Page 103 of Claimed By Monsters

He kisses my finger, then my hand.

He’s not going to spill it.

It’s probably not big news, anyway.

They all think I’m having at least two babies.

Scar’s wearing jeans like Scratch, and Adam is in jeans and a t-shirt. As usual, our babies’ older brother is in his bare feet, because none of his daddies wear shoes, and his mom’s feet are too big right now to fit into shoes. We’re the only shoeless family in town.

Maybe that’ll change once we have this road set up to connect us to other towns.

“What’s happening?” Scar signs.

“I felt two kicks at the same time,” I admit. “At either side of my belly.”

Adam gasps. “I’m going to have twin brothers!”

I have to laugh. Scratch does, too.

“You don’t know they’ll be boys,” Scratch signs to him.

Adam stays still and signs back, “I do too. They like to kick. That’s a boy thing.”

Aw, that’s so cute. Little kid logic.

Scar shrugs at me, signing, “Maybe he’s right?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Snake signs. “She’s having triplets.”

I blink at him. “Um, what?”

“Yeah, Snake, what?” Fox asks, looking too shocked to sign anything.

He flickers his eyes, and signs, “There are three heartbeats in Lita’s belly.”

“You can feel their heartbeats?” I ask, shocked if it’s true and even more shocked that it’s the first I’m finding out about it.

He nods, and shrugs. I look at his brothers. Scratch and Scar are stunned.

Fox looks as if he’s just remembering something.

“Oh my God,” Fox says. “He knew when those guys were, you know, D-E-A-D in the forest. He felt it, or something.”

“So, this is real?” I ask, not believing it.

Triplets? Three babies. Oh, my Goddess.

Snake nods and reaches out to touch my belly.

I feel another kick, this time in the middle.

Goddess, how did he do that?

“I think we should start making another two cribs,” Scratch signs.

“Yeah,” Scar signs. “The road can wait. This feels a bit more urgent.”

He kisses me and retreats into the house.

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