He turned a corner and entered the hall leading to Arcanthus’s workshop. He wasn’t going to shy away from what he meant to do now. The little spark of anxiousness and uncertainty in Drakkal’s gut meant nothing. He’d correct the one lie he’d told to Arcanthus years ago, and then everyone could move on with their lives aware of the possible threat posed by Vanya.
They could reclaim normalcy—not that Drakkal knew yet whatnormalmeant after the birth of a cub.
Drakkal pressed the entry button beside the workshop door, walking through the moment the door opened.
Arcanthus and Samantha were reclining together on one of the couches, her body tucked against his in a languid embrace. Sam was watching the holographic flames in the flame bowl, which were constantly changing color, while Arc fiddled with her hair, weaving a trio of strands into a thin braid.
Samantha turned her attention and offered Drakkal a warm smile. “Evening, Drak.”
The sedhi glanced up at Drakkal with his center eye as his fingers continued their work. “What, you don’t even use the buzzer anymore?”
“You want privacy, lock the door,” Drakkal replied. Hewalked to the unoccupied couch and plopped down. His eyes ached, and his eyelids were heavy; despite having had a few hours of sleep and having not done much physically over the last day, he was exhausted. He couldn’t imagine how Shay felt. But he wouldn’t complain—his weariness was the result of something more amazing and beautiful than he could express.
“You spent all that time whiningbecauseI locked the doors, and now you’re telling me to lock them?”
Drakkal released a huff and tilted his head back, leaning it against the backrest. “Figure it out, sedhi. I don’t have time to be your mother right now.”
“How’s little Leah?” Samantha asked.
A wide grin stretched across Drakkal’s lips. “She’s perfect. Sleeping with Shay right now.”
Kraasz ka’val…I’m a father.
That thought had struck him several times since Leah was born, and each time had been just as surreal as the last. A few months ago, the idea of Drakkal having a cub would’ve been absurd—but only slightly more so than the idea of him finding his mate.
Perhaps the reality of the situation would eventually set in, but he didn’t think his awe would fade any time soon.
“Shay still doing okay?” asked Sam.
“Yeah,” Drakkal replied. “She’s exhausted, but I think all she’s really wanted to do is stare at Leah. Can’t blame her. Painkillers Urgand gave her are helping her get comfortable, at least.”
Drakkal could hear the warm smile in Sam’s voice when she said, “Good.”
Silence settled over the room; it was a comfortable, companionable sort of silence, but it increasingly reminded Drakkal how much he missed his mate and cub as the seconds passed. Finally, he lifted his head and looked at his friends.
Samantha’s eyes were on Drakkal, bright with shimmering, reflected firelight. The joy on her face was unlike any Drakkal had seen there before—and Sam seemed happy just about all the time. Arcanthus had finished with her hair and was staring at her face. Though his expression was subtler than hers, it was beaming with love, adoration, and something…more.
Drakkal understood the look on Arc’s face—it was the same way Drakkal looked at Shay. He smiled to himself and let a few more seconds trickle by. It had been good to see his oldest, dearest friend, his brother, so content over the last year. The bouts of darkness and depression to which the sedhi had long been prone to had been absent in all that time. Arcanthus wasn’t a different person because of Samantha, but he was certainly the best version of himself.
That made Drakkal want to get back to Shay and Leah even more.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Drakkal said, “but I need to borrow Arc for a few minutes. Need to talk to him about something.”
“No problem, Drak. Just don’t rough him up too much, okay?” Picking up her tablet from the couch beside her, she tucked it against her side, disentangled herself from Arcanthus’s embrace, and patted the sedhi’s thigh as she stood up. “I’m going to take a shower. Don’t take too long…cause I’ll be waiting.”
Arcanthus grinned and ran his tail down her leg. “I could just come now. I’m sure Drakkal would understand.”
Sam’s cheeks flushed, and she smiled.
“Yeah, I would understand,” Drakkal said with a chuckle. “But it won’t hurt to wait a little, sedhi. Build some anticipation.”
“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Sam said. She hurried to the door and out into the hallway.
Arcanthus stared after her, and even when the door closed and she was no longer in sight, his gaze lingered on the place she’d been. His expression was almost wistful, and Drakkal couldn’t recall if he’d ever seen Arc look like that in all the years they’d known each other.
“You all right?” Drakkal asked.
Laughing softly, Arcanthus shook his head, keeping his gaze on the closed door. “Seeing Samantha hold little Leah earlier, seeing that joy and wonder on her face…” He sighed and finally turned to face Drakkal. “I didn’t think my instincts could get any stronger regarding Sam, but they’re going crazy right now.”