Chapter 58
Valens
Iwatched Elodie browse the armory, walking through makeshift aisles of weapons in addition to the impressive cases that lined the walls. We’d been in the basement for two hours, but nothing was calling to her.
None of them were her butterfly sword. But I’d done some digging with Cristian before her heat, and I had one last thing up my sleeve, assuming she didn’t find anything on the shelves.
I’d known it was possible she’d eventually get her mate marks, and now, I was glad I’d thought ahead.
I couldn’t ever replace her butterfly sword, I knew that.
But I wanted to give her something new. Something familiar but fresh.
She stopped a few feet away and sent me a baleful look.
“No luck?”
“No, there are plenty of acceptable options. Just… none that feel right. I’m not sure anything will at this point, so maybe I just need to grab a sword and move on. It doesn’t have to be sentimental, right?”
“It doesn’t have to be, no, but I have one more thing to show you, if you’re not completely over it.”
She arched an eyebrow and closed the distance between us, threading her fingers through mine and leaning into me in a way I absolutely loved.
“For the record, I never get tired of looking at weapons. I just hate not having one. So, yes, please. Show me what you’ve got.”
“In the armory?” I acted scandalized, waggling my eyebrows suggestively. “Unconventional, but all right…”
“Ugh, I’ve already seen your dick! It’s magnificent, but not wise to pull it out while surrounded by sharp objects if you want to keep it. Show me the weapon.”
I chuckled low in my throat as I turned and pulled her to a small case in a back corner. She’d wandered past, but this one had compartments where things could be tucked out of sight. That was where Cristian had stocked the weapon I’d asked for.
“So, I’d never try to replace what you had before. Just for the record, I think it’s important to say that before I show you.”
“I appreciate that, thank you.” She squeezed my fingers, and I pressed the door of the case to make it pop open. Then I slid out the rack.
Twin short swords with wicked, curved edges hung suspended. They were black as night and sharper than sin, each one of them formidable on its own. But together, they held a secret.
“Short swords? I haven’t been trained in short swords, but… maybe?” She scrunched her face up adorably.
“Watch this before you say no.”
I lifted them both carefully from the rack, butting the two grips up to each other and twisting.
They combined into one extended staff with a matched blade on both ends. Her eyes widened with understanding.
“Holy shit, it’s perfect!” She made grabby hands, so I proffered it for her to take.
She took two big steps back, then gave it a few practice swings, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement.
“What’s this called? Like obviously when they’re separate, they’re short swords, but…
” She twirled the joined blades with practiced ease, making a gracefully deadly circle without even looking at her hands.
“It’s a double-bladed staff.” She grinned, then easily moved through another series of spinning forms more complex than the first. “Can I keep it?”
“Consider it an early bonding gift. I had Cristian get it just for you. I thought you’d like the way it handled and, eventually, the flexibility.”
She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a passionate kiss to my lips, which I savored. When she pulled back, her eyes were bright. “Best gift ever. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I smiled as she went back to swinging it, her movements lithe and graceful as she danced with her new weapon.
The next morning passed in a busy blur, and by the time I looked up, we only had a few hours free before we needed to start donning our weapons to assemble for the battle.
I was antsy, on edge about who might be showing up for this initial skirmish.
So far as I knew, Fiona had had two specific visions, both of upcoming clashes.
One that showed tonight, with wolves on the field.
But an earlier vision had shown a massive battle with more supernaturals, at an unspecified time.
My gut told me that tonight was only the beginning. The first foray, for them to test our defenses.
But rather than waste our last few hours of peace, I stole Elodie away from the sparring ring after she’d had plenty of time to practice with her new weapon.
She was an impressive sight as always, and even within a day, she’d picked up a frightening level of proficiency.
It was close enough to her old weapon that her basic stances were flawless.
She wasn’t a hundred percent with splitting the swords and fighting closer two-handed, but Elodie could take out the average enemy on her worst day, I was sure.
Not Bran, though. The thought weighed heavily on all the males. One of us would have to take him on, and while everyone expected it to be Kane… I just wasn’t sure. There was this niggling feeling I couldn’t shake off.
So, while Elodie had been going through her forms, I’d practiced with my new guardian’s broadsword. It was odd because it seemed the sword itself augmented my usual speed and skill. And as a blacksmith, I was already proficient. I liked to practice with my creations.
But magic worked in strange and wonderful ways, and using the sword was like having eyes in the back of my head.
When Elodie deemed herself ready for a sparring partner, I bested her consistently and even disarmed her a few times.
Sure, part of that was her novelty with the staff.
But mostly? The sword was helping me somehow.
Because I was pretty sure that with her own sword, Elodie could at least give me a solid run for my money.
Okay, fine, she would kick my ass with one hand tied behind her back.
It was definitely the sword giving me the edge.
But now that we’d put the weapons away, I held her hand and led her toward the bonfires.
I didn’t know whose idea it was to light them, but it seemed like the best way to spend the early evening hours.
The Hungarian pack members who’d come to fight were gathered around one giant fire to the east, so that was where I led her.
“I’d like to introduce you to someone very special tonight,” I started, suddenly nervous.
“Oh yeah? It’s not your ex-girlfriend, is it? Because I can handle a lot, but…” She arched an eyebrow, the implication clear. If I had an ex hiding in a closet that I wanted to spring on her, they’d meet the pointy end of her shiny new blade.
“No, nothing like that. I told you, no serious relationships before you. There was one person, though, who was important to me after my parents died.”
“Yeah? A female person?”
I snorted. “Yes, but it wasn’t like that. She was my best friend. Her parents kind of looked after us after ours died. And she found her mate young, so it was strictly platonic.”
“Oh, okay. You keep speaking in the past tense. Are we going to meet her, or…?”
“Unfortunately, she died too. Four years ago. Her name was Hanna.”
“Damn, now I feel like a dick for ribbing you about her. I’m sorry, I had no—”
I spun to face her, taking her face in my hands, skimming over her cheeks with my thumbs. “It’s okay, you didn’t know. And since I haven’t mentioned her before, I just wanted you to know before we go meet them.”
“Them who? Because now I’m just confused.” Her eyebrows crinkled together adorably, and I kissed her forehead right above them.
“Him. His name is Bence. Her son and her parents, who take care of him.”
“Oh, Goddess. Did she die in childbirth?”
My throat squeezed shut at how easily she’d put the pieces together, because it was too damn common.
“She did. That’s another reason this war is so important to me, because I don’t want anyone else to lose their family that way.
She was too fucking young.” I took a moment to compose myself, focusing on the little fellow I was about to introduce to her.
“He calls me Uncle Valens. I thought it was best to explain before you met him. I didn’t want there to be any confusion on your part. He’s very important to me, and I thought now that we’ve got mate marks, it might be a good time for you to meet him.”
“I would be absolutely thrilled to meet Bence. Thank you for explaining. I know it must be hard to talk about.” She wound her fingers back through mine, squeezing my hand gently to remind me that she understood.
And she did. We’d both lost important people in our lives.
It was funny how the Goddess found our perfect match, how the one who held the other half of your soul had their own pain that somehow dovetailed to yours. Elodie understood me at an intrinsic level that no one else could.
The blazing tips of the fire were the first thing we saw, then the milling crowds as we crested a hill. It took me only a moment to spot a familiar face and nod toward the correct spot.
Not a minute after they were in sight, I heard a familiar squeal.
“Uncle Walens!” Bence shouted, booking it toward me and leaving his grandparents to eat his dust.
I trotted his way and scooped him up under the armpits, hefting him up overhead with a ferocious growl. He growled back just as fiercely, as was our traditional greeting, before I swung him up onto my shoulders. He liked to be up high, and I had a feeling he’d be taller than me one day.
His dad had been six foot five.
“Bence! I’ve got somebody really special for you to meet,” I said as soon as Henrik and Patty reached us so I could introduce them all at once.
“Is it the pwetty lady, Uncle Walens?”
“It is the pretty lady, how’d you guess?” I asked, winking happily at Elodie, noticing her blush.
“I dunno. I’ve just never seen her before.”
“Well, now you have. This is Elodie, my mate. Can you tell her hello?”
“You got a mate? That’s pwetty cool. Hi, Miss Ewodie.”
“Hi, Bence. You’re so big and strong, just like your uncle.”
“Fanks. We work out together. He lets me play with his swords.”
Elodie’s face twisted in alarm.
“Just the dull practice ones,” I whispered, then quickly introduced Henrik and Patty.
“Bence! You need to come down from there. It’s almost dinnertime,” Patty said, lifting her arms for him. “Besides, you’re getting too big to ride with Uncle Valens.”
“Never!” we both shouted in unison, then I did a quick lap around his grandparents while he giggled. It was the best sound in the world.
After that, though, I had to surrender the nephew to his grandparents to take to dinner. Patty led him off, and all the while, he talked animatedly. Henrik lagged behind a moment.
“It’s so good to see you again, Valens. The new Alpha’s been keeping you busy, but I see not too busy.
” Henrik grinned toward Elodie, who was talking to another pack member who’d walked up to say hello.
He slapped me on the shoulder. “She’s a looker and seems like a sweetheart.
It makes what I have to ask you a little bit easier, knowing you’ve found your girl. ”
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?”
He sighed. “Because you’re not an idiot.
I’m fighting tonight. I don’t know…” He choked up, shook his head, cleared his throat aggressively, then tried again.
“I’m assuming I’ll be fine. But if something happens to me, Patty will go too.
We don’t have anyone else we’d trust to take Bence, and there’s no one else but you that Hanna would want to bring him up if it couldn’t be her.
” He pressed a fist to his lips, turning away to hide the emotions he couldn’t stuff down.
I squeezed his shoulder, giving him a moment. When he turned back, I reassured him. “It’s okay. I miss her every day.”
“And that’s why you’re the perfect person to take Bence. Will you?”
“You don’t even have to ask. I’d be honored.”
“Shouldn’t you talk to your lady love?” He nodded Elodie’s way, just as she threw her head back and laughed.
“I’ll tell her later so she knows. But no, she has a soft spot for orphans. She’d love him like her own, but it’s not going to come to that. You’re going to be just fine.”
His tight smile didn’t reach his eyes. Not even close. “We won’t all be fine. But I feel better knowing Bence is covered, no matter what.”
“No matter what,” I promised, meaning it.
“All right, then. I’m off to dinner with the family. You two have fun.”
I watched him go, somber now.
“Everything okay? That looked serious.” Elodie sidled back up to me, wrapping both arms around my waist and leaning her head against my shoulder.
“He asked me to take Bence, if… if the worst should happen.”
“Oh, Goddess. What did you say?”
“I said yes. I assumed you’d be okay, but if you’re not—”
“Of course we’d take him.” Her wide eyes met mine, no hint of hesitation.
“That’s what I thought.”
“You thought right. Now, I heard there’s cider over there. Do you want some?”
“Absolutely.”