“One at a time, my love. Unless you’re related to Leon—there’s so many twins and familiars in his family I’m astounded.” Marquis shook his head and parked.
In that small eternity, Mads’s mind leafed back to years and years ago, him a scrawny pennywitch caught at the wrong time with an alpha he hadnobusiness bedding, when a dark-haired goddess of a woman swept him into her arms and kissed his head.
Mads
80 years prior
Having the blessing of one of the most influential covenmasters in existence to mate his second son wasn’t the first thing that came to mind as he sat wrapped in a blanket by the hearth in a drafty old gothic revival style. The chimney leaned at such an angle that only magic could have been keeping it up, and moonlight filtered through a crack.
From the moment they had Arthur’s blessing, they’d been sent to the town over to live in one of the old estate houses. It would be his in time, Marquis assured him. They had hardly any furniture, and the cleaning crew hadn’t even shown up to whisk the dust from the stair corners and chase out the moths, which had fancifully feasted upon every tapestry and curtain in the building. Nobody had protested their union, aside from Baron. He seemed to imply that there was space in his bed for the both of them, and Arthur merely wanted Baron as far away from him as safely possible for the time to ensure he didn’t shame the family further. Marquis had been the golden savior tocover upBaron’s mistake. He’d made an honest omega of a slattern.Pft.
Marquis flitted about the house with his wand, chasing cobwebs and dealing with what he supposed was a poltergeist in the attic that had the most unimpressively large vocabulary of slurs he’d ever heard. Racist, homophobic ghost aside…Mads tilted his head. Having worked alongside the Romani doing fortunetelling and often lumped in with them, Mads often traveled with men and women of many races, nationalities, and creeds. In an age where humans hadn’t learned to play nice with one another, and a frequent traveler in poor areas, he’d thought he’d heard all the slurs there were to know.
With a crash and a wailing shout.That’s a new one…
Marquis, swearing in the distance, spat a spell as plaster dust rained from between ceiling runners. “You made that one up, sir! Now, we can continue flinging banter, or you can assist me in helping youmove on.”
A polite knock on the door made glass panes rattle, and Mads rose to his feet and strode forward to spy the silhouette of Morgana Eclipse, his new mother-in-law. The two had nodded amicably at one another a few times, but Mads wasn’t aware of whether or not she approved of their union. He supposed that he’d find out as he opened the door and gave her a quick bow. “Lady Morgana, Covenmistress.”
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand. “None of that. Invite me in, dear.”
She made to untie the scarf from her head as her eyes drifted upward toward the volley of swears in the attic. “Perhaps we might speak on the veranda? A mother was not meant to hear that sort of speech from her son.”
“I swear to the goddesses that I will have an epitaph engraved upon your tombstone that you died by multiple rectal traumas inflicted by a host of only the burliest Polish men if you do not behave!”
The ghost fired something back, and her lips thinned. “Warranted as it may be.”
A whistle from the kettle told Mads that it was ready, so he hurried and filled a coal warmer, the tea cart, and moved them outdoors. Mads cast a quick silencing charm, his old wand sputtering as he did so. The thing had been hewn by a member of his old coven that had a little skill in the craft, but it was secondhand and not a perfect carrier for him.
“And Marquis has not seen fit to give you a new wand?” Her gaze narrowed at the knotted spruce with a macramé handle.
“I never asked for one.” Mads hid it away and politely tucked the coal pan under the edges of Morgana’s skirts.
She sighed in gratefulness as Mads poured the fresh tea and pushed a cup into her hands after a polite decline of sugar. “I’d offer cream, but we’ve not had a chance to go to market as of yet.”
“I’m not fond of cream in my tea.” She smiled and cupped her hands to the crazed China for warmth. “But speaking of teas I cannot permit, cruel-tea.”
She tittered a polite laugh at her own joke, the fine structure of her cheeks and jawline more akin to Marquis than Arthur. Mads waited for her gesture to sit and did so with his practiced neutral but pleasant expression forced across his face.
“It occurs to me that I’ve not had a chance to speak with you, as of yet.” She sipped her tea and swilled the cup, staring down at the contents. Mads took it as prompting to sip his own as tea leaves swam about. “Marquis is used to much finer. I apologize that this is what Arthur has gifted you two.”
It was the second biggest house that Mads had ever been in, barring the Eclipse estate. It had a beautiful pecan tree out front with the pinned leaves still scattering the ground and the rich, oily scent of sweet, earthy decomposition from the shells. He frequently rooted around in the earth to steal a few as-of-yet-unrotted ones for a snack. Toasted with a little sugar in the brasier and they were a fine treat. He’d made some fresh that morning while Marquis warred with a gnome infestation and forbade him from assisting. Likely because Mads’s solution was fairly unethical.
Having seen a gnome gangbang on an unconsenting opossum at one point…pouring kerosene down their holes and lighting it aflame felt justified.
All that aside, he loved the house, and assured Morgana that it was lovely and much appreciated. Parents had no obligation to give houses to their children, so he was happy as long as Marquis was there.
The doubtful look in her dark eyes obscured behind lowering lashes as she swilled her tea again. “Speak frankly to me, omega.Cards on the table, as it were.”
The cards jab made Mads flinch as if she knew his penchant.
“Mads. If you, please.” Mads pinched his shoulders, barely aware of the gesture. He tried to straighten up as Marquis had incessantly prodded him to do, but in the face of such a refined woman, it didn’t come naturally.
“Mads.” She nodded and sipped her tea once more, a light shadow of ochre lip stain remaining on the faded gold rim.
“Thank you, M—” Mads started, but Morgana held up a hand to silence him.
She took a long drag of her tea and stared down at her cup and smiled in a sad sort of way. “Why were you with my Baron?”
