can’t you do that mind-talk thing?”
“Really? Mind talk?” I asked, stepping fully into the doorway.
“Okay, so can’t you telepathically talk to him?”
“Yes, I can. But he was supposed to be in the kitchen, and Grantham said he’d headed this way. But he’s not in my office. Your door was open, so I thought I’d check before asking him.”
“Sorry, I haven’t seen him since I last hung out with the both of you in your suite.”
Hmm, that had been over a week ago. Matthew was due in a month, and he’d definitely started to slow down and do less. He was a lot bigger than I expected him to be, but Constantine assured both of us that he was only having one baby—just a very large one, it seemed.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll ask him where he is, then. Talk to you later,” I said and turned to leave.
“Hey, wait,” Balthazar called out, and I quickly ducked back around the doorway. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, it’s just that I haven’t seen him as much as I normally do on the security cameras. He usually spends some time in the kitchen, but he’s been absent the last week or so.”
“Yeah, he’s due in a month and has been spending more time in our suite.
Patrick said Matthew is definitely nesting.
He’s reorganized the nursery at least three times, and he’s started taking inventory of all of our supplies, worried we’ll run out of wipes in the middle of the night.
I think he forgets he’s mated to me and I can just conjure whatever we need. ”
“Is he doing okay? Will his magic not return?”
I shrugged. “He said it should. But it might not be instant.”
“Well, if you need anything, let me know.”
“Thanks, Bal. We will,” I said and left. I didn’t hear him call for me again, so I continued down the hallway, looking for my One.
“Sweetheart? Where are you? You weren’t in the kitchen with Grantham.”
“I’m in our suite. Did you know we have twelve towels but only eleven washcloths? How did that happen? Did we lose one? Or did we order one less washcloth?”
“I’m not sure, sweetheart.”
“Cornelius, could you come in here for just a moment?” Master Arthur said through his own open doorway. I nodded and changed direction.
“I’ll be there in just a bit, sweetheart, and we’ll fix it.”
“Okay.”
“You look troubled. Is something wrong with your One?”
I turned in surprise at the sound of Master Edison’s voice.
“I didn’t know you were here. It’s good to see you again, Master Edison.
” I shook my head, thinking about the question.
“No, sir. He’s…nesting? And apparently there are an uneven number of towels and washcloths.
I was unaware we even had twelve towels, honestly.
” Patrick snorted, and Wallace chuckled.
“Yep, sounds about right,” Arthur said. “I won’t keep you.
I just wanted to let you know that Papa and Dad were here for a few days.
They’ll be back again next month to celebrate your new arrival.
But we wanted to invite you and Matthew to dine with us tonight in the dining room.
I know you two have taken to eating in your suite. ”
I looked at the four, wondering what was going on exactly. “We do. Matthew has become tired by suppertime, and we usually eat and he passes out shortly after for a power nap and then will be up for a couple more hours before finally down for the night.”
“I remember those days,” Patrick said.
“As do I. The twins took a lot out of me, and by the time I had only a month left to go, I was finished and ready to have them,” Master Edison said as he looked fondly at his One, Wallace.
I remembered him being pregnant with the twins, as it was quite a shock to everyone in the coven.
The first time I’d seen our coven master pregnant, it took me by surprise.
Then several decades later, he had the twins and it wasn’t quite as strange to me, but still shocking as they hadn’t expected another pregnancy.
“I’ll be sure to ask him,” I said.
“Good. We didn’t get a chance to meet him when he was in Timber Valley,” Wallace said from his position on the love seat, next to Master Edison.
“Yes, he was only there I think three days, maybe four before we met. We didn’t spend but a week there after. I had already decided to return home by then,” I told everyone.
“Good. We look forward to seeing both of you at supper.”
“Thank you,” I said before slightly dipping my head, showing respect toward my coven masters.
“Head back to your One. We know how difficult it is to be away from them toward the end of a pregnancy,” Arthur said.
I smiled, and after dipping my head in respect again, I turned and left.
Once outside the office door, I teleported myself to our suite and listened for my One.
He’d mentioned towels, but there weren’t any sounds coming from our suite, so I headed next door to the nursery instead.
I found my little fae there, fast asleep in the comfy chair that he and Patrick had picked out.
He’d fallen in love with a reclining chaise lounge chair, and I had to admit it was quite comfortable. But the thing was huge, and he looked so tiny in it. It was big enough for both of us, and more than once we’d both napped in it together.
Matthew had chosen a chocolate-brown color for the fabric choice because he said it matched the trees in the forest that were painted there in the corner, and he wasn’t wrong.
But I found him sleeping in the chair more often than I did our bed anymore.
Maybe he needed a softer mattress? I’d have to ask.
“Sweetheart?” I said quietly. When Matthew’s eyes blinked open at me, I smiled. He looked tired. “Hey, sweetheart. You doing okay? Do you need anything?”
Matthew yawned as he stretched. When he reached for the button on the side, I watched as the back slowly returned to an upright position.
“I’m good. Guess I ran out of steam though. I was sorting towels and realized we hadn’t gotten any for the baby. We need some of those hooded towels,” Matthew said as he got up from the chair. I reached for him, relieved when he readily came to me, letting me wrap my arms around him.
“How about this. We go make a list of everything you think we need, and then I’ll get it for us. That will keep us busy until supper. Master Arthur has asked that we join him for our evening meal tonight in the dining room.”
“Oh yeah?” Matthew asked, looking up at me. “It will be nice to get out for dinner again. I’ve become a hermit, it seems.”
I tilted my head to the side. “We can eat outside the room any time you like. All you have to do is say so. I’ve been staying here with you because I thought you were too tired to leave.”
Matthew gave me a sleepy smile and small nod. “I am. But I don’t want the others in the coven to think I’m not friendly. I was doing good with getting out, and then it was like a switch flipped and now I just have no energy.”
“We’ll talk to Constantine this evening and see if it’s normal.
You’re due in a month though, and I suspect that your body is just tired.
Do you remember if your mom was ever this tired?
” I wondered if it was because he was a male instead of a female or if it was simply because he was in the last month.
“Yeah, she was always pretty tired. But she and Dad, they haven’t stopped in years.
They did take breaks in between kids, but I think that was more because her fertile periods weren’t consistent.
I mean, I’m the middle of nine. That’s a lot of kids.
And she’s pregnant with the tenth. No, she’s had the tenth already. Months ago now,” Matthew said absently.
“Sweetheart, would you like to go back and visit? See your new little brother or sister?” I pulled Matthew into my arms and hugged him as tightly as I dared. Could it be that my One was homesick? He’d given up everything he’d ever known for me.
“No. I don’t miss them. It was nothing but work and taking care of my younger siblings. I have you here, and you’re my everything. I don’t want to go back. Please don’t make me.”
I cupped Matthew’s face and turned his head to look at me. “I would never make you do anything you didn’t want to do. If you don’t want to visit the fae realm, you don’t have to. Okay?”
Matthew gave me one of his adorable smiles that always melted my heart. This man, he was my everything, and I’d do anything for him.
“Okay, so you mentioned more shopping,” Matthew asked hopefully. “And maybe I could get a cup of tea? There was a cinnamon tea that Grantham gave me a few days ago, and it was really good.”
“Absolutely to both. Let’s go,” I said and walked out of the nursery with Matthew.
After Matthew drank his tea and had a small snack of mixed fruit, we walked through the suite and wrote down everything that Matthew said he thought we were missing.
There wasn’t nearly as many items as he’d originally thought, but it didn’t matter to me. I simply wanted him happy.
After everything was ordered, instantly delivered, and put in its proper place, it was time for us to head to the dining hall.
“Are you okay to walk? Or do you want me to teleport us there?” I asked as we left our suite.
“Umm, how about we walk there, but you teleport us back later? You know how tired I get after I eat supper anymore.”
“I do,” I said. I reached for Matthew’s hand and laced our fingers together, bringing it up so I could kiss the back of his hand before we started walking.
“Did Master Arthur say why he wanted us to join him? Not that I’m complaining. It’s an honor that your leader wants us to share a meal with him again.” Matthew looked up at me with curiosity on his face.
“Actually, it’s because Master Edison and Wallace are here visiting for a few days. They wanted to meet you since they didn’t—” I reached for Matthew when he stumbled and almost took a fall down the stairs. “You okay?”
“The Edison is here?” Matthew asked, frantically looking around.
“Yes, love. He wants to meet you.”
Matthew shook his head frantically. “Is he…no. I don’t want to.
He doesn’t like us. They’ve told us that he doesn’t like fae and would rather see us all dead.
” Suddenly Matthew’s eyes grew huge as they wrapped around his rounded belly.
“He’s after the baby, isn’t he? He’s going to kill it because it’s not a warlock.
” Matthew yanked from my hold and stumbled backward, but caught himself on his hands before he took off down the hallway, back toward our rooms.
I ran after him, my longer stride quickly catching up with him.
My little fae squeaked when I swept him up into my arms and then teleported us to the dining room, directly in front of Master Arthur’s table.
“A word, please. In private,” I said harshly as Matthew struggled in my arms. When he spotted Master Edison, he became even more frantic, and I immediately teleported to Master Arthur’s office.
This was not a conversation to have in front of the coven.
“Sweetheart, you need to stop struggling. You must calm down, please,” I pleaded as I cradled Matthew in my arms. He was flailing around, and when he started crying, it broke my heart.
“No, don’t let him take the baby. No!” he shouted when the other four appeared.
“Constantine, please. Do you know where he is?”
“He’s out for the evening,” Master Arthur told me. “I can call him back though.”
“Matthew, calm down. You’re going to hurt our son.
Shh,” I tried again, and when it didn’t work, I felt tears fall onto my cheeks as I placed my palm on his forehead.
When my red light appeared, my precious little One went limp in my arms. I sat there, cradling him close to my chest. What caused such fear?
Constantine suddenly appeared and immediately knelt in front of us. “Cornelius? Can I take a look?” he asked, quietly. I nodded and loosened my hold on my one and only love.
“Tell me why the fae are terrified of Edison? What happened that would cause such fear? He thinks you’re after our baby because it’s not a warlock?
” I said through gritted teeth. I wasn’t thinking rationally, because if I was, I would never talk so disrespectfully toward my former coven master.
The shock on Master Edison’s face was clear, but I couldn’t bring myself to care just then.
I’d had to knock my One unconscious when he wouldn’t calm down.
I glanced at Matthew and saw Constantine running his hands down his body, his own green light emitting from his palms. “Is he okay? The baby?”
“They’re fine. Very stressed though. It’s good that you put him to sleep when you did. What exactly triggered the panic attack?”
“I mentioned Master Edison being here to visit and wanting to meet him,” I told my friend.
“That might explain it, then. As for the reasoning, you’ll have to get that from the source as I wasn’t there. He’ll be fine. Let him sleep for an hour at least. Then wake him.”
“You’re sure? And the baby? He’s okay?” I asked, concerned.
“Yes, here, see for yourself,” Constantine said as he projected an image of our son up to the left of me, right of him.
More tears fell as I watched our son suckle on his thumb while protected inside his daddy’s belly.
I reached down and placed a protective hand on Matthew’s stomach, relieved that our son was okay.
My love though, I wasn’t quite so sure. “See, he’s perfectly fine.
Sucking his thumb is most likely a soothing gesture.
Babies often do it to calm themselves when agitated or hungry. As we know he’s not hungry…”
“Thank you, Constantine,” I sighed and then wiped my eyes.
Constantine brushed a hand across Matthew’s hair before climbing to his feet and standing beside Matthew’s head.
When he looked toward the others, I joined and raised an eyebrow in question.
“All right. Now tell me why my One thinks you’re evil incarnate. ”
Master Edison glanced at Matthew before meeting my eyes, sighed, and then nodded.