Crossing the room, I knelt down next to Zara as she began bathing the kit closest to her—one of the miniature Sebastians, as Tess called the two black kits. We all still found it hard not to call them kittens. The two tabbies were, of course, miniature Zaras, and the black and white . . . well, we hadn’t quite figured out what to call her, yet. We had started out calling them by number, but quickly realized the two black kits were impossible to tell from each other. The tabbies had nearly identical markings, too.
They will find their own names when it is time.
Zara had become so zen since she gave birth, I almost missed her sass. She paused her grooming long enough to give me an amused look.
Don’t worry, I’m saving it up.
There’s the familiar we all know and love. I chuckled and gently picked up the tiny tabby that was working his or her way over to me, cradling the soft, warm body to my chest as curious blue eyes studied me.
Zara shook her head. I swear if she had eyebrows she would have raised one at me. That one is female.
Within moments, three more identical pairs of blue eyes locked onto the two of us. The kit under Zara’s paw squeaked in protest as she resumed her attention to his bath, paying him no mind while he twisted and squirmed as he tried to roll toward me.
“Do you have any advice for dealing with the water fae? I’m just getting ready to head out.” I ran a finger back and forth across one of the blankets. The kits lifted their wobbly heads a little higher, trying to follow the movement.
She paused again, her expression thoughtful. Do not stare. Many of them are half-breeds and are very sensitive about their appearance. They do not fit into either of their worlds. The king accepts any that belong to the water into the colony, fae and shifter alike. Although we call them water fae, it is a very loose term.
There were water shifters? How did that work?
Zara sneezed, startling the kits and causing them to scurry back to her. She released the one under her paw and started on one of the others. Land, air, and water. There are many kinds of shifters, all either birds or mammals.
That was reassuring. I would hate to see a spider or snake shifter. Wait . . . snakes were related to birds, kind of, weren’t they? What about alligators? Shuddering, I frowned down at Zara.
There are crocodile shifters, yes, but they are extremely rare. There are no snake, insect, or arachnid shifters.
That was a relief, I supposed. The volumes I’d read down in the workshop didn’t really go into all that much detail on either shifters or the fae. I seriously needed a better source of information one of these days. I think Sam knew more about shifters than I did, at this point, since she worked with so many of them several days a week.
When the new council is formed, a record keeper will be appointed. It will be her job to make sure our volumes are updated and kept that way. Unfortunately, your family’s volumes predate the creation of both the Draftmans and Gloria’s kind, so there is very little recorded information about either.
Shaking my head, I kissed the kit I held on top of her head and gently placed her with her siblings. The thought that anyone could create another being still boggled my mind. As for the mention of the new council I was to assemble . . . well, Zara’s progeny still had almost a year before they would be ready to choose their own witches, so I had a little time to come to grips with all of it. I hoped.
The bracelet on my wrist flared a soft blue and I looked down at it. Maybe it was just a trick of the light? When I glanced back up, I saw that Zara had noticed it, too, her eyes flicking from me to my bracelet, but she said nothing. None of us knew what to make of it. We’d researched what we could of fae Objects, finding only vague references online, which I was disinclined to trust. Sam had her research team at the law firm trying to find information, but they’d hit nothing but dead ends, as well. Astra’s library had the most information, and even that was sorely lacking, according to Finn—especially considering the jewel had come from her fairy mound.
“Sebastian, are you coming with us? Danai is going.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I felt foolish. He was her familiar, of course he knew she was going.
His amusement was palpable. I will join you shortly. I wish to spend a few more minutes here.
Zara made a contented rumble and curled around the kits, who were now nursing rather noisily. If you need me, reach out.
Nodding, I tightened my mental shields as I left the room, softly shutting the door behind me. I headed for the stairs and my room, my thoughts scattering in
