“I told you to look up,” Trelon said with a slightly defensive tone.
“I couldn’t,” Kelan snapped and ran his hand through his hair. “I was too busy trying to grab the damn robot crawling up my leg. Son of a….”
His voice faded on a loud hiss when he jerked his hand out of his disheveled hair. Cara watched as a small flash of silver flew through the air when he shook his finger. Reaching out, she snagged it in midair and closed her fingers around the object.
“Daddy says a bad word,” Bálint whispered with wide eyes.
“Kelan,” Trisha started to reproach before she shook her head. “You look like you’ve just been in a battle – and lost.”
“I feel like those dam… those things are still crawling all over me,” Kelan retorted with a shudder before he turned and pointed a finger at his brother. “Stuffed animals, Trelon. You promised the rest of us – only stuffed animals until the girls were grown.”
Trelon chuckled, even as his face contorted with a flash of pain. He reached up under his shirt and pulled out one of the silver robots along with a few chest hairs. Holding it up, he studied the small electronic toy. It really was remarkable.
“They were complaining that they didn’t move and were stuffing their symbiots in them,” Trelon explained as he reached up to touch the tiny robot. “Come on, Kelan, you’ve got to admit these are pretty impressive. I can think of half a dozen different ways they can be used to help protect our world.”
“The only ones that our world needs protecting from are Amber and Jade, Trelon,” Kelan replied dryly. “How in dragon’s balls did they create these things?”
Cara watched as Kelan scratched his butt-cheek before he reached into the back of his pants and pulled out another robot. Dropping it to the floor, he stepped on it before it could escape under the couch.
“We’s used Mommy’s new cloner,” Amber said, shifting and toddling over to sit down next to Bálint. “If you turns the knobs, it makes things smallers. We’s puts the parts togethers just likes Uncle Dulce showed us.”
“Uncle Dulce?” Trelon growled, raising an eyebrow at Cara.
“What?! You know I love hanging out with the guys at the repair shop. You aren’t still jealous after all this time?” Cara exclaimed in exasperation.
Trelon’s expression turned dark. “You were checking out his….” He pursed his lips together and he glanced at the kids who were staring up at him in fascination.
Cara’s expression softened and she stepped closer to her mate. Lifting her free hand, she ran it along his jaw. His lips finally straightened out and he gave her a sheepish grin.
“They are just as smart as you are,” he muttered in a rueful voice.
“And as inventive as their father,” she teased back.
“Well, now that we know that both of you are to blame for endangering our world, are you ready to go? Paul and Dola are waiting for us. Mandra was telling me that Paul has already been teaching Morah which plants she can eat and which to stay away. We are all going to have a talk with him about that,” Kelan grumbled.
“Kelan,” Trisha laughed and shook her head before she reached down and quickly picked Bálint up before Jade could tackle him. “He started teaching Bálint when he was even younger than that.”
“Yeah, but Bálint is a boy,” both men started to say before Trisha raised her eyebrow at them.
“O… kay! Who’s ready to go see Morah?” Cara asked in a cheerful tone, knowing if she didn’t Trisha would show both men what a woman could do.
“I’s ready,” Jade excitedly exclaimed with a nod of bouncing brown curls. “Cans Amber and I goes as our dragons?”
“Yes, we just need to wait for Daddy to get his boots on,” Cara replied, looking at Trelon’s bare feet with a grin.
“How about we take the girls and meet you there?” Trisha asked.
“That sounds wonderful,” Cara said with a grin. “It will give me a chance to put this little guy up so I can study him later,” she added, lifting the clenched fist with the tiny robot in it before opening her fingers and quickly turning it off before it could escape.
“Take Symba,” Trelon warned with a wave of his hand at the golden symbiot lying passed out on the floor. At the moment, he was tempted to join the golden Werecat.
“Symba, horsey!” Both girls cried in delight, hurrying over to where the symbiot rolled to his feet and shifted into a small pony, complete with a triple saddle.
“Dad is going to love this!” Trisha laughed, lifting up Bálint and placing him behind the girls. “Hold on.”
“You two behave,” Cara said sternly before giving both girls a kiss on the cheek and whispering into Symba’s ear. “Make sure they don’t fall off this time.”
“Let’s go see your cousins,” Trisha laughed, shaking her head and looking at Cara with a mischievous grin. “See you in a few minutes.”
Cara closed the door and turned to look at Trelon. He was holding up one of his boots, a look of resignation on his face. Her gaze moved down to his boot. There was a line of teeth marks all along the upper rim.
“They’ll grow out of it,” Cara laughed, walking toward him and wrapping her arms around his waist. “At least they have learned to control their fire when they sneeze.”
Trelon wrapped his arms around Cara and released a deep sigh. Cara rested her cheek against his chest, enjoying his warmth and the sound of his heartbeat. Her fingers played with the front of his shirt. She was about to mention how nice it would be to have another child when she saw a slight movement under his shirt and heard his loud hiss.
“Oh! I think you have another robot,” Cara breathed, trying to slap her hand over it as it moved. “Hold on.”
“I can’t! The damn thing is pinching me,” Trelon yelped, wiggling. “It’s moving down.”
“I know it’s moving down,” Cara giggled, slapping her hands along the path. “It’s fast.”
“I… Oh, Goddess, no!” Trelon swore, grabbing the fastening to his pants when the tiny robot disappeared below his waistband. “Don’t… Ah, that hurt,” he groaned when Cara accidentally slapped the front of him.
“Oh, sorry,” she choked out, fighting back a sympathetic laugh.
“Just help me get my pants off,” Trelon muttered in a hoarse tone.
Cara quickly jerked Trelon’s pants down while he frantically tried to catch the tiny robot crawling over his flesh. He snagged it, pulling the wiggling metal object away from him, and tossing it across the room. It hit the wall with a soft ping and dropped to the floor.
“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Cara replied with a pleased grin, staring up at him.
*.*.*
Trelon glanced around the living room, before looking down his body. His shirt was hanging down, his pants were around his ankles, his boots were lying on the floor – partially eaten – the living room was once again a cluttered mess of toys and varying shades of little girl clothing and – he couldn’t be more content with his life. Returning his attention to Cara, Trelon’s expression softened when he saw her searching gaze. He lifted his hand and cupped her soft cheek.
“No, it wasn’t so bad,” he agreed, bending to brush a kiss across her lips. “How long do you think we’ve got before the others send out a search party for us?”
Cara’s seductive chuckle mixed with his. “Long enough,” she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What do you have in mind?”
“More babies,” he remarked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“Oh!”
Yes! Her dragon whispered with glee.
3
Paul Grove walked over to open the door to Morian and his living quarters when he heard the knock. His gaze swept over his beautiful mate as she teased their young daughter who was trying to crawl up onto the couch. Morah had learned that trick this morning. It was hard to believe that this tiny girl with midnight black hair, rounded cheeks, and twinkling golden eyes was already close to a year old!
He drew in
another breath when he heard a second knock, this time louder, and braced himself. Zoran, Mandra, Kelan, and Trelon had taken their ‘big’ brother position to the extreme. The only one who was being good at the moment was Creon. The other four had been a pain in his backside ever since Morah had been born. Their constant suggestions of how Morian and he should care for Morah had become a source of entertainment for his mate and him as well as an ongoing battle between the other men and him.
Taking another deep, calming breath, he opened the door. His gaze softened when he saw Trisha’s glowing face. Opening his arms, he waited until she stepped into them before wrapping them tightly around her. He rested his cheek against her curly hair before releasing her and stepping back.
“Hi, honey,” he greeted. “Welcome, everyone.”
“Hi, Daddy. Did you guys have a good trip?” Trisha asked, stepping into the room, followed by Kelan.
“Yes, all the flowers are blooming on the mountain,” he said, watching Symba trot into the room with the twin girls and Bálint. He chuckled when he saw the straps holding them on. “Saddles with seat belts, good idea!” He reflected as he waited for Abby, Zoran, and Zohar to enter as well when they came up the hallway behind the small group.
“I’s ride, too!” Zohar demanded, looking frantically around for Goldie. “Goldie, comes here. I’s wants my own horsey.”
Goldie, Zoran and Abby’s symbiot, shook and shifted into a huge Werebear instead. Zohar squealed with delight and wiggled. Zoran lowered Zohar to the symbiot’s back and waited until his son had a good hold on the thick reins that formed.
“Hold on, son, you don’t want to… Dragon’s balls! Morah!” Zoran started to say
“Don’t even start! She’s doing fine,” Paul warned. He gave Zoran a pointed look when he and Abby entered the room and Zoran’s gaze automatically started searching for Morah. He shot Zoran another sharp glance when the huge warrior’s eyes widened before he started forward. “Let her do it.”
“But…,” Zoran started to growl before he released a frustrated snort and glanced once again at his baby sister as she crawled up onto the couch.
“Why don’t you go rescue Zohar?” Abby suggested with a soft chuckle. “I think Amber and Jade are already stalking him and Roam.”
Zoran turned to look toward his young son where he had rushed over to play with Vox’s and Riley’s son. Roam was in the middle of making a fort out of a box and bed sheet that Morian had brought out for the kids. Sure enough, the twins had circled around the furniture and were closing in on the boys.
“Kelan!” Zoran called out in exasperation.
“I know, I know,” Kelan answered, heading around the couch and wrapping an arm around Amber’s red dragon just as she was about to pounce. “Jade, don’t you dare!”
“Aw, Uncle Kelan! It’s funs,” Jade complained after she shifted back to her two-legged form. “They’s don’t minds.”
“I knew you’s were there,” Roam growled, twisting and lifting his little butt up in the air before he wiggled it and shifted into his tiger form.
“They’re okay, Kelan,” Riley called out from where she was standing next to Vox near the windows. “Roam is used to Vox sneaking up on him. He’ll be fine.”
“I’m teaching him to be a warrior,” Vox growled before returning his attention to the comlink he was holding.
Jade squealed and took off running across the living room, Roam charging after her. Kelan cursed and quickly set Amber’s squirming body down on the floor. She started after Roam and her sister only to get tackled by Zohar. The two rolled across the floor, knocking the sheet off the box and disappearing under it.
Zoran ran a hand down his face and shook his head. He couldn’t say anything to the girls when the boys were just as bad. He turned his head and glanced at Kelan when his brother slapped him on the shoulder.
“Be thankful that you aren’t Trelon and Cara. When we stopped by, Trelon was trying to capture the girls’ newest invention. I have to admit, they were pretty remarkable,” Kelan muttered under his breath, watching in amusement as Vox paced back and forth in front of the window as Riley danced beside him, trying to keep her eyes on the communicator and Roam at the same time. “Vox looks almost as tired as Trelon.”
“It sounds like he is having separation anxiety,” Zoran replied.
“He is,” Mandra said with a grin. “This is the first time that he and Riley have been away from their twins. He has been talking to his father for the past hour. His mother finally gave up trying to console the poor cat.”
All three men chuckled. “It won’t take him long to get over that. When Amber and Jade were first born, Trelon swore he’d never let them out of his sight. Creon said they asked if the girls could spend the night with them and Trelon asked how long could they stay. I think he was hoping for a few years,” Zoran said with a grin.
“Did you ever think our lives would be like this?” Mandra suddenly asked, watching when Ariel knelt down next to their son, Jabir. Love and pride filled him as he watched her tenderly run her hand over Jabir’s plump cheek. “Goddess, I love that woman,” he suddenly muttered and started across the room.
Zoran and Kelan watched as their huge brother sat down on the floor next to his mate and son. Both of them could see a reflection of themselves in the scene before them. Their gaze followed Mandra when he picked up the small pet Grombot that Jabir had brought with him and held it while Jabir hurried over to play with Morah.
“Do you think we look like that?” Zoran asked Kelan with a critical expression.
“Worse, brother. I think we both look much, much worse,” Kelan chuckled before he released a sigh. “It looks like Jade has a new target.”
“I see that Bálint’s hair is finally growing back,” Zoran observed.
Kelan shook his head. “Don’t even get me started on that! By the way, I reminded Trelon that he had promised us he wouldn’t give the girls any more toys that could become mutated monsters,” he said with a glance over his shoulder before he refocused on Jade and Roam. This wasn’t going to end well because Roam was Bálint’s best friend. “Jade, how about some cookies?”
Zoran couldn’t keep the grin from his lips when Jade released Roam’s tail which was hanging from her mouth. Roam and Jabir both perked up as well. Roam quickly shifted, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Does you have the chocolate ones?” He asked with a hopeful expression.
“I don’t cares what kinds they are,” Jade responded. “It’s gots to taste better than your tail.”
“Milk, too?” Jabir asked.
Kelan nodded. “Milk and cookies, it is,” he replied, shooting a glance at Zoran. “You get to find out where Amber and Zohar have disappeared to.”
Zoran groaned and glanced around the room. He turned when he heard Morah squeal. He chuckled deeply when he saw Amber, Zohar, and Abby playing peek-a-boo with his little sister. His throat tightened at the unexpected emotion. Once again, he thanked the Goddess for leading him to Earth.
4
Later that evening, the large group relaxed in the cavern far below the palace. The cavern had been transformed into a magical world. Three times a year – Easter, Halloween, and Christmas – Cara and a large group of volunteers would change the attractions to reflect the new Earth holidays that Cara and the other woman had introduced to the people of Valdier. This year, Cara added to the ‘Haunted House’ effect to include several new rides, including the new Tunnel of Horror and the Castle of the Demented Symbiots.
“Look! Ha’ven and Emma made it!” Abby exclaimed with a smile.
“Bálint!” Alice squealed when she saw the purple and gold dragonling. “I see Bálint, Momma!”
“I know you do, sweetheart,” Emma laughed and then gasped when Alice disappeared out of her arms. “Alice!”
“She doesn’t have to sound so damn excited about it!” Ha’ven muttered under his breath to Emma. “They are only three, for Goddess’s sake. Alice!”
?
??Let them be, Ha’ven,” Emma said in a soothing tone, placing her hand on his arm. “Look at them.”
Ha’ven’s gaze turned back to his daughter and softened. Alice had her arms wrapped tightly around the small purple dragon’s neck. She was giggling while Bálint did his best to try to wiggle out of them. His expression darkened when he realized why.
“It’s okay,” Emma whispered, sending a wave of soothing energy through him when he started forward.
“He licked her cheek!” Ha’ven muttered.
“Yes, and she squealed and let him go,” Emma chuckled.
“He sees her colors,” Ha’ven tried to argue, turning to look at Emma.
“We’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Emma promised, sliding her arm through his. “Let’s go and be social.”
“I don’t want to be social. I want to beat the dragon out of Kelan for having a son!” Ha’ven retorted before he released a long sigh. “I would too if I didn’t know that Trisha, Morian, and Paul would kill me. Creon would probably understand. That would be my only consolation.”
“You can challenge him to the ghoul shoot again. You’ve been wanting to play,” Emma suggested. “I want to see the new rides that Cara and her crew have been working on.”
Ha’ven glanced over to where the others were sitting. Creon turned and grinned up at him and motioned for them to join him and Carmen. He gave his friend a brief nod and started down the stone stairway toward them.
It was hard to believe how much his life had changed over the last few years. Less than four years ago, he thought his life was over. He had been losing his ability to control the energy that was drawn to him. The power of it was enough to threaten his world, but the delicate, but amazingly strong figure standing next to him was the miracle he hadn’t know existed. He had discovered love when he had least expected it.
He glanced over at Alice where she was now playing with Spring and Phoenix and relaxed a little bit - girls were good. He could handle the girls. His gaze moved over to Bálint where he was playing with Roam, Jabir, and Zohar. It was the boys, namely Bálint, who were going to be a very different issue.