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Out the door we went, and I smiled at the beauty of the night we were greeted with. It was cold, sure, but it was snowing ever so lightly. The falling snow could be seen in the glow from the surrounding lights, and it was truly beautiful. “Why are there so many people there waiting? Where did they all come from?”

I chuckled. “They live in Council Estates like we do,” I told him. “They’re most likely going to the festival as well.”

Lewis looked up at me with wide eyes. I didn’t get a chance to say anything else because the Mason twins and their mates spotted us. There was a squeak from one of them, and I had to guess that it had come from Ramsey’s mate because he was suddenly bouncing toward us. “Oh, congratulations,” he said just before he wrapped Lewis up in a hug.

“Hi, Phineas. How are you?” Lewis asked while laughing.

“I’m good. But I’m not new news. You and Vaughn are.” I smiled down at the pair as Ramsey came over and stood beside us. “How exciting is it that you have a mate now!”

“I think it’s great,” Lewis said. “I really wasn’t expecting to find my mate though, but I have zero complaints about who the fates paired me with.”

Phineas looked up at me again. “It’s awesome that all of the gargoyles are mated now.”

“The gargoyle enforcers,” Raiden said as he joined us. “But there is still Dr. Brauer. He’s not mated.”

“Who is Dr. Brauer?” Phineas and Lewis both asked.

“He works with Dr. Bennett,” I answered.

Lewis still looked confused, but the time to clarify was cut short when our ride arrived. There was a toot from the “train” that was there to collect us. There were several cars that appeared to be empty, but when we all approached, we discovered that there were cushions on the seats, as well as thick blankets.

“Where did this come from?” Lewis asked.

“I’m sure Master Edison or one of his warlocks had something to do with it,” I said as I helped him step up into the car. After I sat beside him, we placed the blanket over our legs, and then we waited. It was a few minutes later when the whistle sounded again, and then we started moving.

Lewis looked over at me with a huge smile on his face. “Did you know about this?”

“I’d been told that the festival had grown and that there would be transportation provided to and from the festival. It runs back and forth continually until an hour after the festival ends. I did not know that there would be a festival train, no.” It was rather nice of them to think of those that didn’t have magic. Many of the enforcers had a UTV to get around the mountain if needed, but it was understandable that it wasn’t the best choice for those that were taking their families to the festival. Having so many park at the council building and then still needing to get to the festival wasn’t exactly ideal.

“This is fun. I mean, I’m sure it’s more for the little kids, but I love that they’re doing this for the festival this year.”

I wrapped my arm around Lewis’s shoulders and pulled him closer to my side. “Me too, cutie.”

It didn’t take us long to get to the festival, even though it had been moved to a different spot this year. It wasn’t just to the side of the single enforcer housing any longer. It wasn’t far, only several hundred yards farther away, but it quickly became apparent why they’d not only moved it but also were providing transportation for those of us living on Treasure Ridge. That could have easily been a thirty-minute walk, and with young children, this time of night, that could certainly be more than a handful for some.

The train stopped, and after the whistle sounded again, we all carefully climbed out of the small, covered passenger cars. The blanket magically folded and returned to the center of the bench, exactly as we’d found it, but when I looked to Lewis, I saw that he was already focused on the festival. The bench in front of us where Raiden and Alexander had been sitting with their son also had a folded blanket. I came to the conclusion that Lewis had nothing to do with it.

I walked over to my mate, and after I took his hand, we headed for the festival. “Where do you want to go first?” I asked him.

“I want to visit the food booths,” Lewis told me. “I’m not sure what I want, but I know I’d like to try and get something from a few different places. Otherwise, how will I know what I like or don’t like this year? Maybe something I loved last year doesn’t sit right with me this year because I’m pregnant.”

Understood. Lewis had discovered that his pregnancy was causing him to turn away from some of his favorite foods, and that had made him sad. He was worried that he still wouldn’t be able to tolerate them after the pregnancy ended. I’d done what I could to reassure him, but there were absolutely no guarantees about what he would or wouldn’t be able to tolerate.

Lewis led us to the first booth that had food, and I laughed because I thought his eyes were going to pop out. How was that even possible?

“If they were here last year, I absolutely did not see them. I did spend part of the festival working though, so maybe I just missed them.”

I smiled and nodded. “Do you know what you want?”

“A loaded everything.”

I chuckled at that. I wasn’t even surprised. We waited our turn in the line, and once at the makeshift counter, I looked to Lewis to let him order first.

“I’d like a loaded nachos, please.”

“Beef or pork?”

Lewis suddenly had a look of panic on his face. “There are options? I just thought it was nachos.”