Jake rubbed the soles of Vars’s feet with his thumbs. “You know I’m yours in every way.”
Vars smirked. “Sometimes, I think you forget who your master really is,” he teased, watching the golden sheen of blond hair on Jake’s tanned chest. When Vars had first risen from the dead, revived by Mr. Magpie’s secret powers, the prospect of forever had felt daunting, but the fact that he had Jake with him, and that they shared this strange fate made immortality yet another fact of life. They would both see friends pass on, they would have to move to hide their agelessness, but they would have each other to rely on.
Jake bowed his head and kissed Vars’s toes. “Never.”
“Are you decent?” Laurent yelled from afar.
Peace had been nice while it lasted.
Vars shut his eyes and slid his feet out of Jake’s hands. “Yes.” Sadly.
A hum of voices came from behind the building, so it wasn’t a surprise when Laurent emerged with a whole herd of toddlers on leashes attached to colorful harnesses.
“A godsend, truly,” Laurent said, slapping away the hand of one boy reaching to take another’s flower crown. “I only ask for an hour of your time. It’s sunny, they’ll run around with a ball, and I will be back in no time.”
Vars had been dubious of a twenty-year old’s ability to take care of seven kids, even with the support of a husband. It was a full time job for four people. But Laurent had taken it on like a challenge, and had proved himself capable. With Xavier also in the clubhouse, all the children had meals together, so it was eight toddlers not seven. Laurent ran the whole operation as if he were the general of a small army, and had only once suffered a nervous breakdown when he’d lost the notebook where he’d kept the carefully planned schedule.
Malachite, Magpie’s former bodyguard-turned-nanny, trailed behind Laurent like a shadow. At least his presence meant Jake and Vars wouldn’t be the only ones keeping an eye on a pack of wide-eyed kids ready to scatter as soon as their papa disappeared from sight.
“Are you going into town?” Vars asked, sliding his bare feet into the fresh grass. He wasn’t a fan of having his peace disturbed, but they were all sweet kids, and he supposed Laurent would have done the same for him. He stood and pulled Jasper into his arms, causing Malachite to calcify in displeasure. The guy tolerated the boys’ fathers touching him, but he would have to eventually learn his place in the pack.
“Yes, it’s a big shopping trip, so I’m taking one of the prospects to help me carry it all back.” He sighed and rubbed his face. Without much time to himself, Laurent rarely wore his hair in the lush waves he used to favor before the children were born, and instead kept them out of his face in a bun. It was a testament to his tiredness. But as Laurent approached in his favorite T-shirt and leather vest, his face brightened. “Do you know how many things you can get for free if you collect the right combination of coupons?”
Jake groaned. “Oh, no… I hate trying to work out this kind of stuff.”
“I actually find it very stimulating,” Laurent said. “It’s a puzzle that brings real life rewards when solved.”
Vars snorted, lifting and lowering Jasper, who laughed, moving his tiny legs so rapidly Vars needed to make sure he wouldn’t get kicked in the nose. Child or not, it would have hurt.
“Our brains work very much alike then. That’s how I see club accounts.”
“I hope an hour with the kids will help your mind unwind from numbers,” Laurent said, but the unspoken truth was that if he was going for a big shopping trip, his absence would last three hours, minimum.
Laurent listed a few new quirks of the kids they needed to look out for, like Jade being set on ripping the flower crown off Kai’s head, but then was off in a hurry, leaving behind a bag of healthy snacks meant to appease the kids.
Malachite snatched Jasper from Vars’s arms as soon as Laurent disappeared from sight. “There we go, Master Jasper. You wanted that sparkling water with melon pieces, right?”
Vars frowned. “You’re not taking him anywhere.”
He’d seen many odd things in his life, but this guy? The creepiest creature he’d ever encountered. He hadn’t changed a bit since Vars first had offered Magpie his services, but it was the fact that Vars had only heard his voice for the first time two years ago took the cake.
Malachite squinted but reluctantly put the boy down. “I will bring it here then. But there will be blood if even a single hair falls off his head.”
Jake laughed and ruffled Jasper’s hair. “Chill, it’s gonna be perfectly fine. Go take a nap.”