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arched his brows. “My bride looks beyond physical comfort. She wants a place to belong with a man who understands what she is and where she has come from. Anyone can offer her comfort; I want to offer her a future.”
    The mage blinked and obviously didn’t understand. Leroc couldn’t explain it any better than that. If a tree had solid roots, it could reach for the stars; if it had shallow roots, it could still grow tall, but it would never be stable and last into the centuries.
    When he looked at Anessa, he saw the centuries and wondered what they would bring.
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Leroc knocked on the door and smiled politely at the woman who answered the door. “Madam, my name is Leroc Alberthswitch. I called earlier.”
    The woman looked behind him and swallowed nervously.
    “She is not with me.”
    The woman looked both relieved and disappointed. “My family is out. Please, come in.”
    He entered her home and followed her into the kitchen. He sat at the counter while she prepared some tea.
    “Your name is Miranda Leabo Exeter?”
    She nodded. “Most folks call me Randy. I was Miranda Leabo when I had the baby. I still don’t know how it happened.”
    “Shifters and mages can breed; they just tend to result in powerless beings. That is not the case with her.”
    She nodded. “He brought her to the hospital and slipped her into a bed with the rest of the babies. He said she just looked at him with those huge, dark eyes of hers when he left her there. There were a few days of queries in the newspaper, but we were four states away with nothing to connect us.”
    Leroc nodded. “Does your family know about it?”
    Miranda dragged in a deep breath. “They know I had a baby. They don’t know that the father was a mage.”
    Leroc winced. “So, you would not be willing to meet with her.”
    Miranda poured the tea and set the cup down in front of him. “I don’t know. I have to tell my family first. They need to know.” She sighed and fidgeted. “Why are you seeking me out?”
    He smiled. “We have been matched and bonded at the Crossroads. She is now carrying fey, mage and shifter power within her.”
    Miranda teared up. “She’s a shifter? Is she an armadillo?”
    He blinked. “No, she is a lion. A lovely golden alpha female.”
    “A lion? Oh my. I never thought I would have a random. As soon as I have told my family, I would love to meet her. It is just taking a bit of getting used to. Now, are you sure she wants to meet me?”
    “I will verify it with her. I will warn you, I have also spoken to your lover at the time. He is also interested in meeting her and pursuing a relationship. If you attend our wedding, you will probably run into him again.”
    “Wedding?” She smiled hopefully, and it was Anessa’s smile.
    “Yes. Though we were bonded at the Crossroads, I wish to dig myself out of a hole, and I thought a formal wedding might be the way out of my predicament.”
    Miranda looked at the clock and then leaned forward. “Tell me about her. I want to know anything you can spare.”
    Leroc smiled. “She is beautiful, strong, opinionated and determined. Her upbringing has not been particularly kind, but she emerged from it with grace and beauty.”
    Miranda grew nervous. “She wasn’t adopted?”
    He shook his head. “She was not.”
    Miranda sat down next to Leroc. “I always thought she would be adopted. She was so bright and lovely.”
    He smiled. “She has come through just fine. Her name is Anessa Prin, by the way.”
    Tears were tracking down Miranda’s cheeks. “It’s a pretty name.”
    He wanted to comfort her, but she needed to work through this. “It is a lovely name, and she is a lovely woman. If I am lucky, she will be carrying our child already.”
    “Your people are okay with this?”
    “My people are desperate to incorporate more magic into our bloodlines and increase the size of our families. We are dying out, and it is women like Anessa who will help bring us