Page 72 of Ulune's Daughter

Teddy sighs and rubs her belly.

“Come on, mamacita,” I say to Teddy, ignoring the movie. “Spill about the baby names.”

I have money on this and have been trying to tease it out of Teddy for months.

Teddy makes a locking motion across her lips. “Daddy’s choice.”

“Do you ever get to name your kiddos?”

I know Darwin and a really old, really scary fae lady called the Liusaidh named the twins. Something about tradition and their fae hearts. I think their names are pretty but if they’re meant to be aspirational, being honorable and gallant is a bit of a burden for two little kids to bear.

Teddy shrugs. “Charlie’s not bothered about names. But really, I’m not much fussed either. Other than my auntie Jill, there’s no one in my family I want to commemorate and I’ve always thought it was dead strange naming a kid after someone who is still alive. A girl would end up being called Jilly or Jilly Bean or sommat. A boy would be Gill.” Teddy makes a face. “Poor kid.”

“I’m naming my boy Mason,” Rachel says with another burp. “I love that name.”

Teddy, Fee, and I exchange glances. Rachel’s been waiting for her man for seven years. The chances of him getting out of Karkarus in time to give her kids are getting slimmer and slimmer. I stretch out of my bean bag and tap Teddy’s foot with mine.

“Any word on that?”

She shakes her head.

Slimmer and slimmer.

Teddy jerks her head toward the door. We’re in the Ember Palace’s utterly ridiculous underground entertainment suite. There’s a pool, a sauna, the theater where we’re sitting, a kitchen and bar, a room Teddy calls “the new and improved mancave” which is filled with games: foosball, snooker, ping-pong, and every electronic console a Twitcher-streamer could dream of, and a bowling alley.

The bowling alley’s evidently the subject of some inside joke between Teddy and her husbands. Any time anyone mentions it, Teddy turns red and the guys snigger.

I climb out of my bean bag and help haul Teddy out of hers.

“Snack run,” Teddy announces.

“Caramel popcorn!” Rachel demands.

“Caramel popcorn and spicy tequila?” Teddy plants her hands on her hips. “You’re gonna regret your life choices in the morning.”

“Yes, mum!” Rachel chirps.

Shaking her head, Teddy leads me into the kitchen. She pulls out one of those readi-pop bags of popcorn and puts it in the microwave. While it heats, she fishes a tub out of the industrial sized-refrigerator labeled “caramel sauce” in Gabe’s handwriting.

“Homemade caramel sauce?” I ask. It should be sneering but I’m actually so impressed it comes out envious.

“It’s Rachel’s favorite. They’re spoiling her after Evan’s last appeal was denied.” She turns to me, running her eyes up and down me. “Spill it.”

“Whaaa? Other than recovering the cup of Sulis Minerva and hopefully undoing my curse on a village of jackalweres, I’ve literally been up to nothing but setting up the museum exhibit.”

Teddy arches her brows at me as she pulls bags of healthy, and some not so healthy, snacks out of the fridge. I immediately snag one of the rainbow-colored macarons. Piling the snacks on the kitchen island, Teddy reaches across and pinches a lock of my hair between her fingers.

“You’re glowing. Your hair is shiny. You keep smiling at nothing. And you didn’t complain once when Rachel demanded sparkly vampires even though I know you loathe those films. You’re boning on the reg.”

“I am not.” I throw up my hands.

“I call bullshite. And don’t think I missed the claws. What’s with those?”

I hold out my hands. My fingernails, which have always been kind of blue, turned long, hooked, and darker than midnight after my adventure in the cave. I’ve cut them but they grow back overnight. They get in the way when I type, but otherwise, I kind of like them.

“Happened after I called the Shades in the jackalweres’ cave.”

Teddy takes my left hand between hers and examines my nails. “They look like the witch claws that manifest when I pull hard on my Element. Are you channeling Air?”

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