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“This is thecourtingphase?”
Gabe nods.
“What comes after the courting phase?” I ask.
Darwin doesn’t try to cover his laughter. “I asked the same thing. The breeding phase, evidently. I really don’t think any of us but Gabe need to be around for that.”
“Hell no.”
“Wait, come on,” Gabe wheedles. “You don’t want to observe? Like, five whole magi in the world have seen this. You thought the unicorns were cool.”
“I still think the unicorns are cool. The muddy, moldy twigs going at it on the carpet, not so much.”
“Teddy, I never thought you’d be put off by superficial appearances,” Gabe says.
Weeell, when he says it like that.
“Ugh, fine. I’ll watch with you.”
Gabe leans in, wiggling his eyebrows. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
I elbow him, but when he keeps leaning in, puckering those plush lips, I give him a kiss before pushing him away. “You’d better.”
“We’re going to be late if you don’t stop flirting,” Lords says from the doorway.
I hold my hands out to my boys. They crowd around me.
“Together,” I say. “No one kills Da.”
They nod.
“We just fuck him up a lot,” Charlie growls.
I’m not going to argue with that.
Chapter62
The Last Dragon
Iwish I had an extra hand so I could hold hands with all my boys as we walk out of the Ember Palace.
I haven’t learned to grow another hand, so instead I pull on our quaternion, tightening the bonds until I don’t feel any separation between us, even though I’m holding Charlie’s and Gabe’s hands and Gabe’s holding Darwin’s.
They’re waiting for us in the courtyard.
I swallow hard, remembering the day I walked out of Gabe’s dorm to find a similar phalanx of enemies. I lost that day.
I don’t intend to lose today.
I don’t recognize all the people gathered between the Ember Palace and the Dueling Dome. There must be three or four dozen. Da, Brendan, and Les are at the front of the crowd. Falconer Eythin, wearing a different set of red robes but still very much in villain-gear, stands near Da. His niece stands beside him. I catch the flash of Phoebe’s amber eyes further back in the crowd.
Gang’s all here, then.
Callan pushes past Darwin and stops a few meters from Da.
“I invited you here as my guest. You dare abuse my hospitality by plotting against my son’s betrothed?”
“Has to be done,” Da says. “Send her home with me and this doesn’t need to involve you or yours any further. It’s between the slag and me.”
