admittedly she let that notion go, but she'll just come up with something else." Something grand and showy and expensive. To think that only a couple weeks ago, Lily had worried that her mother wouldn't accept the marriage. She shook her head. "Never mind about my mother. Today is all about you."
"All about the little rider, really. But since he can't appreciate his presents yet, I get to help."
"Still haven't settled on a name?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a name neither of you has any strong associations for? Cullen likes the old-fashioned names. And magically, the older names are stronger, so - "
"Does that count?' Lily asked, startled. "I thought the idea that names have power over you was an old wives' tale."
"Oh, that part's bullshit - for us, anyway. It's true for anyone who has what Micah calls a true name, but humans mostly don't, or we don't know it. No, for us names don't so much have power as affect power. We don't understand how, but... well, look at your people." She waved a hand, accidentally slapping the bare back of a fair-haired man who was talking to two equally bare-chested men. "Whoops. Sorry," she said with a grin when he turned around, one sandy eyebrow raised.
Lily knew there were a lot of superstitions about names in Chinese culture. She hadn't really paid attention - it had seemed like one of those relics of the past the older people cling to. "Hi, Jason," she said to the fair-haired lupus, who was eyeing Cynna appreciatively; and, "Flirt later," she told Cynna, taking her elbow and getting her moving. "We really should get you back to Cullen. It must be nearly time for the dancing."
At a lupus party, you always eat first. Best if none of the wolves is hungry.
Her mind slid back to what Cynna had said. "You mean all that stuff about, ah... " Numbers. There was something about the way a name added up, wasn't there? Oh, yeah. "You mean that business about the number of strokes in the name matters?"
"Uh... you might say that some elements of the Chinese system are disputed by other practitioners. But every people in the world pays attention to names and how they're bestowed."
"I can see where that would make it hard to pick a name."
"No kidding." She heaved a sigh. "I suggested Isaac, but Isaac makes Cullen think of a little guy with glasses who shot him once. So he suggests Andrew, but then we'd call him Andy, and to me Andy is a guy with a hairy back and no sense of humor." She shook her head. "Didn't have much class in bed, either, so I'm thumbs down on that one. I'm leaning toward Micah. Both of us like him, so it's got good associations. What do you think?"
"Micah's a good name." If you wanted to name your kid after a dragon, that is. Which might strike Cullen and Cynna as exactly right.
"Hey! Hey, Lily!"
She turned and saw a woman exactly her height but younger, with a rounder face, shorter - and trendier - hair, and an abundance of earrings.
The earrings and the hair were new. Beth was always trying new things. Lily waited while her little sister plunged through the crowd toward her with all the frisky determination of a half-grown pup.
"Hi, Cynna," Beth said as she reached them. "Wow, you are so pregnant. You look tremendous. Makes me want to go get knocked up, but I'm not quite that shallow. When do you count the loot in that jar?"
Cynna beamed. "The baby jar comes last, after the dancing. It's really full, isn't it?"
"Sure is. Speaking of dancing, you don't mind if I dance with that mouthwatering husband of yours, do you?"
"Might as well. Everyone else will. Cullen's a fantastic dancer." Cynna grinned. "Even when he keeps his clothes on."
"You think he will, then?" Beth looked wistful. "I never got to see him dance at Club Hell, and Lily says he's not working there anymore. I'd sure like to see - "
"Beth," Lily said warningly.
" - him in a G-string. It's a purely innocent lust," she assured Cynna. "Coupled with a certain artistic curiosity."
Lily spoke
"All about the little rider, really. But since he can't appreciate his presents yet, I get to help."
"Still haven't settled on a name?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a name neither of you has any strong associations for? Cullen likes the old-fashioned names. And magically, the older names are stronger, so - "
"Does that count?' Lily asked, startled. "I thought the idea that names have power over you was an old wives' tale."
"Oh, that part's bullshit - for us, anyway. It's true for anyone who has what Micah calls a true name, but humans mostly don't, or we don't know it. No, for us names don't so much have power as affect power. We don't understand how, but... well, look at your people." She waved a hand, accidentally slapping the bare back of a fair-haired man who was talking to two equally bare-chested men. "Whoops. Sorry," she said with a grin when he turned around, one sandy eyebrow raised.
Lily knew there were a lot of superstitions about names in Chinese culture. She hadn't really paid attention - it had seemed like one of those relics of the past the older people cling to. "Hi, Jason," she said to the fair-haired lupus, who was eyeing Cynna appreciatively; and, "Flirt later," she told Cynna, taking her elbow and getting her moving. "We really should get you back to Cullen. It must be nearly time for the dancing."
At a lupus party, you always eat first. Best if none of the wolves is hungry.
Her mind slid back to what Cynna had said. "You mean all that stuff about, ah... " Numbers. There was something about the way a name added up, wasn't there? Oh, yeah. "You mean that business about the number of strokes in the name matters?"
"Uh... you might say that some elements of the Chinese system are disputed by other practitioners. But every people in the world pays attention to names and how they're bestowed."
"I can see where that would make it hard to pick a name."
"No kidding." She heaved a sigh. "I suggested Isaac, but Isaac makes Cullen think of a little guy with glasses who shot him once. So he suggests Andrew, but then we'd call him Andy, and to me Andy is a guy with a hairy back and no sense of humor." She shook her head. "Didn't have much class in bed, either, so I'm thumbs down on that one. I'm leaning toward Micah. Both of us like him, so it's got good associations. What do you think?"
"Micah's a good name." If you wanted to name your kid after a dragon, that is. Which might strike Cullen and Cynna as exactly right.
"Hey! Hey, Lily!"
She turned and saw a woman exactly her height but younger, with a rounder face, shorter - and trendier - hair, and an abundance of earrings.
The earrings and the hair were new. Beth was always trying new things. Lily waited while her little sister plunged through the crowd toward her with all the frisky determination of a half-grown pup.
"Hi, Cynna," Beth said as she reached them. "Wow, you are so pregnant. You look tremendous. Makes me want to go get knocked up, but I'm not quite that shallow. When do you count the loot in that jar?"
Cynna beamed. "The baby jar comes last, after the dancing. It's really full, isn't it?"
"Sure is. Speaking of dancing, you don't mind if I dance with that mouthwatering husband of yours, do you?"
"Might as well. Everyone else will. Cullen's a fantastic dancer." Cynna grinned. "Even when he keeps his clothes on."
"You think he will, then?" Beth looked wistful. "I never got to see him dance at Club Hell, and Lily says he's not working there anymore. I'd sure like to see - "
"Beth," Lily said warningly.
" - him in a G-string. It's a purely innocent lust," she assured Cynna. "Coupled with a certain artistic curiosity."
Lily spoke
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