Stop Kidding Around (Magical Mates #2) - Macy Blake Page 0,87
week.
And then there was the alpha, so proud and strong. Nick strode over to the forming portal with Jedrek by his side, ready to greet the Queen of the Fae without batting so much as an eyelid. It was a sight to see.
The portal opened and dozens of sprites appeared, dropping colorful flower petals to form a carpet of sorts for the queen. Her royal guard came first, the Valkyrie marching in formation, their gazes sharp and weapons ready.
And then Queen Orfhlaith herself appeared. Hildr dropped to her knee, and Jeremy quickly mimicked her action. Loch, Sawyer’s blue-winged mate, also lowered himself to one knee, and Puteri did as well.
Nick waited until the queen drew closer. “Your Majesty, thank you for honoring us with your presence.”
“And thank you for such a kind invitation.”
“Yeah, that was Jeremy,” Nick said. “Apparently he’s really thankful for you.”
“Hmm,” Queen Orfhlaith said. “Young Jeremy, come to me.”
Jeremy and Hildr approached. “Thank you for coming, Queen Orfhlaith. It means a lot to me.”
“And have you reached a decision yet?”
Toby waited, as did the rest of them. She’d invited Jeremy to come live in the fae realm with her. Although she’d not revealed what she recognized in him, the queen had made it clear to Nick that Jeremy was fae, even if she wouldn’t explain anything else about him. At any rate, she’d quickly agreed to his request to ask Hildr to be his parent. And Hildr, once she’d picked her jaw up off the floor from the shock, had agreed as well. She’d had conditions, of course, and she and Jeremy had a session of negotiations that would have made any member of the fae proud.
Jeremy looked nervously at Hildr before speaking. “I’m not ready to leave my pack yet, Your Majesty. But if you really need me, I’ll come.”
“Hmm.” She glanced at Hildr. “Greetings, Hildr.”
“Your Majesty.” Hildr lowered her head respectfully.
“All is well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The additional guards have been successful in preventing any other fae attacks. The Lady’s magic is fading as time passes, which will further reduce the risk.”
“Excellent. Then our agreement holds, Jeremy. You may stay with Alpha Smith until you are ready to spend some time in our realm.”
Jeremy darted forward and flung his arms around her waist. She awkwardly patted him on the back. “Humans are extremely…”
“Touchy-feely?” Toby offered.
She scowled.
“Come see what we did, Your Majesty.” Jeremy beamed up at her and held out his hand. “We decorated and I drew a picture. So did the others.”
“Hi! Keen!”
“Gus, shh.” Victor’s attempt at keeping his boisterous toddler contained didn’t work.
“Keen! Up!” Gus wiggled and squirmed in Victor’s hold until he realized his dad didn’t plan on releasing him.
Queen Orfhlaith sighed. “It’s fine.”
Gus squealed with happiness as Victor put him down. He ran as fast as his little legs would take him and plowed into the queen’s legs. “Petty Keen.”
“Yes,” Victor said quickly. “The queen is very pretty.”
Gus looked up at her from beneath his lashes. “Hi.”
“Hello, little one.”
“Bed Banda.”
The queen appeared to be confused again.
Victor translated. “He’s telling you he’s a red panda.”
“I’m sure you’re a delight.”
Gus batted his lashes and smiled.
“Lord,” Toby muttered, “he’s going to be worse than Ollie when he grows up.”
“I heard that!” Ollie’s hissed reply only served to draw the attention of the entire pack. Lots of snickers could be heard.
“Come on, Gus. Let’s go eat.” Nick’s words broke the spell Gus was under, and he immediately ran for Victor.
“Dada! Eat!”
No one else needed to be asked. They headed into the rec hall en masse. Daisy skipped along beside Toby with her hand clenched tightly in his. Marigold sweet-talked Brooks into carrying her, so the four of them walked with the others as a unit.
Something about the entire moment had Toby feeling overwhelmed with emotion once more. He’d never imagined such a thing was possible. He’d have thought it was a joke, if you’d told him six months ago this would be his life.
He grabbed Brooks’s free hand with his own and linked their fingers together.
“Hey, Brooks?”
His mate turned to look at him, and Marigold stole the moment to blow a raspberry against Brooks’s cheek.
They all laughed, and as Toby leaned closer, he whispered, “Springy petrichor.”
Brooks grinned and wrapped his arm over Toby’s shoulder. “I love you too.”
Want to read Gus-Gus meeting his daddys? Check out All Kidding Aside, now available on Amazon.
About the Author
Macy Blake believes in unicorns and fairies, in moonbeams and stardust, and that happily ever after comes in all colors of the rainbow. She loves to lose herself in paranormal romance, living vicariously through her favorite sexy fictional heroes. These days you can often find her pounding away at the keyboard, trying to capture the magic of her own worlds while arguing with her feisty German Shepherd, Minerva, and her adorable pound puppy, Pomona.
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Also by Macy Blake
The Chosen One
Sweet Nothings (prequel)
All or Nothing
Nothing Ventured
Next to Nothing
Nothing Gained
Stop at Nothing
Hellhound Champions
Hell On Earth
Hell To Pay
Give Him Hell
Magical Mates
All Kidding Aside
Triad of Magic
Mind Magic
Body Magic
Soul Magic
Wild Magic
Diagnosis Wolf