Page 40 of Dance in the Stones

“So you could get pregnant.” Redford latched onto that like a lifeline. It doesn’t have to be me.

“No, it doesn’t have to be you, and yes.” Damon paused and thought for a moment. “I know Cain got pregnant – that’s another one of my pack members, and him and his mate Ollie have a little girl. In Beau and Blue’s case, it was Blue who got pregnant – did they have a boy or a girl? I can’t remember. A boy, I think. Yes, Tristan. And then Faron’s mate Patrick was pregnant… Hmm, that’s…I can’t remember if they’ve had their little one yet, I’d have to check the group chat. But yes, if it’s good enough for Lord Hades to carry two sets of twins to his mate, then why can’t we do it too?”

Lord Hades? The God of the Underworld? Redford quickly rubbed his left temple. “Okay, but you said it has to do with intent, so it’s not like either one of us is just going to suddenly get pregnant, right?”

“I know we’ve got the castle to fix and more history to uncover,” Damon said, draping his arms around Redford’s neck. “But if it’s something you ever want to think about – later – then the option is there. It will always be there, and we can talk about it then. I just didn’t want you to be surprised when you meet Simon.”

“I think you’ve done that already,” Redford said, tilting his face up so he could catch a kiss. “But yes, the castle, documents, the council…we have other things to do for now.” He was totally ignoring his gargoyle’s happy thoughts about having an egg of his own. Didn’t you hear me? I’m ignoring you.

/~/~/~/~/

After eating a large late lunch, they spent the next hour carefully examining each document, taking notes on what they’d found. The logbook alone contained over three hundred names spanning nearly a century. There were numerous letters from safe houses across Scotland and beyond. But it was the journal that fascinated Redford the most, in the way it detailed daily life at the sanctuary while it was running.

Redford found himself wondering about the people who’d lived in the castle, the ones who’d risked everything to help strangers. They’d been human, from what he could tell, but there had to have been some knowledge of the paranormal world because different species types were mentioned in the list of those saved. But apart from Beatrice, the witch who’d warded the castle, it seemed most of the people running the network were kind locals doing extraordinary things because it was the right thing to do.

“What are you thinking?” Damon asked, watching him.

“About the concept of legacy and what we leave behind.” Redford set down the letter he’d been reading. “These people built something that lasted centuries, and I feel that matters today, even if they couldn’t be aware of that.”

“And you want to honor that.”

“Don’t you?”

Damon’s expression went thoughtful. “Yeah. I do.” He glanced at the window, at the ruins beyond. “I’ve lived thousands of years, Red, and I did my part protecting the Underworld, and then my packmates when needed on Earth. I’ve never been part of building something like this, though, and I’m excited about it.”

“Well, that’s probably just as well.” Redford stood, stretching. “It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Damon rose too, gathering the documents with careful hands. “First things first - we need to secure these properly. I’ll put them in my collar box for now. Later, when we contact the council, we can see what they recommend.” He paused. “And you should call your supervisor.”

Redford nodded. The conversation he’d been avoiding for months, maybe years. “Tomorrow. I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“When you’re ready.”

“I’m ready, and I’ll do it tomorrow, I promise.” He pulled Damon close, tucking his mate against his chest. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping me see what I was too burned out to notice.” Redford pressed a kiss to the top of Damon’s head. “That there’s more to life than work. That it’s okay to want something for myself.”

Damon’s arms tightened around him. “You deserve everything, Red. Don’t you forget it.”

Redford smiled. “Everything? Does that mean you’re cooking dinner tonight?”

Chapter Fifteen

“You don’t have family you can call?” Damon asked, watching Redford pace the cottage’s small living room for the third time in as many minutes.

“I’ve got aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered across Europe, but we’re not close.” Redford stopped at the window, shoulders tight. “The gargoyles from my clan are mostly solitary by nature. When they tried living together as a clan, things got messy fast. Some were determined to hide from the world completely, while the rest of us wanted to go out and live among regular people. So yeah, we did that instead.”

Damon’s hound rumbled at the loneliness threading through their bond. “What about your parents?”

“They succumbed to the stone.” Redford must have noticed Damon’s surprised expression because he added, “They were very long-lived, about a thousand years or so, and yet they weren’t fated. I think they were an example of forced bonding due to clan expectations that were really common back then.

“Anyway, I think life, and despair…to be honest I don’t know, but succumbing to the stone is a term used by gargoyles when they shift into their stone form to heal and never shift back.” Redford’s reflection in the glass looked tired. “I’d like to say they were good people, but even when they lived, we saw each other maybe once every five years or so.”

“That sounds lonely.”

“It was normal.” Redford turned, attempting a smile that didn’t quite land. “We’re not pack animals like hellhounds.”