Haze made a limp few gestures and pursed his lips. Tack spoke for him again. “Sorry for doing that in front of the pup.”
“It’s okay. Nitenite does it all the time.” Sheila beamed and Nite facepalmed. “Oh… if Haze can only talk with his hands, how will Papa Warring understand him?”
Haze glanced at Tack in confusion. He mouthed the word “who?”
“Papa Warring can’t see good so I’m his seeing eye pup! I get to go in grocery stores, now.” Sheila beamed and Haze hesitated before signing something.
Tack didn’t translate. “No! No, she’s not in servitude. She enjoys helping. Warring is effectively blind, and they have a sort of bond. Sheila likes to feel useful.”
“Sailor says that I like helping because my mom was a working dog and I need a task to feel good. I really like making Papa Warring happy. I wish I could be his eyes all the time, but Papa Leon and Daddy Sailor says I have to learn how to be a people, too.” Sheila beamed, wiggling in her seat as if wagging an invisible tail.
Tack explained Sheila’s situation, how she was conceived with a shifter and a normal dog, and how Sailor was a half mage who traded some of his human form for some of her wolf and balanced it out so they could both shift despite their blood.
“He says you are very kind for what you did to a half blood.” Tack cleared his throat. “Most packs kick them out or do away with them.”
“Yeah, and some packs try to ship their kids with their brothers.” Nite flinched, and Haze shrugged in ayou’ve got me theregesture.
“As our covenmaster’s mate, youdohave the authority to make him a member of the coven.” Tack cleared his throat.
“I do?” Nite frowned. “That mean you do, too, Mads?”
Mads shrugged. “I’ve not even met the rest of Marquis’s coven!”
“Fix that soon, or you’ll have everyone coming up to you asking for permission to do shit like petulant little third graders wanting Mommy’s permission while Daddy’s back is turned.” Nite gave Leon a half-cocked smirk that made Haze hiss with laughter before signing something that made Tack blush.
“He says he’ll stick to wherever he’s got a translator or one of those little cool phones that can do text to speech.” Tack swallowed hard, his throat bobbing before he added a response. “I’m sure they’d give you a charm of some kind to make it to where we could understand you all the time.”
Haze hissed something, mouth moving fast as he pointed a finger to Tack’s chest. The mage whined for a moment as Haze crossed his arms. “Haze says he won’t wear a collar ever again.”
“I wear a ring.” Leon held up a finger helpfully.
“I got used to the collar.” Nite shrugged.
“I has to have a collar, or they won’t let me in the grocery stores anymore.” Sheila swung her feet a little. “But I don’t mind.”
Haze gave an annoyed glance before signing, Tack still translating. “A ring is just a collar for a finger.”
Leon stared at his finger and shrugged. “To each their own. Beats the shit out of a birdcage.”
“Oh! If Haze comes with us, he cannot chase the kitties! You have to be real careful because Nitenite is a kitty and we cannot chase him or bark and be really special careful with Vince because he’s a baby kitty kitten.” Sheila stared Haze down and earned a nod and a gesture that clearly meantcross my heart, promise.
Nite stared at his fingers, brow furrowed. “There a way we could fix his voice like…” He wiggled his fingers a little. His prosthetics were nearly flawless in the right light.
Haze shook his head, Tack speaking as he signed. “He doesn’t want a magical fix.”
He wants to be mute. It’s punishment. He feels guilt.Mads knew the guilt.
“I’m sorry for everything Baron did to you.” Mads took a deep breath. “I’ve only just recently gotten my mind back. Nite here, is my son-in-law. Baron took me as a wet nurse for his son just a while after Rex was born. I don’t remember much after I left… Sometimes time is sporadic and odd.” Mads shook his head, Haze gesturing something.
“Apology accepted.” Tack frowned, speaking to Haze this time. “I don’t think so… Mads, are you pregnant?”
Mads froze as a knock at the door interrupted them. “One moment.”
Leon and Mads went to the door, helping them bring the food in with plenty of thanks. This time it was an alpha, a raven shifter male, that came to them, curiosity glittering in his solid eyes. He gave Haze a lingering glance that ended when he grabbed Tack’s shirt and tugged him closer in a nearly possessive gesture.
“Right. Sorry.” The raven gave an apologetic bow and gestured himself out, a little giddy. All shifters had this strange adoration for omegas, affinities for love and coveting them. Still, he left food, so he wasn’t all horny energy or bad.
Mads sighed. “Just found out this morning.”
