Turning to Cryss, he patted his stomach again. “I sure have missed you.”
Cryss grinned at Qylar. His gaze dipped to Kenji for a second before returning to Qylar’s with a look that screamed ‘you’re a dumbass piece of shit.’ Cryss pushed up his sleeves and sat back, sliding his hands behind his head and stretching.
Qylar felt Kenji stiffen beside him.
“What are those marks?” Kenji asked Cryss.
Cryss lowered his arms and leaned closer do Kenji could see. “They’re Alex, Zaadi, and Aeloran’s handprints. Since Alex can’t shift, I had them tattooed as his imprint on me.”
“That’s nice,” Kenji murmured.
“And now you’ll add Xandor’s handprint?” Krythar asked Cryss.
“As soon as we get back to San Francisco,” Cryss said grinning. “I just need to set up an appointment.”
“Have many more kids and you’ll run out of space,” Krythar said with a grin.
Alex scowled at his father as he fed Xandor. “I recall you telling me to have plenty of grandchildren to spoil. I give you what you want and it’s still not good enough.Typicalparent.”
Ael crawled onto Cryss’s lap to look at the tattoos himself. “Ael’s hand?”
Cryss showed him which hand, and Ael laid his own on top of it.
“Ael’s hand too big,” Ael said, chuckling. “Xan’s hand.”
“You were a little baby like Xan when I got this,” Cryss said, cuddling with his boy.
“I not baby,” Ael declared before giggling from Cryss’s tickling.
“Uncle Kenji?” Zaadi asked.
“Yes, sweetheart?” Kenji said.
“Is Uncle Q going to get tattoos of your hand on his arm?”
“No,” Kenji said.
Qylar could feel Kenji’s pain radiating out to him. He lifted his sleeve and showed Zaadi Kenji’s mark. “I don’t need to get a tattoo. Kenji can mark me.”
“Lemme see the other one,” Zaadi said.
“Only one so far,” Qylar said, peeking at Kenji.
“Why?” Zaadi asked.
“Because he still has to make the other one,” Qylar replied.
“When are you going to do it, Uncle Kenji?”
“I don’t know,” Kenji said, his voice throaty and full of emotion.
Qylar closed his eyes, hating himself more and more. He was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t.
“Why won’t you put yours on Uncle Kenji?” Zaadi asked Qylar.
Qylar stared at her a moment before turning to Kenji—who avoided his gaze. “I’m doing it tonight.”
Everyone except Aeloran grew silent.
