“Maybe so,” Bing said. “But it is what humans do. We hold, we love, and we grieve. All these things take time.”
“Yeah,” Yordan added. “You’re immortal. What is one more day to you?”
“I am not immortal,” Bitterroot grumbled. “But I can be kind, though I do not think it will ease your pain.” He took a breath. “In the morning, then. At dawn.”
“At our tree!” Feta said with a bright voice. “We will host you at our tree!”
Bitterroot didn’t even acknowledge the pixie. Instead, he looked at Laddin and Bruce. “Agreed?”
Neither Bruce nor Laddin spoke. Bruce didn’t want to say yes to anything, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? He’d agreed before. And while he was thinking of making a run for it, the fairy bastard made it worse.
“You cannot outrun me,” he said with exaggerated patience. “Your power comes from me. So, do I take the child now? Or in the morning?”
Bruce looked at Laddin and saw agony reflected back to him. Agony, pain, and no hope whatsoever.
Bruce sighed. “In the morning.”
Chapter 25
ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO BURP A BABY?
LADDIN CARRIED the baby on the way back. They didn’t say a word. Bruce was giving back-off vibes to anyone who came near, and Laddin was too busy holding a now fussy baby in his arms to talk to anyone, though Uncle Josh hovered nearby and winced at an angry cry.
“I bet he’s hungry. I could eat a horse.”
They all were. A werewolf romp always ended in a feast. Only they’d followed their romp with a battle, so food was weighing heavy on everyone’s mind.
“There might be kangaroo meat back where we were,” Nero said.
Josh cut him off. “No. Never. I’m not going to eat anything that tried to kill us.”
“That’s the exact opposite of the warrior code,” Stratos countered. She dropped her voice to mimic a barrel-chested fighter. “We kill, we eat.” Then she grunted twice for good measure.
“Didn’t you kill a lich?”
She sighed. “That’s twice I’ve battled that thing. If it comes back a third time, I want a badge or something.”
“Lich Killer Queen?” Josh offered. He started improvising lyrics as they walked to the road Josh had indicated earlier. A support van was waiting in the distance. Hopefully it would have burgers for everyone. And bonus, he knew the van had emergency baby supplies.
Laddin looked to Bruce, but the guy was still bristling. His shoulders were hunched, his fists remained at the ready, and he kept sniffing like a wolf on the prowl. Laddin didn’t blame him. He felt equally angry, equally protective. The problem was, everyone else was busy celebrating the win.
They’d defeated the demon. It didn’t matter that the thing had been transmuted into a baby. It was no longer killing Lake Wacka Wacka, Wisconsin, or the world, and that called for teasing banter, a feast, and beers all around. It was only Laddin who felt like his world was ending. And maybe Bruce too. But everyone else was breathing a huge sigh of relief and looking for a place to celebrate.
Laddin pulled Aaron close to his chest so he could sing the child a lullaby his mother had taught him. It worked for a time. Aaron quieted and snuggled close while Laddin inhaled the smell of a new baby. His baby.
“Wiz and I will do a supplies run,” Stratos said as she stepped near. “Who knew he has ten siblings and knows all about baby stuff?” She shrugged. “Plus, his Bag of Holding had clothes and money in it, so we can get going as soon as the Uber gets here.”
“It’s an infinite bag, right? Why not keep a motorcycle in it?” Josh asked.
“Because it’s not a TARDIS,” Wiz said.
“Well, obviously,” Josh drawled. “A TARDIS would be way more useful right now.”
“Thanks,” Laddin said to Stratos, ignoring the others. She nodded in response, but her gaze landed on the baby.
“Look, I’m here to help,” she said gently. “And I didn’t hear everything that went down, but….” She took a breath as she raised her hand to touch Aaron’s hair before pulling back. “Isn’t he… you know… a demon?”
“No, he’s not,” Laddin denied, his voice forceful. Bruce reacted too. His head whipped around as he bared his teeth at Stratos. She threw up her hands and backed away.
“Okay, okay! I can see that you guys know what you’re doing.” But her voice implied the exact opposite. “I was just asking a question.”
Wiz continued, his voice coldly matter-of-fact. “That same question is going to dog him his entire life.”
“He’s not a demon,” Laddin repeated, but shit, the question wouldn’t go away. He saw it on everyone’s face, including Bruce’s. And he felt it inside his own heart. He’d been right there. He knew exactly what had happened. His love, Bruce’s love, and fairy magic had taken all their good thoughts and changed a manifestation of anxiety and pain—the demon—into a manifestation of love—Aaron. Good thoughts defeated bad ones by a thousand to one. Always. Assuming the feelings were real. Assuming the love was real. Assuming….
Laddin pressed his cheek to Aaron’s and closed his eyes. There were so many doubts creeping into his head, and he knew if they were coming into his brain, they were crawling into Bruce’s as well.
What he hadn’t counted on was that the director of Wulf, Inc. would choose to add to those doubts. But there he was—a middle-aged man who was still hard-bodied despite his hangdog expression—waiting for them by the van. He spoke quietly to Stratos and Wiz and then gestured for Laddin and Bruce to step into his waiting limo.
Great.
Except Laddin wasn’t going to step in until he got a few things first. Apparently he was the only one who knew that there was baby formula, diapers, and a couple of onesies in the support van. Why they’d been put there, he had no idea, but he was thankful for them.
He gently handed Aaron to Bruce so he could get the supplies. But even though the
