showing up with the alphas.”
“Makes sense,” Riggs said. He couldn’t resist touching Gus’s soft cheek and brushing his hair off his forehead.
“I went up to meet with Nick. Gus wouldn’t let me go,” Victor explained, as if Riggs really minded the little guy being around. Riggs didn’t blame him for wanting to be with Victor either.
“He staying with us tonight?”
“I… no. I’m… no. Of course not. Puteri will come get him.”
“He could stay here.”
Victor scowled, but his hand drifted up and down Gus’s back, gently petting the sleeping cub. “He’ll be better off—”
“Victor,” Riggs said softly, cutting Victor’s protest short. “We only have a little more time with him. Maybe it’s selfish of me, but I’d like to spend more time with him. I like the little guy.”
“I want to do what’s best for him,” Victor said softly. “He’s most important.”
“Agreed.”
“I… don’t… What if he gets attached?”
Riggs hated to break the news to Victor, but Gus was already attached to his Bird. And his Bird and Bear were just as attached to him.
“Why don’t I call Puteri and ask her to bring what he needs for the night?”
Victor didn’t say no. Riggs read between the lines and took his silence as acceptance. It might be best for Gus to be with others like him, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t going to rip Riggs’s heart out of his chest to watch the little guy go.
“Um, I don’t actually have her number,” Riggs said a moment later.
Victor looked at him, and for the first time since he’d walked through the door, the clouds faded from Victor’s eyes. “Puteri.”
The brownie popped into existence beside them, startling the hell out of Riggs. Victor laughed, and Gus made a rumbling complaint against his chest.
After scowling at Victor, Riggs turned to Puteri. “Um, we’d like to keep Gus with us for the night, if that’s okay?”
Puteri glared at him. “With you? Outside the wards?”
“Shit,” Riggs said. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Puteri, will you ask Nick if it’s okay, and if he says it is, will you bring what Gus needs for tonight and in the morning? Otherwise, you can come back and get him. We respect the alpha’s rules,” Victor said.
“Yes,” Puteri said. “Alpha’s rules.”
She popped away again.
“It’s never not creepy when she does that,” Riggs complained.
“But can you imagine this place without her? It’s funny. It all happened for a reason, I think.”
“What all happened?” Riggs asked.
“I…” Victor paused and glanced down at Gus once more. “Our magic changed recently. Did you feel it?”
Riggs didn’t know if he’d call it magic, but something in the air had definitely changed lately. “I think so.”
Gus stirred and blinked awake before smiling sleepily at them both.
“One day, I’ll tell you the story,” Victor said, his focus returning to the adorable toddler in his arms.
“Bear!” Gus dove for Riggs and snuggled against his chest, pushing all thoughts of magic out of Riggs’s head.
Riggs let out a breath, wondering when it had become natural to cuddle with a kid that wasn’t even his. Nothing else in the world seemed to matter, though, and that thought shook Riggs once more.
He wasn’t on steady ground at all lately. And yet, he’d never felt more solid. It was the strangest feeling he’d ever had. Scary in that hill-climbing-roller-coaster way that stole your breath but left you laughing once it was over. Exhilarating and terrifying all at once.
Gus began his babbling talk to Riggs, capturing his attention and making him smile so hard his cheeks hurt as the little guy went on and on with his unintelligible sounds. His chubby little hands waved around, and whatever story he told, it certainly required a lot of gestures.
The only thing that stopped him was the rumbling growl of Riggs’s stomach. Gus frowned down at him, clearly puzzled at the strange noise.
“Did you not eat?” Victor asked.
Riggs glanced over and found Victor glaring at him.
“What?”
“Riggs,” Victor’s voice lowered. “Did you eat?”
No way was he answering that question honestly. Of course, his lack of response was all Victor needed to hear.
“You have to take care of yourself,” Victor said. He pushed to his feet and continued glaring.
“Bear!”
“You’re not helping,” Riggs said to the little guy.
“Tell him, Gus.”
Gus scowled at Riggs, then looked to Victor for approval. It drew a smile from their Bird.
“Come on, boys. Let’s find something to eat. I swear, both of you are bottomless pits.”
“Nack?” Gus asked hopefully.
“Yeah, we’ll get a snack, Gus,” Riggs promised as he stood and followed Victor into the kitchen.