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He laughed as I spun on my heel and disappeared into the bathroom without another word.
5
THE PROBLEM IS BABIES
SARIEL
“It seems your brother inherited your debt to the Free Kingdom,” Kiyomasa drawled, then sighed heavily. “Our spies have confirmed that Michaelson and Lucia are trying for a baby, and there are rumors circulating that they’re a mated pair as well.”
I felt sick.
Auren had taken a moment to introduce us to his inner circle before getting into the details of our brother’s… predicament. Zuzanna—the witch who’d been helping us get settled in—and Kiyomasa, we already knew. Kiran and Atlan, however, we had not met yet.
The twins were old hybrids, like Kiyomasa. I hadn’t heard much about them besides their names and the fact that they were of Unseelie origins, blended with fallen-blood wolves. Without their glamor, you could definitely tell; each had another set of eyes resting just below the first, and their smiles had too many teeth.
Thankfully, they knew they were…mesmerizingin the worst way and made an effort to appear more human for everyone’s comfort. It seemed to be just me and Aria having a problem, though, as even Reese had taken it in stride.
“So, he’s—he’s down there, locked up, and they’re making them—”
Aria looked devastated, hand coming up to rest over her mouth. I wanted to reach for her, but she started pacing the small office we were all gathered in.
“It’s not quite that dire,” Kiran said, his voice a soft rasp. “Blossom respects her sister. While they’re enforcing the parameters of the deal you made, they’re not doing anything that they’re unwilling to do.”
Atlan gave his brother a look, and I got the feeling that there was more that they were not saying right now.
“Are they mates? Have we confirmed it yet?” Auren spoke up— elbows braced on his knees and one hand rubbing at his mouth.
“We have not. Mate bonds are….” Atlan clicked his tongue. “...difficult to confirm, at times.”
“They usually can’t keep their hands off one another, but either the Ambrose children have iron wills, or only one of you is mated,” Kiran cleared up, smirking in a way that kept his teeth hidden.
“I don’t get their fixation with kids,” Auren grumbled. “They don’t actually want them, or else any of the thousands they’ve been given over the years would have sufficed. Not to mention Tarragon murdering all of Blossom’s progeny. It’s all so fucked up.”
He rolled his neck. “Never mind their bloody history. Did you know when they first came into power, there was a massive decline in the birth rate, and infant deaths skyrocketed? Of course, nobody could prove it had anything to do with them, but given the way their reign has unfolded…”
I shuddered at the thought, arms folding across my chest. Aria’s distress was palpable, even without our bond.
“It was definitely their doing,” Atlan commented softly, leaning against the long table behind him. Kiyomasa and Zuzanna were seated, along with Neo, Johnny, and the girls. Aria and I had opted to stand with the twins.
“I would not be surprised. They’ve been searching for a way to fix their incompatibility since they met,” Kiyomasa agreed, watching my mate pace back and forth in the meeting room.
“Tarragon being a murderous bastard isn’t a shock,” Auren added as an afterthought. “When I met them, Blossom at least seemed… notsane, but kind enough.”
“When did you meet them?” I blurted, concerned despite my best efforts to seem impassive.
My brother’s lips tilted at the corners like he was pleased with this development in our fractured relationship. “Recently, actually, but they didn’t realize I was the head of the Resistance.”
With a flick of his wrist, he waved more questions away as if meeting the ancient fae was of no consequence.
The room was stifling suddenly. I almost wished we hadn’t come. Guilt hit me immediately when I thought of how Mikey was being held hostage until he could give the two their heir.
“Anyway, what are the chances they’ve already conceived?”
Kiran grimaced at the question, arms folding across his chest. “It is… very likely. Unless Lucia came up with a way around Blossom’s abilities….”
“The Princess is formidable, but she’s not her sister’s equal in power,” Atlan added with a frown of his own.
Auren let out a long breath, and I could feel his eyes on me.
