Page 90 of Emerald Waves
Cade’s eyes bobbed back and forth between Caro and I. His smile widened as ours did, clearly feeding from our emotions.
“Damn,” Caro strutted across the room, turning here and there, posing for the non-existent camera. “I look good for my age.”
“Lordy, lordy, lordy,” I rolled my eyes, “Cade, your Papa has lost his mind.”
“What,” Caro sidled up to me. “You don’t think I’m hot?” He breathed the word out along with a plume of smoke.
“You know I do, and when you’re silly it makes you even hotter.” I threw in a little smoke effect of my own. “I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see what everyone brought for Cade. Shall we?”
With a flourish of hands, hands the size of my head mind you, my silly mate announced, “After you, kind sir.”
Who knew Caro had a funny bone in him? So many wonderful, new facets to my adoring mate had broken through his gruff exterior over the months, and I freaking loved it.
“Well,” we’d just opened the last package. “We have enough diapers and wipes to last a lifetime.” I had a feeling that wasn’t how this worked, but Caro’s point came across. “I wonder why there weren’t many cute little outfits included.”
I thought about that for a minute then realized something. “If Cade, Goddess help us all, is anything like the twins, he’ll be burning holes in them right and left.”
“Huh, hadn’t thought of that. Plus, Alex and Ionus’ dragonets keep sprouting dragon parts at random times. I thought they weren’t supposed to shift until their teens?”
“I think we need to consider that protector offspring may differ from the norm. Take Cade, for instance. It was like he already knew who everyone was and wanted to put their voices to the images in his head. One by one he went to our brothers to be held. I’m curious to see what his affinity is.”
“Same, Em. I have a feeling that the Goddess herself has her pulse on the Denarius Clan. Big things are coming our way. I can feel it in my bones.”
Fingers crossed her plan came with a positive outcome.
“How is it you not only get knocked up with one egg but that right from the first day Cade sleeps through the night?” My very exhausted best friend groused over the cup of coffee I’d just made for him. “I’d have given a kidney for the twins to sleep through at least one night, let alone what, two months of them now?”
I shrugged, smug as hell that our son was near angelic. “My bad?” Jesus, Caro and Odem were rubbing off on me. I mean,who says that? My bad? What does it even mean? “Caro has a theory that the Goddess if gifting our children with different affinities and gifts for what lays ahead.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting. Griffin is a strong protector, and Luna has a gentle calmness about her, almost as though she can see what ails you, and heals it. Too bad she can’t figure out the twins. If they send one more of her tutu’s up in flames, I’m gonna lose my shit.”
“Ha-ha, poor girl, and the only one too. Maybe whichever brother is next will bring her some feminine playmates.”
“Fingers crossed. But the twins, don’t get me wrong, I love all four of my children more than life itself, but with my little firebugs I’m just not sure what to think. Odem swears they’ll soon learn to control it, but why are they so wild?”
“Balance,” Caro replied as he came into the kitchen. “It’s all about balance. In war there will always be those who carefully plan their next move and others who dive right in. Neither method is right or wrong, but they’re created to balance each other out. While those who have no fear distract the enemy, those who plan their attacks move in for the kill. See, balance.”
“Holy shit, I never thought of it that way! It totally makes sense that with us having four there would need to be balance.” Alex sighed and glanced upward. “But Goddess, could you take it down a notch, or twenty, with Kane and Hunter? Please?”
Our laughter was quickly silenced when in came Ionus, followed by Odem, Mattias and Quint. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, sirs?” Caro asked them.
“Didn’t Larkin reach out to you?” Ionus asked us. “He sent a text in the group chat stating he was on his way over and to meet him here.”
“That’s odd.” I dug my phone out. “Shoot, he did, but I had it on silent.”
“Mine was in the office,” Caro left to grab his. “Yes, he did. I wonder what’s going on.”
Caro and I cleaned up the kitchen while the uncles played pass around the baby until Larkin arrived.
“Afternoon, all. I wish I were here to visit with the family, but I’m on official police business today.” Mattias handed Cade back to me. “I’m here to report that the prisoners have escaped.”
“What? How is that even possible?” Ionus demanded. “Those cells were built to hold dragons.”
“I believe we had an insider. It appears Marge has gone missing too.”
Gone missing or was she our… “She’s the insider,” I blurted.
“Well, we don’t want to jump to any conclusions,” Larkin chimed in, always thinking the best but I knew.
“No. This time I’m siding with my gut. Marge is our snake.”
