Forty-Four

                                    

                                          
Blake
                          
"How's baby Blake doing?"
                          
On the other side of the threshold at the Alpha's cabin, Henry rolled his eyes at Blake.  "That's not my son's name.  I didn't name him after you."
                          
"I know," Blake replied as Henry stepped aside to give her entry.  "But maybe if I say it enough times, you'll change your minds."
                          
"Unlikely."
                          
"Well, it was worth a shot.  At least Colin Maxwell Blackstone has a decent ring to it.  You could have named him something horrible like Thaddeus."
                          
Henry frowned at her.  "That's my middle name."
                          
"Is it?" Blake asked innocently but there was a twinkle of teasing in her eyes.  "I had no idea." 
                          
Henry chuckled as he shut the door and nodded her deeper into the house.  It was the same as Blake remembered it, warm and homey, but there were tell-tale signs of a baby in the house.  A crib had been set up in the living room, some of Annalise's toys were strewn about the floor, and piles of discarded clothes and towels lingered on the backs of chairs and over the tops of doors.  He led her into the kitchen which was devoid of people but the telltale signs of children remained with the high-chair and mess strewn about the countertops.  
                          
"Coffee?" Henry asked.  "I just made a fresh pot."
                          
"Sure," Blake said and Henry pulled two mugs out of the cupboard and began to pour it out.  "Where's Lucy?"
                          
"She took the kids to her parents' house for a bit of grandparent love and babysitting."
                          
Blake smiled in thanks as Henry handed her a mug of steaming black coffee.  "And because she wanted a break?"
                          
Henry rubbed the back of his neck ruefully.  "That too.  I've been around as much as I can but the days have been hard on her over the last month with everything going on."
                          
"The new wards seem to be holding, though.  Lehna seems to have done a good job on them."
                          
"Yes.  We've been monitoring them for holes but the wards seem stronger than ever before.  Lavinia told Lehna that Malachi and some of his colleagues had been kidnapping fae to try and break through the wall but since it wasn't their magic, all they could do was punch some holes.  Without Malachi pulling the strings, it seems like we should have no issues."
                          
"Good."
                          
"Any word from your brother?"
                          
Tightness pulled at Blake's chest.  "No."
                          
Even though she'd been trying to get a hold of him for the last four weeks.  She'd started off with a text from a phone she'd purchased in Denver telling him that if he needed her, then he had her new number.  Blake had also promised to be at the Rise and Shine diner in Five Points on the first Monday of every month in case he wanted to see her in person.  The read receipts on Josh's phone had been turned on so Blake knew when he looked at the message but he never replied.
                          
Eventually, Blake had admitted to herself that Josh would come to her when he was ready.  For now, as he grieved the loss of Javier and worked to figure out who he was in the wake of her betrayal, Blake knew that space was what her brother needed.
                          
"And your other hunter friends?"
                          
"Those I have heard from," Blake replied and the tension in her body began to ease.  "Mick and Hailey decided to head out to Vegas to get hitched but they said they'll come back to visit once they get back from honeymooning in Taiwan.  Amir and Pam are hunting again but have gone the nomadic route for now.  Finn is head-over-heels about Phillip.  I think it's safe to say that their Mating bond got off to a way better start than mine and Red's did."