Naya's Most Important Visitors
by Nalini Singh
"Naya's most important visitors are about to arrive."
Sascha smiled at that announcement from the panther in human form lounging in the bedroom doorway, his black hair tousled from the way she'd run her hands through it earlier. "I wondered how long they'd last." Julian and Roman had been talking to the baby in her womb for months, telling her all the things they were planning to teach and show her.
"I'm surprised it's three days later," Lucas said, his sun-bronzed skin strokable against the deep green of his favorite T-shirt. "I expected them here in twenty-four hours or less."
"Tammy probably didn't tell them." Sascha folded away a soft one-piece in sky-blue that had been a gift from one of the elders in the pack. "I think she was worried I was getting overwhelmed."
"Are you?" Lucas came over to massage her nape. "We've had a lot of visitors since the birth."
"No." She turned into his body, drawing the quintessentially male scent of him into her lungs. Always she'd loved him for the man he was. Now, she loved him for the father he had become, a predatory changeling alpha who made no bones about adoring his child. "It's wonderful to have everyone so excited about the baby." To live in a pack that showed affection with wild openness.
Lucas nuzzled a kiss against her ear and allowed her to turn to face the bassinet--located in the bedroom because neither one of them could bear to be parted from Naya.
Reaching into it, she gently touched their sleeping baby's cheek with a careful fingertip. "I still can't believe she's ours."
Chin propped on her shoulder and muscular arms wrapped around her, Lucas said, "What are you talking about? She belongs to Rome and Jules. They were very clear on that."
Sascha was still laughing at that affectionately feline comment when the twins tiptoed into the cabin, whispering, "Sascha darling," as they came in, instead of yelling it like they usually did, cheeky grins on their faces.
Mystified, she crouched down to their level. "Why are you whispering?" she whispered.
They bent identical heads toward her, all hair of rich brown and eyes of midnight blue. "Because," Julian replied, "Mommy said we had to be quiet because the cub was very small."
"Really, really small," Roman put in, forgetting to whisper until the last word.
Her heart filled with love for these two babies who weren't her own but who belonged to her as Naya belonged to the rest of the pack, Sascha cuddled them close. "Want to meet her?"
Enthusiastic nods.
Tamsyn appeared in the doorway a second later, Nate beside her. "Sorry about that," she said with a smile as warm as the twins was infectious, the dark amber of her gaze lit from within. "They escaped soon as we got within sight of the cabin."
"They were quiet," Sascha told Tamsyn solemnly.
The twins beamed, neat little angels in their checked shirts--red for Roman and yellow for Julian--paired with jeans.
Sascha wanted to pick them up, but her body wasn't quite ready. Rising, she held out her hands and the boys took one each. Once in the bedroom, she had them sit on the bed. Then, reaching inside the bassinet, she lifted Naya and came to sit between the two, conscious of Lucas returning to the bedroom after greeting Tammy and Nate. "This is Naya."
"She is small," Roman pronounced after staring carefully at the baby. "Does she have a long name, too, like me and Jules? Like I'm Roman."
"Her long name is Nadiya." She smiled as Julian touched the baby's fisted hand with a little finger of his own.
Roman petted her silky cheek.
Naya yawned in her sleep.
Giggling, Roman said, "She smells all soft."
"Is that going to be her real smell?" Julian didn't sound too enthused about the baby scent that made every maternal instinct in Sascha's body sigh in wonder.
She glanced at Lucas for help. Her panther came over to grab a laughing Roman in a growling hug before setting him down on the bed again. "No, that's her scent for now. She'll develop a deeper scent as she grows."
"Oh, good." Julian sighed. "'Cause she really smells like a girl right now."
Sascha's shoulders shook at the mournful statement. Tightening her stomach to hold in the laugh, she said, "She is a girl, you know. Will you still play with her?"
"Yes. She's our baby," Roman said, eyebrows drawn together and arms folded.
Julian's nod was just as serious. "We even made her a present."
They scrambled off the bed together. Rising, Sascha walked into the living/kitchen area with Lucas to find Tamsyn preparing a pot of coffee and one of hot chocolate, the healer as at home here as Sascha was at Tamsyn's house. A tin sat on the counter, likely something delicious Tamsyn had baked that morning.
"Dad." Julian tugged on his father's hand where Nate leaned against the wall nearest the kitchen area, tall and with a few strands of silver in the deep, deep brown of his hair. "We want to give Naya her present."
Nate reached into the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and brought out a gaily wrapped package. Taking it, Julian grabbed his brother's hand and they ran over. "This is for Naya."
Lucas accepted it on the baby's behalf. "Thank you. Shall we open it?"
Two identical nods.
The package was closed up with so much tape and paper that Lucas had to slice out his claws to cut it open. "Ready?" he said to everyone.
"Yes!" Eyes bright, the boys were all but hopping up and down.
Lucas upended the open package and into his palm dropped a surprisingly pretty necklace made of multihued beads.
"That's beautiful," Sascha said, knowing she'd keep the gift safe until Naya was old enough to appreciate it.
"They chose all the beads themselves," Tamsyn told her in open pride.
"Dad helped us put them together." Julian went over to lean against his father's leg.
Reaching down, Nate ruffled his hair. "Tell Sascha and Lucas what the beads mean." The senior sentinel glanced at them with eyes the same shade as his sons. "They came up with that on their own, too."
Sascha settled down into a large cozy armchair with Naya, the twins snuggling in on either side of her. Then Roman took the beads. "This is for Sascha darling," he said, pointing to the black and white beads at the center.
"For your eyes," Julian elaborated, then pointed to a green bead next to the black. "And this is for Lucas."
"But the black one is kind of for him too, since he's a panther," Roman said, while Sascha listened, astonished. "So you have to share that one."
"What about the brown ones streaked with blue?" They bracketed the green, white, and black.
"That's us!" the twins said in unison. "Didn't you know?"
"Well that makes sense," Lucas said, having come around to lean on the back of the armchair. "Since Naya's your baby."
Roman gave a satisfied nod. "And this one is Mommy and this one is Daddy." Both beads were a gorgeous cerulean blue. "Because Mom makes everyone happy and Dad likes it when Mom is happy, and it's like when the sky is sunny and bright."
Sascha's eyes burned. Sensing it, Lucas ran the knuckles of one hand over her cheek and said, "Have you got everyone from the pack on there?"
That caused Julian to slap his forehead. "No! There are too many people!"
"It would be this long." Roman threw his arms wide apart. "We'll make her one for her birthday next year with more people." Then they named the other packmates represented on this first necklace.
By the time they were done, Sascha was utterly undone. Kissing them each on the cheek, she said, "You're wonderful. Naya is so lucky she's your baby."
Suddenly shy, they ducked their heads against her.
"Here." Tamsyn held out he
r arms. "Let me cuddle Naya for a second. I think my monsters want a hug from you."
Sascha passed Naya to the caring arms of the woman who'd helped her and Lucas's precious baby be born. Her lap was immediately filled with little boy. Smiling, she cuddled them close. The moment lasted half a minute before they scrambled off to run outside to play in the trees.
When they ran back in five minutes later, while Sascha was sipping the hot chocolate Tammy had poured her in lieu of coffee, Naya cradled in the crook of Lucas's arm, both were in leopard cub form.
"Boys." Nate's tone made them freeze, Roman with one paw raised off the wooden floor, Julian with his tail arched. "Did you take off your clothes before you shifted?"
Identical guilty looks, their eyes a stunning green-gold in this form.
Groaning, Tamsyn said, "There go two pairs of brand new jeans." She scowled but it held no heat. "I ought to dress you both in potato sacks."
Apparently realizing they weren't in too much trouble today, the cubs ran over to jump up on the sofa and nuzzle their mom in apology. Tamsyn kissed their furry faces, while Nate shook his head, amused affection in his eyes. "You'll have to go through this, too," he said to Lucas and Sascha. "They're so good about learning other things, but the clothes keep catching them out."
Sascha grinned at Lucas. "I can't wait to see Naya shift."
"Me too." Lucas's grin was as deep as her own. "I have a feeling she'll be a panther, too."
Having had a play-fight with their father in the interim, the twins ran over to jump up on the arms of the chair where Lucas sat. Perching carefully on either side, they sniffed at Naya, patted her with their paws--claws carefully sheathed--then jumped back down to curl up beside their parents.
Where Julian shifted in wild sparks of color, his face a scowl. "She's still sleeping!"
"I'm afraid she'll sleep a lot for a while," Sascha told him, the love she felt for these two boys who'd shown her joy before she'd ever imagined she might have a right to it, an ache in her heart. "You'll have to be patient."
Cuddled up against Tamsyn, Julian looked at his brother. Roman made a small growling sound. Julian growled back, then turned to Sascha, conversation apparently completed. But before he could tell her what had been decided, Naya opened her mouth on what sounded like a tiny, tiny baby growl.
Instantly on alert, Roman ran over to jump on the chair arm again while Julian shifted before joining his brother. Where two pairs of green-gold leopard eyes looked into one pair of bright green, the moment frozen in time. Then Julian patted at Naya's fisted hand with a careful paw. The baby reached out, clutched at him.
Julian huffed in laughter as Roman nuzzled the baby's face. Naya sneezed, making Julian laugh so hard he fell off the chair arm, while his brother jerked back...then touched her with his paw. This time, the baby got a bit of his fur in her tiny grip. He could've easily pulled away, but he didn't, curling up against Lucas instead.
Scrambling up to his former position, Julian licked at the baby's other hand. Instead of being frightened, Naya's lips curved in a baby smile. Linked as she was to their child on the mental plane, Sascha could feel her contentment, her sense of safety. Naya knew she was with Pack.
Tamsyn shook her head. "Watch out," she warned. "Your Naya is going to be led off the straight and narrow as soon as she can crawl."
Nate took his mate's hand, brought it to his mouth and pretended to bite. "Careful what you say about my cubs."
Leaning into his embrace, Tamsyn said, "Where do you think our children got it from, Nathan Ryder? Hmm?"
Nate squeezed her. "In that case, Naya won't need any help. Luc pulled some pretty spectacular stunts of his own as a kid." A raised eyebrow. "Didn't I once have to fish you naked out of a mud pool?"
Lucas scowled. "I was eight! And it was a very nice mud pool. I don't know why you had to steal my fun."
Delighted at this new glimpse into Lucas's past, Sascha went to ask Nate to elaborate when she became aware of two sets of pricked ears. The others realized it at the same time. Tammy poked Nate in the ribs. "Get the hose ready. I see more mud-bathing in a certain twosome's future."
Nate pretended to wince...and winked at his boys. "I'll show you the best spot."
"What do you know about the best spot?" Lucas countered. " I know the best spot."
The twins heads went from one to the other, eyes bright. And Sascha wanted to pounce on everyone, enclosing them in a huge hug. Naya would grow up loved and a little wild, with two friends who'd teach her to be naughty and to play and Sascha couldn't wait to experience it all. Complete with a mud-coated cub who had her daddy's green eyes.
Nalini Singh, Naya’s Most Important Visitors
(Series: Psy-Changeling # 10.70)
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