Page 47 of Witch of My Heart

“Of course,” I said and kissed the top of his head. “Let’s get you inside. Something to eat is probably in order.”

“And you need a bloodshake,” Cord sniffled.

“I’ll go get that,” Xi said and kicked up off the ground into the air.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Cord

Neither of us were sure of it at the time, but that night was our first night in the home where we’d raise our children. Liam and the others had prepared the house for a short stay for Duke and Blithe. The effort they put in meant when Blithe swept me off my feet and into the first bedroom he found inside the house, the bed was already made up for the night. With swift magic, he turned down the blankets and top sheet, before tucking me in.

I slept like a rock that night. For the first time since the ‘party,’ Ginger didn’t haunt my dreams. I didn’t dream at all the second night I lay next to my mate. I slept from the middle of the day to the next morning, not even waking up for the lunch Blithe had promised me.

Sometime during the day or not, he must’ve drifted back into the room with me. He left before I woke, but his side of the bed was still warm.

“Blithe?” I called out, my heart pounding in my ears. “Blithe! You don’t have to ward against ---”

“Huh?” Blithe yawned walking out of the bathroom attached to the bedroom.

“Good,” I sighed and flopped down onto my back. “I was afraid you started already, and I didn’t want you to put all that hard work in since I know we don’t need it now.”

“You’re getting your wards,” he yawned. “Maybe not until after breakfast, but you’re getting them.”

I smiled despite the guilt churning in my stomach. I had so many unanswered questions. If the shade had followed me around for months, why hadn’t Liam or Starry seen it before? Why hadn’t I noticed it?

“You’re thinking awful loudly,” Blithe yawned and reached a hand out for me.

“No, I don’t want to get up yet. You lay back down with me,” I grinned.

We held hands for a long moment. I mewed and cocked my head to the side mimicking my cat. He kissed the back of my hand, but shook his head.

“None of that until I give you wards,” Blithe said. “They were never going to be just for her, you know? We’ll ward the house to keep our kids safe. Well, that is if you want the house.”

“I slept in it. You bled in it. It’s ours now,” I yawned.

“I don’t know why they didn’t notice. I don’t know why I didn’t notice right away either. I think Duke ---” Blithe sighed. “I think I need to talk to Duke whenever he rolls out of bed.”

“I am out of bed,” Duke called from the hallway. “Coffee’s on. Cooking bacon. Might as well eat it while we can before morning sickness comes along and you try to ban bacon from the house or some such nonsense.”

“I’m not pregnant yet!” I called back and nodded for Blithe to pull me up out of bed. “Did you see the shade before we did?”

“Let’s go out there and have this conversation,” Blithe smirked, pulling me out of bed and onto my feet.

He gave me a long, slow good morning kiss before dropping my hand.

“Don’t use my cousin as a scratching post, okay?” he teased before stealing another good morning kiss.

“I make no promises,” I laughed and grabbed his hand to tug him down the hall with me.

***

Neither of the Alphas were willing to discuss the shade on an empty stomach. Their behavior was almost ritualistic as Blithe pushed my chair in at the table before grabbing dishes from the cabinet and setting the table. Duke cooked, glancing out thewindows toward the backyard and woods every few seconds as if he worried the shade might return as a zombie from whatever afterlife they banished it to.

Blithe rummaged around the pantry and found two white pillar candles. In a drawer he found some candlestick holders. He carved symbols into both of them with a paring knife.

“Well, that didn’t come from our parents,” Duke teased him, looking back over his shoulder.

“This is our home. We can do things however we like,” Blithe shrugged.

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