Page 93 of Tempting the Fae Lord
Or.
Maybe he will? The more I get to know him, the more I realize his penchant for surprising me.
“Ezra?”
He snuffles against the back of my head, mouth mussing my (sure dreadfully tangled) hair. “Hmm, Mooncalf?”
“I’ve had a thought.”
“Oh, dear. What mischief shall I brace myself for now?”
He’s teasing, but perhaps that’s not such a bad idea.
“What if…” I swirl my fingers over the back of his hand where he’s holding me close. “Instead of swapping the fae babies for human babies—” He does tense a bit here, muscles flexing against my back. “We started…keeping them?”
“Keeping them.” His voice is carefully blank.
I wrench my head around to see his expression.
Also blank. I begin to doubt myself a little.
“You want to raise a child? Children?” he asks quietly.
I shake my head. “No. Well, not anytime soon. I don’t know, maybe one day, but no, I didn’t mean for us to suddenly become fathers. I meant, keeping them, the same as we do the humans. In the fortress. In the village. With families who want them. So that slowly, one baby at a time, our extended family becomes fae and human instead of only human. Then they would live?—”
“As long as we do,” he finishes for me.
“Exactly.” I stay quiet for a moment to let him take this in, but I’ve had this idea flitting about for a while, so before long, more words come tumbling out. “And over time, the fae wouldmix and mingle and move and travel and talk to other fae, you see. And they would know therealyou. So gradually, our realm would also know the real you instead of this nightmarish baby-thieving blood-stealing bogeyman you’ve become.”
He pouts. “But that reputation suits me.”
I roll over to face him. “No, it doesn’t.”
“But I like it. Keeps strangers out of my hair.”
“All right, fine, you go on and snarl and hiss at strangers all you want. My point stands. We’d have a family as eternal as we are, and you wouldn’t need to dig so many graves in your cemetery.”
“Yes, I see.” He tucks a lock of my hair over the shell of my ear. “The time of earthside changelings will come to an end. If this will make you happy, then I shall do it.”
I frown. “No, that can’t be the reason. It’s not that I don’t appreciate that you prioritize my wishes, but we must be equals. Your wishes are just as important as mine. Think on it. And when you’re ready, tell me how you truly feel about the idea. Even if we don’t agree. No rush. No pressure.”
He lets out a long sigh and closes his eyes. “You never make things easy on me, Mooncalf.” When he opens them, they glisten with emotion. “And I hope you never will.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“All right.” He smiles. “I’ll give the matter my thought, though I can tell you truly that I like your idea. I’ve no desire to create another Sonja.”
Honestly, I’m shocked. For as long as I’ve known him, Ezra has been dedicated to his duties: guarding the gate, swapping the babies. For him to reconsider so easily is no less than a solstice miracle.
But things are different now. Have been different since the night we first kissed. He isn’t alone anymore. We’re a team. We have each other, and we have our family.
I bring his hands to my lips and kiss the scars that lattice his palm. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Everything.” I stare openly, taking in his bedroom eyes, his sleek, messy hair, his kiss-swollen lips. My Ezra. As much as I like the southern coast, and as fun as it is to see him so far out of his element, I’m eager to return north.
“You know, I miss our bed at home. It’s much bigger.”
