Page 59 of Within the Veil

I ignore the snickering in my head and resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Well, 10 out of 10, I do not recommend popping up and telling a person youjustsaid is a lot like me that once upon a timeyouhighlighted as an Iced-Coffee Stork delivery boy. You will be skewered on-site. I think my approach would be a bit more digestible."

Zane frowns, "Please tell me that your intended approach isn't to ride in on Xena's back." Fuck.

Apparently, my mental pictures of riding my giant lion like a majestic pregnant goddess are being projected in high resolution and are not well received.

I clear my throat and ignore him, "In regards to putting myself in harm's way, this is war, not a damn tea party. Although I hear the English areveryviolent about their tea preferences, so maybe it is. Regardless," I wave my hand in the air, hoping it will stop my brain from spiraling any further. Maybe there is some validity to this baby brain nonsense.

"I didn't sign up for this. The fact that I can kill before I can even legally drink in the non-magical world is absolutely insane. But here I am, and part of my job description is to be in danger, right underneath the clause that reads, 'You're a Fae, Harry...' or Hudson, in my case. To address your other concern, Nici had spieswithinthe rebel camp thatyoudidn't know of. So what? I'm her Mike Wisoski, she's always watching. And TMI here, but I literally hump the leg of the King of Spies," I point back at the man currently trying to glue himself to my body, as he rubs my belly. "He can set up a false trail, leading her creepy little minions elsewhere while we breach the Veil at a location closest to Charlie. The after... well... we can figure it out later, but right now, devising a plan of action to get there is the most important step."

"Did she say she humps my leg? Like a dog? What in the world is going on with humanity!" Oberon leans over to whisper to Ryder.

"Dude, I stopped asking that question when MTV went from videos to strange reality shows," Ryder responds.

"I have no idea what you just said, and I refuse to get brain-wiped by an old crone and be taken across the Veil for several years just to find out," Oberon mutters back.

I don't hold back the laugh but wish I had... considering...damn bladder.

I pull myself out of Oberon's arms, with great difficulty and waddle my ass to the bathroom.All the magic in the world, and I can't walk straight nor empty my bladder by osmosis.

My list of complaints grows longer as I walk back into the living room, where I'm immediately snatched up by Grayson.

"The most important step? Everything else, like making sure you can head into battle without running to the bathroom or having a pizza in your backpack, is secondary?" He laughs, kissing the top of my head, picking up where I left the conversation.

I scowl, "What's the point of having all of you historical figures as my mates if you can't pick up my slack? Really, I can't carry you all on my back and all four of your children on my front. Well, I can, but...HIYAHHH!"

I stop abruptly and karate chop his incoming arm, knocking his shake concoction from his hand onto the floor.Distractions. Clever distractions.

I narrow my eyes, "the fucking nerve, Grayson O'Donoghue- Fhaell. You can shove that shake right up your watery Fae kingly ass." Jensi and Luca burst out laughing, everyone else a bit more controlled as they hide their laughs behind their hands.

He glares at them as he waves his hand over the mess, making it disappear. "It is a damn raspberry and chocolate protein shake! I thought you would like it," Grayson sighs.

"AND?" I ask, knowing damn well it wasn't just raspberry and chocolate, which I love. No, he is being a sneaky bastard, and I want to know what was in the cup.

He grumbles out a response so low that not even my super-sensitive ears can pick it up.

I point my finger at him, "I can't hear you."

He sighs, running his hands through his hair, "Spirulina."

Although I know I never of it before, my brain plunks the information from whatever hard drive the Keepers installed in my brain, fucking amazing...also... "You gave me algae?" I ask incredulously.What in the Ursula?

"It's nutritious and good for the babies," he defends, his grey eyes flickering as he straightens his shoulders. "Wait... did you say O'Donoghue-Fhaell? That's not the way it works."

I roll my eyes, "Oh,thatyou heard, but not the 'stop feeding me fish toe fungus.' Also, what would you prefer? Hudson of the Five Ridiculously Strong Mates? I can't take on all these names, so you'll have to take mine."

"Technically, we don't do married names. The children, like us, will take on the name of the lands and family line they are born to," Oberon rubs his chin in thought. "But I can see the potential issues here, they will be born from multiple lines."

"Here?" Remi shakes her head. "We didn't get 'here' because we didn't go to 'here.' We are still in 'there.'"

Oberon stares at her, and she sighs. "As in, she isn't concerned with the babies' names. Although, now that you brought it up, she will be. She is referring to traditional marriage in the mortal realm. Come to think of it, considering we live in a matriarchal society, it only makes sense that the men take on the Queen's name. But, then, we don't really do the human version of marriage." Remi adds, her face pensive, and my stomach drops at her words. She continues with a shrug, "I never really thought about it. It was bad enough I couldn't let my rainbow fly, so everything else could fuck all the way off."

I force a laugh and sigh," I actually considered the babies' names. Because, of course, leave it to me to have fated mates who have ties to everything. Ocean, spears, giants, Djinn. The only normal ones here, and I say that lightly, are Oberon and you, sugar tits. I figured we would do a Madonna thing and skip the last names. Otherwise, roll call for school is going to take fae-ever."

She laughs, "The bright side is, babe, matriarchial society. With you as Queen, even without marriage, we will still technically have your name. We will always be known as the Consorts of Queen Fhaell even after your reign is over because we are Fated. This," she waves her finger in the air pointing at her and the guys, " is forever."

"I know that. Still..." I look away, my voice softer than I want it to be.

---