Page 4 of The Homecoming: The Island

“Very well, mighty warrior-princess, so be it. Speaking of heroes, your dad is one, too, he saved a lot of lives.” Ardan gently caressed his daughter’s rosy cheek, smiling tenderly as he kissed her forehead.

Paisley nodded. “Yes, but I want to be like you. Can I go to Granddad, now? I have to tell him the latest news.” The little girl stopped for a moment, inhaling sharply. “A mama cat made a lot of kittens,” she whispered in her father’s ear. “They are so sweet and cute!”

“I can’t wait to see them all,” Ardan exclaimed in an enthusiastic voice, then let out a soft laugh when Paisley and Axel left his arms, running to Fabian, who was slowly walking to them. “I hope they didn’t give you a very hard time.” He stood upright, giving Peyton a grateful look.

“Don’t worry, they were the good, sweet children we all know and love so much.” A radiant smile brightened Peyton’s face. “Well, with Miss Sassypants as their leader, the little ones got into all kind of shenanigans, but nothing out of control.”

Ardan didn’t reply right away; eyes squinted, he swept his gaze up and down Peyton’s form. “Is it only me, or have you put on some weight lately? There is something definitely changed about you.”

The principal didn’t answer, but the slight blush coloring their cheeks and their hands protectively placed over their belly spoke volumes. Smiling radiantly, Ardan went next to Peyton, enveloping them in a warm, brotherly embrace. A new life in the making, the best homecoming present, he thought, heart filled with joy.

Meanwhile, Elaine, Helen, Lance, Dunbar, Tarquin, Julien, Thorvald’s adoptive parents, Rowan, Fergus, Natalina, Dunstan, and Ava formed a small crowd in front of the Remembrance Hall. Elijah messaged everyone as soon as the jet piloted by Martin-Cornelius left the island, and the ladies, with Lance’s generous help, prepared a feast for the kids and their rescuers.

All the way to The Base, the boys chatted, talking their driver Landon’s ears off with their adventures on the island. The man laughed hard when Ira talked about his and Tarrin’s encounter with that thing that looked like a pig fucked by an anteater. He experienced a multitude of emotions, from anger to relief and gratitude at Lorcan and Gavin’s story about the hunters attacking them at the caves, hissing curses through clenched teeth.

As soon as the van passed through the massive gates that kept the intruders away from The Base, everyone stopped talking, looking out the window to the familiar faces and buildings. Although there were only a few days since they were kidnapped and brought to that island of horrors, for the boys the time spend away from the place all of them called home felt like an eternity.

“Look,” Tarrin’s excited voice made everyone turn in the direction the boy indicated. “A welcoming committee, isn’t that sweet of them? Hey, Nico, there’s Uncle Fergus and Auntie Helen,” the boy continued, his turquoise eyes shining intensely.

“Grumpa and Dunbar.” Ira rubbed his hands in excitement when he spotted the two men into the crowd. “Gods, how I missed them.” He ran a hand down his face, wiping away the tears threatening to spill. “And there’s Rowan, too. Is it only me, or his skinny ass became somewhat …fatter?” Ira’s words made everyone grin, Landon included.

“Well, I bet no one missed the preying birds,” Gavin feigned an exasperated sigh, indicating Elaine and Natalina, who stood next to each other and waved frantically, jumping with excitement. “They’ll want to find out every little detail, every embarrassing moment, everything about what happened there. I won’t tell them anything, no matter how much they plead or threaten.” Gavin crossed his arms over his chest.

“Pleas? Threats? Who said your sister or Elaine would put any pressure on us?” Lochlin shook his head, pointing to Whitey, who had an innocent expression on his face. “This one will be more than happy to spill the beans the second he gets out of the van.”

“And everyone will laugh, instead of harboring long, sad faces.” Gavin cast an affectionate look to Whitey. “I don’t know about you guys, but that’s exactly what I need right now,” the boy continued, in a slightly tired voice.

“Me, too,” Lorcan approved. “Whitey for the win.” He wiggled his fist in a triumphant gesture. “If I think better,” he turned to the platinum blond boy, “you should start spilling the beans before Natalina or Elaine have a chance to ask us.”

“Good plan.” Landon let out a short, amused laugh, as he parked the van in the vicinity of the Remembrance Hall. “You are definitely the boss’s son, a brilliant strategist like him,” the man continued, earning himself an eyeroll and a head shake from Lochlin. “Here we are, go get ‘em, Whitey!”

“Julien!” Emery jumped off the van, emotions overwhelming him as he hugged his triplet. “I missed you, brother, so, so much,” he sobbed quietly, head buried into the fragile, blond boy’s shoulder. “I’ll never go anywhere without you, I’ll never abandon you, promise.”

“Here you are.” Natalina threw her arms around Gavin’s neck and kissed him on both cheeks, making great efforts not to cry. “You are the peskiest twin brother in the world, but it’s so good to have you back,” she whispered in his ear.

“So, how was it? Did you encounter some scary, alien creatures out there?” Elaine invitingly opened her arms, sighing in contentment when Ira and Tarrin wrapped their arms around her waist in a tight hug. “Your asses are skinny, but don’t worry, Dunbar and I will feed you nonstop, until you put some meat on them bones.”

“Ask Whitey, he can’t wait to offer you the full, complete, unabridged, non-exaggerated version of the events.” Cian joined the group hug, a shy smile on his lips.

Elaine stared at the boy for a few seconds, then burst into a wild fit of laughter, and soon Ira, Tarrin, and Cian imitated her. Hearing the crystalline sound of his brothers’ laughter, Lorcan headed to the little group, Thorvald hot on his heels. Once Elaine explained them why everyone was laughing so hard, the two boys joined the joyous choir, to the delight of all those who came to greet them.

Aware of the special bond his children shared, Dunstan intended to give Gavin and Natalina some alone time, but, after only a few minutes, he couldn’t resist the urge to hug his son, to hold him and tell him how much he loved him. As he wrapped his strong arms around Gavin, his father sensed a change in the boy, and his heart filled with paternal pride.

He became a man, Dunstan said to himself, eyes brimming with tears when he looked at Ava, who put all the love of a mother’s heart in the hug she was giving to her stepson. Arms wrapped around his parents and sister, Gavin let out a long sigh, relief washing over him. Finally, he could afford to release, after spending the last couple of days in tension and fear, always looking over his shoulder. It’s a nice change, the boy smiled at the thought.

A little further, Tarquin was crying happy tears, tightly hugging his triplets and Whitey to his chest. Eyes raised to the gray, clouded sky, he gave thanks to all the deities for keeping all his sons safe and allowing them and Daniel to come home. A shiver ran through the man’s body when he remembered the hell he went through nine years earlier, when his husband was missing for six months, and everyone thought he was dead.

A van stopped next to the one Landon had been driving, drawing everyone’s attention. The back door opened, and Zachary, Saint, Brennan, and Daniel climbed out of the vehicle one by one. Eyes shining with joy, the men searched for their loved ones into the crowd, heading in their direction as soon as they spotted them.

Lance couldn’t take his eyes off the van, swallowing hard and anxiously licking his lips every time someone came out of the vehicle. Heart maddeningly pounding in his chest, he kept hoping his beloved Fabian would be the next, the light in his gaze dimming with each man who climbed down, joining his loved ones. Ardan was missing, too, Lance noticed, worry and anxiety overtaking him.

Running a hand over his face and letting out a heavy, tired sigh, he turned around and was about to leave, when the sweet, high-pitched voice of a child saying the wordGranddadgot to him, making him flinch hard.Paisley. Lance could recognize the little girl’s voice from a million others, her chirping always putting a smile to his face.

And then, from the corner of his eye, he saw him. His soulmate, the only man he ever loved, his husband. Fabian was there, alive and well, hugging Paisley and her twin brother Axel to his chest and listening to whatever she was telling him. Joy filling his heart, Lance turned, facing the love of his life, but the tears running on Fabian’s cheeks made his blood freeze.

Ardan, the man’s favorite stepson, Paisley’s and Axel’s father, wasn’t there. He must be devastated, Lance thought, his heart aching for his husband, who most likely witnessed the end of the one he had a deep, fatherly affection for. Without a word, he put his arms around Fabian, as the two little children giggled innocently.

A sound coming from the van’s direction got Lance’s attention, and he looked that way, eyes wide in shock when he saw Ardan hopping out of it and heading to them, his turquoise eyes shining with filial affection.

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