instead of concern. Apparently, she’d deemed Ozias worthy of caring for her child. The baby Laharock watched Effie and Felicks from his side.
“How big do you think he’ll get?” Ozias fished out a fistful of nuts from his pocket and fed them to the child.
Leena hummed. “Males get to be pretty large, but it will be a while before he’s fully grown. He’ll be self-sufficient in a month or two, though. Then you can summon him whenever you want. Until then, try to minimize the time he’s away from Lola, okay?”
Ozias nodded. With a gentle hand, he traced the back of the baby’s spine. Lola let out a contented groan, closing her eyes and sinking her head into the sand. “Lola’s not going to cook me, right?”
Leena’s smile was light. Peaceful. “Not if you’re good to her son. What are you going to name him, by the way?”
He ran a hand over his jaw, looked at his beast. “I think I’ll call him Jax. In honor of an old friend of mine who was always looking out for me. Just like this little guy did today.”
“Jax?” Calem tilted his head. “I don’t know anyone at the guild with that name.”
Ozias’s eyes darkened. “He was someone I knew before I died.”
Silence bubbled around us. I knew Calem and Kost wouldn’t pry. I wouldn’t, either. I had my own dark dealings from my previous life that were better left unsaid. And judging by the sudden hard set of Ozias’s normally pleasant expression, he had no desire to share his memories. Leena studied his face, worry clearly lancing through her eyes, but she kept her lips sealed.
She had her own past to outrun, just like the rest of us.
Shaking away the tension, Ozias grinned and patted his beast. “That work for you?”
Jax emitted a throaty warble and then rested his head in Ozias’s lap. A grin claimed my lips. “Seems like he’s good with it.”
Calem kicked out his feet in front of him and tilted his chin in Leena’s direction. “What about Lola? Will she stay with you?”
“She’s not fully bonded to me yet. Her primary concern is Jax’s safety. Noc could have her.” A heavy pause followed her words. The ocean waves lapped against the beach, punctuated by the occasional bark from Felicks or birdcall from Effie.
Kost looked up from his beast and firelight danced across his spectacles. “Noc?”
“She seems pretty attached to Leena already. I’ll take something else.”
Leena speared me with her gaze, eyes probing beneath the surface to try to root out my intentions. I couldn’t shake Fable’s words. I think Leena knew, because she set her jaw before dropping her chin to her chest. Kost opened his mouth to say more, but just then Felicks leaped into his lap to escape Effie.
Exasperated, he sighed, but the warmth in his eyes remained. “Get your beast under control, Calem.”
“She just wants to play.” Extending his hands outward, he called to Effie. She flew the short distance toward him, ramming into his chest with little poise. Soft clucks worked their way from the back of her throat, and Calem laughed.
Leena studied me without moving her head. “It’s probably time to call it a night.” Rosewood light flared from her right hand, and Lola stood, showering the space around her in sand. She was formidable. Strong and relentless, singularly focused on protecting her young. Battling against her while Leena and Ozias worked had shown me that. And judging by the way Kost kept glancing back and forth between me and Lola, he’d have a word—or several—for me about turning the creature down.
With a loving pat, Leena sent her beast home. My men followed her lead, brandishing bronze keys, and one by one their beasts winked out of existence. The lack of happy cries and soft coos was jarring.
Calem stretched his hands to the sky and rolled his neck from side to side. “See you in the morning.”
“Ditto.” Ozias stood and followed Calem’s footsteps toward the tents.
Kost adjusted his glasses. “If the Laharock didn’t suit your desires, I suggest you discuss a suitable alternative with Leena. We wouldn’t want her to waste her talents on another beast you’re not interested in, now would we?”
Clipped words dropped like weights. I pinched my nose and forced out a steady breath. “Good night, Kostya.”
He flinched at his full name. Only Talmage had used it, and Kost turned on his heels without another word, his rigid gait giving beneath sloping sand. Leena stared after him, worry lining her