“Give the car to Uncle Nero,” Nero said with a happy grumble. “Go on,” he said, nudging Bruce’s shoulder. “Go say hello to what you made.”
It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t even logical. And yet Bruce stumbled forward, and as he stood there looking stupid, Laddin offered him the baby. He hadn’t intended to take it, but he couldn’t let the child fall, could he? The feeling of having little Aaron in his arms was perfect, and the little pink bow the baby’s lips made as he sucked on his fist was even more perfect. Bruce didn’t know what to think. He sure as hell couldn’t be feeling this swell of love for a child that used to be a demon.
“It’s not real,” he murmured.
“Sure looks real,” whispered the older man who—he now realized—couldn’t speak above a whisper.
“Yeah,” chuckled Josh. “Please say I can be there when you explain this to Mom.”
“No!” Bruce said, his voice hard. “No parents. No others. Not yet.” Not until he could wrap his own head around it. Then he looked at Laddin. “Did we really make a baby? Did we really make our baby?”
“Yes,” an arrogant voice said. “Yes, you did. One born of love and magic. It’s unusual, to be sure, but he is definitely your firstborn child.”
It took Bruce a moment to recognize the voice—and then even longer to make himself look up from his child to see the fucking fairy prince standing there.
Bitterroot. And the asshole had said firstborn child.
The guy wasn’t dressed in salad right now. Instead, he was tall, dark, and his black eyes glittered with excitement. Bitterroot brushed a butterfly off his shoulder and reached for the child.
Bruce pulled back the child, and Laddin stepped between them.
“Get back, you fairy bastard!” Laddin growled.
“It is my right,” Bitterroot said firmly. “The child is mine by bargain of power. The very same power you used to create him.”
“Oh, child,” Lady Kinstead said, her voice ringing with dismay. “You didn’t bargain away your baby, did you?” She looked at Wulfric. “Didn’t we make a rule? No fairy deals? Didn’t we?”
Wulfric nodded, but he didn’t speak to her. Instead he turned to Bitterroot. “There must be—”
“I will not speak with Wulfric the Deceiver.”
Wulfric pressed his lips together, dipped his chin, and took a step back. With him went Lady Kinstead, her expression infinitely sad. But even as he stepped back, Nero pressed forward.
“Come on, Bitterroot. What would you do with a magic demon child anyway?”
“This child will be cherished beyond anything you can imagine,” Bitterroot snapped. “The bargain was made, the power used, and the child is mine!”
“No,” Bruce said loudly. “Absolutely not. This is not my firstborn child. I didn’t—we didn’t give birth to him. We—” He didn’t really know what they’d done, but it didn’t seem to matter. He could see that in Bitterroot’s face.
“Do not fight me on this,” Bitterroot said, his voice heavy with menace. “You will not win.”
“You can’t have him—” Bruce said.
“We won’t give him up—” Laddin said at the same moment.
Bitterroot squared his shoulders and raised his hands. The butterfly that had been dancing around his shoulder settled into his open palm. “You will die, and I will still have the child,” he said. But before he could do more, Yordan rushed forward. His big hands were raised palm out, and his bullhorn-like voice echoed in the clearing.
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Let’s not go talking about dying, okay? We just finished with one demon, we don’t need to go making another.” He glanced over at Bruce. “No offense.”
Bruce didn’t even understand what the man was saying. He was too focused on finding a way out. How did they escape the fairy prince’s bargain?
Meanwhile, Nero came to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yordan as they looked at Bitterroot.
“What would it take to leave the child alone?” Nero asked. “What do you want instead—”
“There is no instead,” Bitterroot interrupted. “I need the child.” Then his voice took on a softer note. “He will be cherished and adored above even myself. You don’t know what a human child means in Fairyland.” He shook his head. “There is nothing else you can offer me.”
“I won’t—” Bruce argued, but Stratos cut him off.
“What about time?”
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
“You mean like visitation?” Yordan asked. “One weekend here, one weekend there?”
“I’m not giving up the rights to my child!” Bruce said.
“You already gave up your right to him when you ate the apple,” Bitterroot countered.
Which was true. But he never expected to make a baby. And certainly not this way.
Stratos held up her hand as she focused on Bitterroot. “Look, we’ve just finished the mother of all battles. We don’t even know if it worked. We don’t know yet if Earth has been saved.”
“It has,” Bitterroot said, twisting his head enough so that he could flick his gaze to where Feta stood with Erin on his shoulder. “You have healed the land? No more poison in the water or the soil?”
“Yes, Fairy Prince,” Feta said, worship in his tone.
“No, Fairy Prince,” Erin said, her voice equally awed.
“What?” Bitterroot snapped. “Why no?”
“I mean there is no poison.” She hopped on Feta’s shoulder as she looked at Bruce and Laddin. “Their love is very strong. We were able to heal everything.”
Bruce blew out a breath, and he wasn’t the only one. Earth was safe. Wisconsin was healed. That was very good. But it didn’t mean he was giving up Aaron.
“What I meant,” Stratos said clearly, “was that we’re still regrouping. Doesn’t magic take a while in all those fairy stories? Aurora’s curse didn’t kick in until her sixteenth birthday. Rumpelstiltskin didn’t show up in the delivery room. Give these guys some time before they have to think of giving up the baby. They’re not even dressed yet.”
Bitterroot folded his arms, his expression angry. “Do you think to find a way out by morning? You will not. The child will still be
