Chapter Twelve #2
“I would welcome another child. Rexford has taken his seed money and grown his own coven. I’m financially flush enough to support a few children into their fortunes, and I control the wand trade in the United States and parts of Canada.
I do need to train a successor, and Rexford, while skilled, has no passion for it.
The only wand he ever worked on seriously was Midnite’s.
” Marquis drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
“So, there’s legacy reasons on your part.
Emotional reasons on my part. There’s Casper here who can take on the trade, so it’s not imperative you have children, so legacy isn’t as important as you feel.
” Mads folded his hands in his lap, drawing them away from his belly, away from the memory of carrying a child.
They pulled into the parking lot of a wood-paneled building, and Marquis stopped the car. “Then let me put it this way.”
Mads glanced over as Marquis drew his hand to his lips.
He kissed once and squeezed Mads’s fingers.
“One was never the plan to begin with. I wanted two or three. I want a full home, a proper dinner table with our young, and someone to teach and tutor. I want to spend sleepless nights doting on a little one with your dark eyes, or even your silver hair.”
“Or Rex’s hair. Our mixed hair made a beautiful shade, like tarnished lead. Just gorgeous. Do people look at him and see the pennywitch in him, the shifter blood?” Mads glanced away, not wanting to meet Marquis’s eyes.
“Nobody has ever made a negative remark. Ever. As Rexford got older and his hair color solidified, my father was quite complimentary of his appearance. My blue eyes and yours made a gorgeous violet.” Marquis smiled, his grin full of pride, without a hint of disappointment.
“Truly?”
“He had many offers from other coven heads wanting him to date their progeny.” Marquis snorted. “It’s an uncommon color, mixing the lower class with high houses. Turns out, lower class makes sturdier mages.”
The smirk Marquis gave him made Mads’s belly flip in delight. “It feels so wrong… I feel like I had my chance and fucked it up so badly it wouldn’t be fair to Rex.”
“It’s not fair to Rexford, no.” Marquis sighed, saying Rex’s full name as stuffily as ever. Rex went by Rex, though, so Mads won on that front despite little Cas. “But not moving on is unfair to us and Rexford recognizes it. Besides, he lent us Caspian.”
“Lent?” Mads folded his hands in his lap and waited as Marquis exited the car and stepped around to open his door. Mads climbed out and aided in unhooking Caspian.
“Well, of course. There are plenty of other people willing to babysit. I wanted to take Caspian because you opened up for him so fast, and I wanted to see if you were receptive to a child. To see if it would truly do your heart any good.” Marquis beamed as Mads settled the little one on his hip.
“You wanted to give me baby fever?” Mads gave Marquis his most practiced flat stare. It was a look that he’d practiced for hours before Rex was born, perfecting his paternal glare. He couldn’t ever remember using it on Justin. He was always in too much of a haze to really react.
“An attempt at doing so, I assure you. Testing the waters, as it were.” Marquis laughed and Mads shook his head.
“Leave it to you to cobble together thousands of layers of consent. Consent from my lips, from my heart, from my body, and from places in my mind even I fear to go.” Mads leaned down to give a kiss to the top of Caspian’s head as he clutched on and stared at the world around them with his big green eyes.
“Well, I’m a far cry from asking your body’s consent. I suppose I could bend you over and ask your anatomy.” Marquis leaned in close to Mads’s face and raked his gaze up and down.
“I don’t believe the exit is the one you must ask.” Mads snickered and halted when Marquis rested a hand over his belly.
“Then I ask here, now. Would you bear me a family? Would you take your vow as my mate to heart and love me always, and provide a line unto forever.” Marquis smiled.
“I already have. I have given you a wonderful son, Rexford,” Mads said, cradling the back of Caspian’s head. “And he has given us a grandson to carry on.”
“But he walks his own destiny. He is Red Sky. He lives in Eclipse blood, but you have borne a new line. Would you bear me a continuation of my own?” Marquis walked away, his expression uncertain, as if he couldn’t bear to hear Mads’s answer.
“I will do that for you. But it is not quite a new line that Rexford has started.” Mads frowned.
“What do you mean?” Marquis turned, a playful look on his face amid confusion.
“I mean, what was my father’s name?”
“Rory De’Creux. Hollow ones, the empty coven because they had no power or status. Your father never took a Blue Dawn name.” Marquis puzzled as Mads approached, Caspian cooing happily on his hips.
“My father told me my sire’s name once in a drunken stupor.
Victor Ciel. I was able to corroborate it through some of the Romani who kept tabs on the comings and goings of strangers.
He was strikingly white, pale as a snowflake, with hair like frost. Never found him.
” Mads took a deep breath. “Languages never were your strong suit, was it?”
“Rory means red. Ciel means sky. His coven is, in a way, my omega father’s name. Drunk as he was, he was a product of the hurt inflicted upon him.” Mads sighed. “So he walks an old path, a broken one and a hard one. But he’s brought honor to it, as I will give you the line you wish to continue.”
Marquis’s breath caught in his throat for a moment, and he embraced Mads and Caspian with a smile. “To new beginnings and better futures.”
“I pray so. Every night.” Mads smiled and cleared his throat. “Now let’s get some food before I change my mind.”
Caspian screeched with joy in agreement…or just childlike happiness.