and gave Galen a smacking kiss on the cheek before looking over his shoulder at Aslan. “Can we play, please?”
“Yeah,” Galen teased. “Please, Aslan? Can we play?”
“Sure,” Raith answered, passing over his controller. “I can’t get this fu—ow!” He glared at Aslan as he rubbed the back of his head, sending Lynk into peals of laughter. “I mean, I suck at—ow! Damn it, Aslan! Ow! Stop hitting me!”
“Then stop swearing,” Aslan said calmly, crossing his arms over his chest and mirroring Raith’s glare.
“Fine. I quit.” He pushed up from the sofa and stomped out of the room like a petulant child. Lynk was laughing so hard his face was bright red, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing as he stumbled out of the room as well.
“Is Uncle Raith mad?” Wren whispered to Galen, his little face a mask of worry.
Aslan crossed the room and held his arms out, delighted when Wren reached for him immediately and curled into his chest. “Uncle Raith is not mad at you. Sometimes you get mad when you lose a game, right?” Wren nodded slowly. “That’s all it is. He’s just a sore loser.”
“I don’t like when he yells.”
“Oh, honey, I know.” Aslan stroked his soft curls and swayed him side to side. “No one here will ever hurt you.”
“My daddy hurt me,” Wren whispered and buried his face in Aslan’s throat as he hiccupped. “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here with you.” His arms wound Aslan’s neck and clung to him tightly. “Please. I’ll be good.”
Looking over at Galen, he saw the heartbreak he felt staring back at him in his friend’s expression. Tears filled Galen’s eyes, but he wiped them away roughly. With his arms full of a scared little boy, Aslan didn’t have that option, so he just let his tears spill down his cheeks.
“Aslan?” Torren appeared in the room, Bannon right beside him, and both looking very concerned. “Baby, what happened?” Not wanting to alert Wren to his tears, Aslan just shook his head and glanced down at the top of the pixie’s head. Understanding lit in Torren’s eyes, and he hurried across the room to lift Wren out of Aslan’s arms and cradle him gently to his own chest.
“Hey, little man. What’s with the long face?” Watching Torren with Wren was beautiful, and it did little to stem the flow of his tears. How the man could have ever thought he wouldn’t be a good father was beyond Aslan. Torren was so wonderful with Wren.
When Aslan had first arrived, the staff had been the ones caring for Wren. Once he’d met the little boy, he had been enchanted, and they’d been pretty much inseparable since. It might have taken a little longer for Torren and his brothers to warm up to Wren, but once they let their guards down it took precisely ten minutes for them to be wrapped around the little guy’s tiny fingers.
“I want to stay here,” Wren answered, his fists clenched in Torren’s shirt. “Can I please stay here? I’ll be good. I promise.”
“Don’t you want to see your mommy and daddy?” Torren spoke lightly, but he’d already confessed to Aslan how attached he was to Wren already.
Wren shook his head, making his dark hair flop around his face.
“Daddy yells a lot since Mommy went to Heaven. He’s not nice like Uncle Raith, though.” Torren looked at Aslan in confusion, but he just shook his head, wanting Wren to continue. “I promise I won’t get hungry all the time or leave my toys on the floor,” he vowed. “I won’t even cry when I have bad dreams.”
Small for his age, Wren looked even tinier in Torren’s massive arms. But he wasn’t afraid. He clung to the witch, looking very content to stay right where he was for as long as Torren would let him. Aslan wasn’t sure his heart could contain so much love and not split wide open, but he was willing to risk it.
“Buddy, do you know your daddy’s name?” Torren asked quietly as he patted Wren’s back. “Is there something that
“Yeah,” Galen teased. “Please, Aslan? Can we play?”
“Sure,” Raith answered, passing over his controller. “I can’t get this fu—ow!” He glared at Aslan as he rubbed the back of his head, sending Lynk into peals of laughter. “I mean, I suck at—ow! Damn it, Aslan! Ow! Stop hitting me!”
“Then stop swearing,” Aslan said calmly, crossing his arms over his chest and mirroring Raith’s glare.
“Fine. I quit.” He pushed up from the sofa and stomped out of the room like a petulant child. Lynk was laughing so hard his face was bright red, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing as he stumbled out of the room as well.
“Is Uncle Raith mad?” Wren whispered to Galen, his little face a mask of worry.
Aslan crossed the room and held his arms out, delighted when Wren reached for him immediately and curled into his chest. “Uncle Raith is not mad at you. Sometimes you get mad when you lose a game, right?” Wren nodded slowly. “That’s all it is. He’s just a sore loser.”
“I don’t like when he yells.”
“Oh, honey, I know.” Aslan stroked his soft curls and swayed him side to side. “No one here will ever hurt you.”
“My daddy hurt me,” Wren whispered and buried his face in Aslan’s throat as he hiccupped. “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here with you.” His arms wound Aslan’s neck and clung to him tightly. “Please. I’ll be good.”
Looking over at Galen, he saw the heartbreak he felt staring back at him in his friend’s expression. Tears filled Galen’s eyes, but he wiped them away roughly. With his arms full of a scared little boy, Aslan didn’t have that option, so he just let his tears spill down his cheeks.
“Aslan?” Torren appeared in the room, Bannon right beside him, and both looking very concerned. “Baby, what happened?” Not wanting to alert Wren to his tears, Aslan just shook his head and glanced down at the top of the pixie’s head. Understanding lit in Torren’s eyes, and he hurried across the room to lift Wren out of Aslan’s arms and cradle him gently to his own chest.
“Hey, little man. What’s with the long face?” Watching Torren with Wren was beautiful, and it did little to stem the flow of his tears. How the man could have ever thought he wouldn’t be a good father was beyond Aslan. Torren was so wonderful with Wren.
When Aslan had first arrived, the staff had been the ones caring for Wren. Once he’d met the little boy, he had been enchanted, and they’d been pretty much inseparable since. It might have taken a little longer for Torren and his brothers to warm up to Wren, but once they let their guards down it took precisely ten minutes for them to be wrapped around the little guy’s tiny fingers.
“I want to stay here,” Wren answered, his fists clenched in Torren’s shirt. “Can I please stay here? I’ll be good. I promise.”
“Don’t you want to see your mommy and daddy?” Torren spoke lightly, but he’d already confessed to Aslan how attached he was to Wren already.
Wren shook his head, making his dark hair flop around his face.
“Daddy yells a lot since Mommy went to Heaven. He’s not nice like Uncle Raith, though.” Torren looked at Aslan in confusion, but he just shook his head, wanting Wren to continue. “I promise I won’t get hungry all the time or leave my toys on the floor,” he vowed. “I won’t even cry when I have bad dreams.”
Small for his age, Wren looked even tinier in Torren’s massive arms. But he wasn’t afraid. He clung to the witch, looking very content to stay right where he was for as long as Torren would let him. Aslan wasn’t sure his heart could contain so much love and not split wide open, but he was willing to risk it.
“Buddy, do you know your daddy’s name?” Torren asked quietly as he patted Wren’s back. “Is there something that
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