章節 84: 84- the litter of 6
As Saoirse lay in Sirius' embrace, a sudden wave of grief washed over her. "Should we have done that?" she murmured.
(No! Absolutely not! I yelled from afar, but I made sure she couldn't perceive me—only my aura.)
"Come out, rabbit I know you're there!" Saoirse's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
(I appeared.)
The rabbit glared at them, its furry face twitching with agitation. It couldn't hold back any longer. "NOW YOU'VE GONE AND DONE IT!" the entity yelled. "Six! That's how many! In case you're wondering!"
(I knew I was being jealous. It wasn't fair that I was waiting for a body and now I had more brothers and sisters who were beating me to it.)
Sirius turned pale and fainted from the announcement.
(I can guarantee that never in the history of the world had someone found out so quickly they were having a baby—except perhaps Mary and Elizabeth, but that's another story.)
"…Six?" Saoirse whispered, her face frozen in shock.
————————-
Several hours later, Ériu and her husband were gathered around the couple, listening as Saoirse explained what their family guardian had revealed.
Ériu's husband, the Fomoire king, slapped his knee and burst out laughing. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" he roared, wiping a tear from his eye.
Sirius unsheathed Odin's sword and pointed it at him. "She's not lying," he said protectively.
This amused the king.
Ériu stepped between them, her tone icy. "Put the sword away. My husband laughs at anything. He laughs because there are so many, he's just making fun of you."
Reluctantly, Sirius lowered the blade.
"The gods have blessed you," Ériu said, turning to Saoirse with a rare smile.
"The gods hate me," Saoirse argued flatly. "I doubt this is their blessing."
"Well, then take mine," Ériu said, unfazed. "In all your wanderings, your babies will always return to you."
Saoirse felt the weight of Ériu's words. She was giving her blessing. The blessing of a goddess. This had the power to bind in heaven and earth.
"Mama, the lady thinks the babies are gonna die," Sroka chimed in, appearing out of nowhere. This time, nobody jumped except Ériu's husband, who stared at her in astonishment. His reaction earned the mischievous smile Sroka had been waiting to give all morning.
Sirius and Saoirse exchanged weary glances. They were used to Sroka's antics by now, but now wasn't the time to remind Sirius of his fears. Ériu's husband was clearly startled, but he didn't want them to be upset by his wife's words. He decided to quit his mischief and changed the subject.
"What will you name them all?" He asked.
Saoirse placed her hand on her chin in thought. "I'll wait to meet them." She decided. "We don't even know their genders yet."
(Invisible beings in the room could have told her, but she wasn't ready to know.)
Sirius, meanwhile, noticed the faint golden threads of Yggdrasil attached to Saoirse's navel, glowing softly through her shirt. (In a beautiful way, not a weird way, so don't get any weird ideas.) He kept this secret to himself, not wanting to tell her.
Seeing the threads had always been his gift. It was how he had found her in the first place—a thread had snapped in the forest, pulling him toward her. That moment of curiosity had led to this—a future with his fated mate. Even though Taz was gone, Sirius felt his animal instincts lingering, an unshakable pull toward Saoirse and their growing family. His mind was becoming addicted to her presence, her body. Of the idea of impregnating her...could they make more than this if he laid with her again? Why did that make him want to bite her?
"Sirius, are you okay?" Saoirse's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Huh?" He realized he was on the ground. Had he fainted again? "I'm fine," he muttered, though the room spun around him. "Six…" he said pulling himself back up off the floor.
"It's normal for werewolves to have multiples," Saoirse said, trying to sound reassuring. "We should have expected it."
"It doesn't make me feel better," Sirius admitted, rubbing his temples.
"I had five siblings," Saoirse added.
"They got killed," Sirius said quietly. "My father killed them."
And there it was—the old fear creeping back. Sirius could feel the weight of his father's shadow looming over him again.
Ériu frowned. "Why do you fear that man more than Odin?"
Sirius hesitated. "Probably because…" He wanted to say it was because he'd grown up under his father's fist, but the words caught in his throat. He couldn't explain why the fear of his father was deeper, darker, and harder to escape. In truth he didn't fear Odin for some reason. He didn't care what Odin thought about him or his growing family. He would kill him again and again if he had to protect them.
Sroka suddenly spoke, her tone sharp. "You took me and my brother in. Why not your own babies? Why do you worry so much? You shouldn't."
"Sroka honey it's not that simple." Saoirse defended Sirius, worrying that his silence meant he was overwhelmed.
"Dad you're overthinking this." She continued, ignoring saoirse. "You've fought to protect strangers, Sirius," Sroka said firmly. "Do you think your own kids won't be worth the fight?"
He looked up at her. "Sroka why are you so smart?" He said, still unsure, "why do you always know what to say?"
"Because I've been alone." She said flatly. "I've had to take care of myself and make sure I get my needs met. I'm not going to let my new parents be scared of parenting."
Sirius let out a sigh. "Alright then. I will try."
To her shock, Sirius wrapped his hands around Soairse's belly. "Ok this time I won't be scared."
Sroka smiled at him. Then she hugged Saoirse's belly too. "Hello my brothers and sisters!"
The rabbit and the six siblings wrapped their arms around Sroka and she couldn't feel it exactly, but she felt the warmth. She let out a smile.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票