Talia absently wiped drool from Devin's face with a wet wipe as he lay sleeping on the couch next to Talia.
Earlier that morning, word had been sent back from Cedric that the entire house had to be packed up and moved by sunset. The entire household turned into a huge circus with people running around, talking and discussing various moving related conversations.
The poor child had awoken early from the sound of the staff, moving about, packing things and moving boxes.
At first, it was exciting and fun for Devin to watch the whirl of activity all around them. A few hours later, after he had smeared breakfast everywhere, Devin could no longer keep up the pace and had fallen asleep.
She remained by his side, even as she picked out his clothes to be packed by the maids into three large trunks.
"Where are we going again?"
"We will be traveling back to Faria, Milady." The chamber maid responded as she pulled out three more trunks.
"Where exactly is Faria?"
"It is due south from here, Milady."
"South?" Talia looked up. "There is nothing south of here but the Gulf of Mexico."
"Nevertheless, we must head south to get to Faria."
Talia shrugged. What did she know.
"And what are those trunks for?" She pointed at the three trunks the maid had just pulled out. "Doesn't Devin have enough clothing and toys already packed up?"
"These trunks are for your things, Milady." The maid pointed to the larger trunks.
Talia shook her head. "I have only enough clothes to fit into one paper bag."
"No, no, Milady. An entire wardrobe of your clothing have been delivered to the mansion early this morning. We will be packing it all into these trunks for you."
Talia gave her a confused look but then shrugged. Perhaps the clothing she wore was not suitable for a nanny to be wearing.
She had to take care of a little Lord after all. She couldn't be too shabbily dressed so Cedric must have ordered them for her so she wouldn't embarrass him too much.
Talia continued packing Devin's clothes and shoes, marveling at how much he actually had.
For such a little boy, he had amassed an amazing amount of clothing. If he only wore one outfit a day for the rest of the year, he would never be able to wear all the clothes that he owned before he got too big for them.
She continued packing his toys and art supplies, filling up one trunk and then moving to the next.
By evening, all the packing was done and everything had been loaded up onto several large moving trucks.
Cedric had been gone all day, but that evening, he returned to the mansion with Hubert.
As the limousine drove back into the estate, he could see Talia standing in front of the Antebellum mansion with little Devin on her hip waiting for him.
His heart filled with joy. He was no longer a lone wolf. His mate was standing there waiting for him at the end of a long hard day.
"Talia," He called out, making his way towards her in large strides.
Talia smiled at the tall regal man with the strong muscular frame coming at her like a barreling hurricane.
In seconds, he was standing in front of her, his long blond hair fluttering like gossamer silk in the warm gusty wind, his beautiful amber eyes warm with longing.
"Did you miss me?" He asked as he reached out and caressed the back of her head.
Before she had a chance to respond, he had lowered his head, dropping a gentle kiss onto her lips.
The kiss deepened as he coaxed her mouth open with his lips and tongue, reaching in and tasting her with his open mouth.
His warm lips nuzzled her mouth, suckling and kissing with greed. Within a few seconds, Cedric had crushed her into his body as his hunger for her began to rise.
"Aaawwaaa! Maaaaammaaa!" Devin began to protest as his small body was crushed between his uncle and Talia.
Cedric pulled back with a laugh.
"Hmmm. Devin is such a little kill-joy."
Devin scowled at his uncle and hid his face into Talia's shoulder.
"Is everything ready?" Cedric turned back to Talia.
She smiled and nodded. "The staff packed up everything. Even the furniture is coming with us. The house is practically empty."
"That's good. I wanted to set up another mansion just like this in Faria so you would feel comfortable in your new living space."
He reached out to touch Devin's head.
"It's also all Devin knows. He will not feel so displaced if all his furniture and things are around him."
It didn't take long for them to gather their last personal effects. Talia followed Cedric to the limo with Devin on her arms while an attendant carried her bags filled with Devin's traveling necessities.
As the limo wound its way around the winding road that took them to the iron gate, she turned back to take one last look at the mansion. She had a feeling it would be awhile before she saw this place again.
"I heard that Faria is south of here." She murmured, more to herself than to Cedric.
Cedric nodded. "In a sense."
"What does that mean? It's either south or it's not."
"It is, just not exactly how you think of south." He chuckled. "Just relax and enjoy the trip. It will take over a day to get there."
Talia narrowed her eyes. It didn't take but half an hour to get to the bayous from New Orleans, and only another hour before they hit the Gulf of Mexico.
Maybe Faria was located south-east, somewhere in Florida?
The limo was quiet and steady, and the ride put Devin to sleep, but it didn't take long for them to reach their first destination.
"Here we are." Cedric announced. "I've booked us passage onboard this train that will take us the rest of the way."
Talia stepped off the limo and saw a tiny train station with only a small area for waiting passengers.
Already the train workers and the Duke's menservants were hauling boxes and furniture into several train cars.
Cedric guided her arm towards the mid-section of the train, where the passengers were to be seated.
"This entire car is ours, so spread out and relax for the journey.
Talia gasped as she looked around. There were comfortable cushioned chairs and chaise lounges along the sides with scattered coffee tables in between them. It looked like one large elongated living room with huge windows on both sides.
As soon as they took their seats, their own attendants poured in through either end of the car and began bringing food and drinks.
Cedric turned to Talia with an indulgent smile.
"I'm sorry I left you all day long on your own. It may have seemed as if I just made love to you and then got scared and ran away, but in truth, I was busy preparing for our journey."
Talia laughed. "I never thought you ran away. You would never leave Devin. And I was too busy organizing the packing and the moving, and making sure Devin's daily routine wasn't too disrupted."
"You're only half right." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I would never leave you either."
He paused for a moment as the attendant came with a platter filled with finger foods.
"Let's eat. I figured we could take advantage of this time while the movers are still loading our things into the cars to eat dinner before the cars start moving."
"Do you get motion-sickness?" Talia asked as she picked out a finger sandwich and began feeding Devin.
Cedric laughed. "My Darling. I am a werewolf. I never get sick."
"You, on the other hand, are in the process of turning into a changeling. There is a possibility that you will get sick."