Page 44 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
Guardians, I’d never tire of her touch.
“We have news,” I told the younglings and Alastor. “Good news.”
“Or we think it’s good news,” Teddy said. I didn’t have to look at her to know she was nibbling on her bottom lip again. “We hope you think it’s good news too.”
“Are you going to tell us, or should we guess?” Jasmine asked.
I smiled at her sass, knowing she’d picked it up from either Brenton or Ryenne.
“Jazz,” Javier scolded.
“What?” She threw her brows up in question.
I stroked my thumb over Teddy’s stomach, which housed the two little males I already loved dearly.
“Elias and I are pregnant,” Teddy said. “Or I’m pregnant, but we’re having a baby. Two babies, actually. Twins.”
“Two babies?” Victoria asked, her expression excited but confused.
Teddy squeezed my hand once before she took the few steps to reach Victoria, who hopped off the couch. Teddy took the small girl’s hand and placed it on her belly.
“In here,” Teddy said. “We have twin babies inside me.”
Victoria’s expression soured, but she let Teddy keep her hand against Teddy’s stomach.
“How do you have two babies inside you?” Victoria asked.
“Did you eat them?” Juanita’s question came out as a horrified whisper.
Guardians help me, this little girl was adorable. If I could find a way to bottle up that adorableness so I could carry it with me, I would. This girl, all the younglings really, had a way of brightening my world, of breathing life into my heart whenever it’d turn hard.
There was no room inside me for hate when I was with my family.
Teddy threw her head back and laughed, which only seemed to puzzle Juanita more. I scooped her up, her arms instinctively winding around my neck.
“Teddy didn’t eat the babes,” I told her, holding back my amusement. “She’s keeping them safe in her tummy while the babes grow until they’re big enough to come out.”
“Ah, Mama Teddy.” One of the young males stood to hug her. “Have you been getting me all those fruit bombs so I’d offer to babysit the babes for you?”
“Elias, this is Aidas,” Teddy said instead of answering. “He’s a bit of a handful, can be a little shit at times, but he’scharmingand insists on doing dishes whenever he eats here, so I keep telling him to come back.”
Then Aidas was like Brenton. I smiled and, using my most authoritative voice, said, “Are you the one who ate all my fruit bombs?” I arched a brow in question.
“No, Prince.” He took a step away from Teddy, who looked at me with a curious half smile. “I mean, yes, but Mama Teddy, or Miss Teddy, said I could have them.”
“Are you saying my mate fed another male?”
He swallowed hard and turned to look at the front door as if he’d make a run for it.
Teddy stalked toward me and pinched my side.
“Tell him you’re joking before he bends space and runs off.” Teddy narrowed her eyes.
She was cute when she tried to appear threatening.
I ran a hand over my face and laughed.
“Were you joking?” Aidas asked, which made me laugh harder.
