“I think someone really wants to meet you,” he said, passing up his baby, wrapped in one of Ma’s clean dishtowels. His little man’s mouth was open and he was screaming for all he was worth.
“Thank you, oh, thank you,” he chanted. Liam and Kent leaned in from either side to each lay a hand on their baby. Sebastian looked behind him to see Nic and Ashby holding Rebecca. Aleks was patting Liam on the back, laughing his relief. When he looked around the diner, there wasn’t a dry eye as his friends shared his absolute joy.
Doc collapsed against Felix, who wept as he held his mate. Sebastian could hear his best friend thanking his mate for saving their nephew. He looked down and smiled at his son, who was now beet-red and squalling.
“He is the most perfect thing I have ever seen,” he whispered.
Rebecca, Ashby and Nic leaned in to get a better look.
“Oh, Sebastian, he is gorgeous. He…” Rebecca trailed off and tilted her head to one side.
“He looks like Kent and Liam. How did you do that?” she asked. Sebastian shrugged. He didn’t care who his son looked like, as long as he was healthy and alive.
Liam looked down, blinking past his tears.
“You know, you’re right. He has Kent’s dark, black hair, but that is definitely a Lewenhart nose,” Liam said, sounding amazed.
“He’s adorable!” Rian sobbed, still completely emotionally wrecked.
“Rian, what are you doing here? I thought that the photographer for the Council newsletter was at the pride house this morning?” Sebastian asked, cuddling his son who had quieted and was now sucking on his own fist.
Rian looked up. He and Damian shared a smile.
“They can take pictures without me. This was more important. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything, you are my family. Of course I had to be here to welcome my nephew!” Rian blew his nose on the napkin Ma handed him.
“Nothing is more important than family,” Damian agreed, holding on to Rian.
“Come on little papa. Let’s get you and junior to the clinic. I want to observe you for a little while,” Doc said, pulling Felix to his feet. Liam got up and Kent passed their mate and son to him.
“Sebastian! Did you decide on a name?” Rebecca asked from Aleks’s arms.
Sebastian looked at Liam and then Kent. They both nodded.
“We chose Lucian Alexander Lewenhart. Lucian means light. I think it’s fitting, especially now.” Sebastian smiled down at his son. Aleks’s mouth worked like a fish.
“Don’t get all worked up over it. I like the name and we’re spelling it with an ‘x.’ He has my initials,” Liam teased.
“Now we really have to name our baby Aloisius!” Rebecca clapped her hands together.
Aleks looked down at his mate, panicked.
“No, Becca we don’t. Right, Liam?” Aleks begged.
“He should share something in common with his brother,” Liam joked, and Aleks buried his face in Rebecca’s shoulder.
Sebastian swatted Liam’s chest.
“Come on, I’m all sticky and I want a bath.” Instantly Liam’s attention was on his mate.
“Here, wrap them in this,” Rex said, wrapping Sebastian and the baby is his long winter coat.
“Thank you, Rex.” Sebastian smiled warmly at his friend, who blushed.
“Come on, you four,” Doc said and headed out the door. Kent nearly tripped.
“We are four now aren’t we?” He beamed at Sebastian.
“Yes we are,” Sebastian agreed.
“Yes we are.”
* * * *
Hours later, Sebastian lay nestled between his two mates with their infant son in his arms. Doc had arranged for them to rest on one of the bear-sized cots and he was grateful. He had had a hard time passing his son to Felix to be cleaned and weighed. Felix had understood and made sure that baby Lucian had stayed in view.
Sighing, he ran his finger over his son’s bowed lips. He was going to be such a heartbreaker.
“Nothing can ever happen to him,” Liam whispered softly. Sebastian looked up and saw fear in his mate’s eyes.
“Nothing will. He has three pretty badass fathers, Felix, who can literally eat anyone who messes with him, a whole pride and pack full of uncles, at least one grumpy-ass bear as a godfather, a pair of scrappy foxes ready to throw down and one tiny, overprotective, human, gun-toting godmother watching over him,” Sebastian reminded him gently.
“My whole world crashed when he…” Kent swallowed hard and fresh tears coursed down his cheeks. Sebastian knew this was hitting his gentle giant hardest. He rubbed Kent’s forearm.
“He’s fine now. He is definitely a fighter,” Sebastian said, enthralled at the sight of his tiny son yawning. Kent’s smile took over his face as he reached in his hand to stroke the baby’s soft cheek.
“What do you think Rebecca was doing with the camera?” Sebastian asked, cooing at Lucian.
“Adding us to the FBI’s Most Wanted List? You never know with her,” Liam said, shrugging.
Doc walked into the room with Felix.
“Okay, you gentlemen are cleared to head home and introduce this little guy to his pride. They have been calling up here non-stop since this afternoon,” Doc said, grinning at the trio.
Liam and Kent got out of bed and helped Sebastian to his feet. Surprisingly, he felt little pain after having given birth. If he moved slowly he was fine. Kent left the clinic to pull the car to the front.
“Doc, I can’t thank you enough for what you did for Lucian,” Sebastian said, stepping up to kiss the stoic man on the cheek. He blushed furiously.
“He’s my nephew too. Does this mean I’m forgiven for yesterday?” Doc asked, his eyes showing a rare hint of vulnerability.
“It was never my place to forgive you, but to answer your question, after what you did today there is no way I could be mad at you. You’re family after all.” Sebastian sighed happily, holding his son close.
“My man is amazing.” Felix held up their joined hands and kissed their intertwined fingers.
“Only because of you.” Doc grinned.
“Come on, kitten, let’s get our boy home,” Liam said, bursting with pride.
“He needs to meet Al.” Sebastian grinned.
“Who is Al?” Liam asked.
“The stuffed alligator I bought him.”
Behind them Sebastian heard Felix burst out laughing. Liam’s face looked worried.
“When do baby hybrids start shifting?” he asked nervously. Sebastian turned in his mate’s arms and waved at Sebastian.
“Sebastian.”
“Bye Felix, come by soon.”
“Sebastian?”
Sebastian kissed the top of his son’s head and thanked Fate for his son.
Chapter 6
Ashby
Dec 22nd Evening
“And then we didn’t know if the baby was going to make it. But I swear Fate herself helped baby Lucian. Nic, Rebecca and I talked about it after Sebastian went to the clinic, we think she responded to our prayer.” Ashby bubbled over with excitement.
“Every baby born is a miracle, but it sounds as though you experienced something truly beautiful, mon ange.” Gabriel held Ashby in his lap in his office at the coven house. Though his words matched the conversation, Ashby could tell his mind was somewhere else.
“You still haven’t been able to find a supplier, have you?” Ashby whispered.
Gabriel’s arms tightened. “No, not yet.”
“Gabriel, we live in a shifter town,” was as far as Ashby got before Gabriel started to shake his head.
“I never want to give our neighbors the idea that we look at them as though they were food. It could set back our relations with them in irreparable proportions. I’ll find a way, angel.” Gabriel sighed.
“What else?”
“Rhys is no closer to regaining his humanity than the day we brought him home. I fear he is lost to us.” Gabriel whispered and buried his face in Ashby’s blond curls.
“We’ll get through to him, you’ll see. I went down there yesterday…”
“Alone?” Gabriel demanded. Ashby sighed at his overprotective mate.
“Of course not, Baptista was with me after he got back from visiting Kate’s babies. Rhys recognized me, I know he did.”
“He needs to do more than recognize you to stay alive. If his eyes haven’t shifted back by the time Baron comes back to Arkadia, he will be put down like a rabid dog.”
“It’s not fair! He didn’t ask for this. It was forced on him.” Ashby turned his face into Gabriel’s chest.
“It is our law.”
“It’s a dumb law!”
“The council has been very lenient with us, mon ange, they have helped us enormously.”
“How has the council helped us?” Ashby was confused. The shifter council rarely interacted with the vampires.
When Gabriel didn’t respond right away, Ashby looked up. Gabriel’s eyes were weary, and he gazed down at him nervously.
“Gabriel?”
Gabriel stood and set Ashby in his chair and began to pace in front of the desk.
“Gabriel you’re scaring me.”
“I meant to discuss this with you beforehand, but my request was processed so quickly and it just so happened that they had a need.” Gabriel stopped pacing, his back to his mate.
“What request?”
“I asked them to look into possible children that needed adopting,” Gabriel said, turning around.
Ashby felt as if all the air in the room were sucked out of the window. He gasped and grabbed his chest. Gabriel was instantly before him.
“I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t want me because I couldn’t have babies.” Ashby closed his eyes in pain.
“No! No, mon ange. I saw how much pain you were in and how hard you tried to hide it from your closest friends. I could feel it in your heart, the desire for a child of your own. How could I not move Heaven and Earth to make that happen for you? You are my very reason for existing.” Gabriel peppered Ashby’s face with kisses.
“What did they say?” Ashby asked, feeling like his entire world was spinning out of control. In the background he heard the doorbell ring.
“They found us a child, my angel. They are making arrangements to send the little one to us, possibly after the New Year.” Gabriel smiled and seemed to hold his breath.
“We’re going to have a child! We’re going to be parents!” Ashby yelled. The doorbell chimed again. Ashby jumped up and started to pace the room, mimicking Gabriel’s earlier movements. Gabriel tried to walk alongside but Ashby seemed to start, stop and turn as new concerns or ideas popped into his head.
“How old? Is it a boy or a girl? Do you have any idea how much stuff we have to get!” Ashby ranted, waving his arms. He tried to get his breathing under control. The doorbell chimed again, and again and again.
“Someone get the damn door!” he screeched. Gabriel winced. Beyond the office door they heard people stampede for the front door at Ashby’s uncharacteristic display of temper. Ashby took a deep steadying breath.
“They wouldn’t tell me anything except that the child’s parents had been murdered by Drainers and that they had no one in the world to take care of them. As for supplies, we have plenty. The things in the spare room that you think are for Rebecca are actually early Christmas gifts for you.” Gabriel pulled Ashby into his arms.
“Hey! Did anyone order a baby?” Daniel’s voice rang through the house.
Ashby froze and looked up at his mate. Gabriel looked as close to panic and shock as he had ever seen him. Ashby dashed for the door and ran downstairs to the foyer. Gabriel, with his vampiric speed, made it there seconds before him.
Ashby stopped a few feet from a small woman holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. She wore a tidy, tweed suit and sensible shoes. She looked like the quintessential British nanny.
“I am Prince Gabriel, who might you be?” Gabriel asked.
“I’m so terribly sorry, I assumed the council let you know I was coming. Oh dear. I have brought the child they told you about. There was a mistake on the paperwork for the adoption date, his foster family is going out of the country for the holiday and of course couldn’t take him with them. Will that be a problem?”
“No!” Ashby and Gabriel practically yelled, and the woman jumped and gave a nervous titter.
“I’m afraid he doesn’t come with much,” she said and eased the baby into Ashby’s shaking arms.
“Is that ours?” Daniel asked excitedly. Gabriel nodded with tears in his eyes.
“David! David, hurry, we’re having a baby!” Daniel screeched, and coven members began to pour into the foyer.
“When?” David yelled.
“Now!” Daniel jumped around from foot to foot, trying to catch a glimpse of the infant.
“What!” was the bellowed reply from the landing before David tumbled down the stairs in his effort to get to the foyer to see the baby. Daniel ran over to help his twin.
Ashby felt Gabriel standing close behind him, peering over his shoulder. With trembling hands Ashby pushed aside the blanket so they could see their son for the first time. When he saw his son’s face he couldn’t stop crying. He looked up at his mate to see that the Prince of all vampires had pink-tinged tears streaking lines down his alabaster cheeks.
“How?” Gabriel croaked and cleared his voice and spoke again. “How can he look just like you?” His voice broke. Ashby rubbed his cheek along the baby’s soft head.
“What is he?” Ashby asked in awe.
“We thought you knew, he’s a fennec fox. It was one of the things that weighed the decision in your favor since you are the same animal. Well then, my cab is waiting. Merry Christmas and congratulations to you both.” She nodded and let herself out the door.
Ashby felt his knees give out and his mate was right there to catch him. Gabriel eased them both down and sat Ashby between his legs on the foyer floor. He wrapped his arms around his mate to touch their son.
“I should be furious with you for making this kind of decision without me, I just can’t find it in me. Not while holding our son. You made this happen for us.” Ashby’s heart felt like it was about to burst he was so happy.
“A fennec fox with blonde curls, mon petite ange. My little angel,” Gabriel whispered.
“What will we name him?” Ashby asked, pulling the blanket back to inspect every finger and toe.
“How about David?”
“Or Daniel.” The twins glared at each other.
“It should be a regal name,” Roman commented.
“Powerful,” Baptista added, cooing at the baby.
“How about Arthur?” Ashby asked. Gabriel nodded.
“He was a fine man.”
Ashby’s head turned up to his mate his mouth open.
“You knew King Arthur?” Gabriel just smiled.
“I think that is a perfect name.” Kurt, like most of the coven, was already smitten with their infant prince.
“Did you hear that? You are now Arthur Mikhail Fairfax.” Ashby held the baby close. He heard Gabriel’s breath catch.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Ashby nodded.
“That’s regal and powerful all right,” David snorted.
“You nailed it.” Daniel laughed.
“Welcome to our coven, my son,” Gabriel said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Welcome home, Prince Arthur!” The coven celebrated around them. Ashby turned an impish face to his mate.
“That will never, ever get old.”
Chapter 7
Connor
Dec 23rd Morning
“Giddey where in the hell are you?” Connor heard his mate yell into her cell phone.
“Oh Madison, you know I couldn’t miss the Fireman’s Ball. They expect me every year,” Giddey drawled.
“I need you here, like yesterday. I have casework piling up all over the place. Do you have any idea how many outdated laws I’m
tackling?” Madison demanded. Connor heard a loud sigh.
“Madison…”
“Don’t Madison me, mister. When is your flight?”
“Hmm my flight.”
“You haven’t booked it yet, have you?” Madison’s voice got cold.
“I was going to that day you called but then I had to list the apartment and then box up my things. Did they show up?” Giddey asked. Connor snorted.
“Yes all fifty-two of them, all of them say either clothes or shoes. You’ll need an entire room just for your clothes!”
“Duuuh. Why do you think I insisted on a two-bedroom apartment, even though the rent in New York is criminal?”
“Flight information. You better be booking as we speak on your iPad!” Madison yelled.
“Touchy, touchy. What’s the matter, hun, your bear not giving up the loving?”
Connor choked as his coffee went down the wrong way.
“For your information my bear is hung like a horse lord and can fuck like a porn star,” Madison quipped. Connor stared at his mate in shock.
“Get it, girl! I can’t wait to meet those hot lions you told me about.”
“Then hurry up and get here already.”
“Fine! I’ve booked my flight for after New Year’s, no way am I missing that. There, I’ve emailed you my info. Happy now?”
“Yes. Miss you drama queen.”
“Miss you too, ballbuster. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” Madison ended the call and flopped back next to Connor on their sofa.
“Hung like a horse lord and can fuck like a porn star?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s true.” She grinned at her mate. Connor was leaning in for a kiss when his cell phone started ringing. Sighing, he answered.
“Hello.”
“Hey Professor.” Connor sat up. It was Baron, which could only mean one thing.
“What’s happened?”
“An oily, sniveling excuse for a lawyer, on behalf of some wolf Alpha, petitioned the council that your man Rhys’s time was up two weeks ago. I’m under Council orders to head to Arkadia to execute Rhys, I’ll be there by this evening.”