Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
Yuless and Darlene engaged in a rather noisy argument over lingerie.
Wyness’s soul manifested as a warmth against my hand, and as though somehow sensing I would provide him with his every need, he zipped from the wall and clung to where the back of my hand met my knuckles.
Azrael chuckled, and he eased us away from the boundary.
“He must sense Yuless’s essence on you. The next few steps are complicated, but for the moment, he will hitch a lift with you.
Cup him in your hands with the intention of taking him with you when you depart from the Valley of the Shadow of Death. ”
I did as told, easing him from his position into my palm before sheltering him with both hands. “Okay.”
The Four Horses of the Apocalypse jostled each other for a chance to sniff at my precious cargo. I giggled at their antics, and as I couldn’t pet them, I took the time to give each one a kiss on the nose.
“Now is the laborious part. We wait. Right now, you are in recovery while Yuless paces in the waiting room. He drives everyone around him quite mad, but nobody is blaming him. You underwent an MRI, the evidence of the stroke was detected, and medications to break down the clot have been administered, and a practitioner has done the majority of the work ensuring your health. My brother’s intervention made certain there was minimal damage, and while you will not feel well, you will be able to participate in your next race.
It will be done with a rather unpleasant headache, but that is a small matter.
You will be discharged tomorrow morning after several of my brothers verify you can return home in safety and minimal discomfort.
You will dislike that you cannot ride for three days, but Amber and Isaac will breeze Alligator Bait, and you will spend your time cuddling with your equine and reptilian children. ”
“I do like when I can cuddle with my children. Do you think Mr. Magic will join in?”
“I would count on it. He adores you. That does lead me to an important discussion we should have. He is quite old.”
“He will spend the rest of his days in comfort, and then he’ll continue the cycle of life and death,” I replied, puzzled over the archangel’s comment.
“I will, of course, sob over his death, but that’s only natural.
I do love him, especially when he’s not trying to eat me.
Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.
Now, if his rested soul finds his way back to alligator paradise, you won’t hear me complain. He can be Lady’s successor.”
“Lady is another problem,” he muttered.
“Lady is never a problem, she’s just stunted, likely deformed in some fashion, and won’t live long. She’s not growing like she should, but as long as she’s happy, I don’t care.”
“Six months. That’s all she has.”
“They will be six months full of joy and end when I cannot offer her comfort.”
“Five, then.”
“An extra month with her is not worth that much of her life spent in misery. I don’t see the problem.”
“There is an entire flock of dragons who will be wailing and keening, for they all adore Lady and will not be okay with her death.”
Good grief. “Then they can wail and keen, and when I’m tired of the wailing and keening, I will punt them into the lake so they can be friends with other alligators. We have plenty. And when Lady does pass, I will just adopt another one.”
“With some minor adjustments and a mild bargain, Mr. Magic and Lady could have long and fruitful lives.”
I contemplated the archangel’s request. “Why do you want these alligators to live beyond their normal lifespan?”
“They would make excellent babysitters. In exchange for their longevity, including the correction of Lady’s numerous health problems, you will agree to have twin daughters.
They will be dragons, and the first, which you would have by default, will be the perfect match for Wyness.
Her sister will follow a different path, which would introduce dragon genes into the lycanthropy virus.
This will result in many of the dragons having spouses who enjoy longevity without straining the nodes—and they can likewise produce a mix of lycanthrope and dragon children.
For dragons, lycanthropes who can become dragons are dragons despite them being humans who can adopt a draconic form.
This is a path I’ve only seen once, and it only shows up should you have twins for your first pregnancy. ”
If I could have planted my hands on my hips without losing Wyness’s essence, I would have. “Don’t my girls have the freedom to choose their fate?”
“Alas for them, this is the fate they will choose for themselves. Your eldest will grow up playing with Wyness, as he will be a little older than her. Your youngest will be too busy helping with the horses, riding ponies, and following in your footsteps to have any interest in Wyness. Your eldest will be of dark hair and eyes, and she will be much like her father. The youngest will be more like you, although she will have hazel eyes rather than your green. As part of the bargain, I will ask Darlene to make certain there are two girls, and I will ask Lucifer for assistance with providing their seeds.”
“I am unavailable for reproductive purposes for a period of one year following our wedding, but in good news for you, I have no interest in a long engagement. But I need to get through the Triple Crown without worrying about pregnancy hormones.”
“I will personally pay for the wedding ceremony, and it will take place the day after the Belmont Stakes, for better or for worse. I will secure the racetrack for the event, and I will issue invitations for many equestrians to come and bring their prized animals so you might meet many horses.”
“Get Yuless’s agreement for that ceremony plan. Should you do so, I will agree to your bargain. Lady won’t hurt from the procedures needed to help her, will she?”
“It will be a passing pain, and she will understand why we will make her hurt so she can feel better,” he promised. “It seems the mortals are preparing to see if they can wake you up. I trust you are ready?”
I considered the Valley of the Shadow of Death, its rushing falls, and the great weave of life and death cutting through it. “Will I come here again?”
“Today marks the day you may walk around the boundary and behold the weave of all things whenever you please. Just don’t forget the node before you go. You have a great deal of learning ahead of you before you can make this journey alone.”
* * *
Yuless and Darlene engaged in a rather noisy argument over lingerie. My fiancé believed I shouldn’t have to worry about panties or bras at all while healing.
The succubus went on and on about the horrors of going to the hospital in a mismatched set.
While I hadn’t been bothered much over the idea of medical personnel seeing my panties, I had a rather unhealthy fixation on dying in ugly underwear.
I blamed the fuzziness in my head accompanied with a deep headache for the ridiculousness of my thoughts. I could tell the hospital had drugged me with something; while awake, I was numb just about everywhere, a sensation I could live without.
Lucifer, who sat beside the hospital bed, eyed me before staring at his wife with an unamused expression.
“This has been going on for almost two hours,” he informed me, careful to keep his voice low.
“Michael, Gabriel, and six other archangels have been in here reassuring those two you’ll be fine.
We did not tell them you needed this brush with death for the greater good.
Neither would have handled it well. My wife knows you’re needed to help my sister, which makes you one of the top people in our lives, second only to our intermediate family. ”
I couldn’t blame her for that. I licked my lips to discover I was in a better situation than previous hospital stays, which had involved breath reeking of decay, a dry mouth, and a desire to drink down an entire lake. “If they’re listening, the ruse is up,” I whispered.
The Devil grinned at me before whispering back, “They’re not. They’ve decided it will be at least four or five more hours until you’re aware, as that was on the far end of the estimate. They didn’t predict ten minutes after the start of the window. How are you feeling?”
“I don’t like this.”
“It’s the drugs. Once they wear off, you’ll be closer to your old self. It seems you decided to bargain with Azrael?”
As I doubted nodding would end well with me, I replied, “I did.”
He pointed at my side, out of view of the bickering pair.
A tiny dragon, no longer than ten inches from head to tip of tail, slept in a tiny ball. His scales gleamed gold with a pearlescent sheen. “Oh. He’s already here.”
“I was quite surprised when the Universe paid us a visit and left us a present. Yuless has not yet noticed. There will be mayhem when he does.”
I agreed; while I had no idea how long Wyness had slumbered within the boundary, I assumed he had perished when magic had fled from the world for the first time.
With some help from Lucifer, I adjusted the bed so I sat up, and he handed me the slumbering baby.
I caught Darlene glancing my way, but she kept on arguing with my fiancé, suggesting that the only form of apparel I needed was a shoulder shrug and nothing else.
Lucifer shook his head. “Now she’s just trying to buy you time, and he’s so offended by the thought of anyone else seeing your breasts he can’t even think straight.”
“It’s a good thing I like my men a little jealous. He hasn’t been excessively jealous, which is good.” I sucked in a breath, staring at Lucifer with wide eyes. “What do we feed the baby?”
“He’ll eat anything a dragon can eat, so don’t you worry about that. Why don’t you allow me to handle this? It might keep Yuless from completely losing his grip on his sanity.”
“Sure. Just try to save me some embarrassment. I think I’ve had enough embarrassment for one day.”