“Are we doing this again when you come back down to leave cookies?” Qylar asked.
“Yep,” Zaadi replied with a mischievous grin before running towards the kid’s room ahead of her father.
Cryss looked at Krythar. “I blameyoufor spoiling that girl.”
“Iwasn’t the indulgent father spoiling her every single night,” Krythar declared. “I only see her every few months.”
“I blame you both,” Alex said. He turned to glare at Qylar. “And that one down there, too.”
Qylar grinned.
“At least someone isfinallyblaming Qylar for his misdeeds,” Cryss said before turning towards the bedrooms with Ael on his shoulder bellowingho-ho-hoover and over.
“Now that Zaadi’s occupied, would you like to hold Xan?” Alex asked Qylar.
“Nope. I made a blood pact with the princess. I can’t touch him until she says it’s okay,” Qylar replied.
“Zaadi, go tell your Uncle Q he can hold Xan,” Cryss yelled as he marched into the hallway.
Zaadi came flying out, leapt onto the back of the sectional. “Uncle Q, you can hold Xan now. I’m getting a sister.”
All eyes went to Alex.
“Not me,” Alex said. “I don’t know where she heard it, but it’s a lie.”
“Not from Papa,” Zaadi said. “Uncle Q and Uncle Kenji are giving me a sister.”
Qylar turned to eye Zaadi, but she was already gone. His gaze met Kenji’s on the way back. He lifted his gaze to Alex. “Where’d she get that idea?”
“Don’t ask me. Cryss and I never put that thought in her head. You know us better than that.”
“I think it’s rather sweet of Zaadi to see your child as her sister,” Krythar said.
“If we were sure we were keeping the eggs,” Qylar said. “Sure.”
“You hesitate to give him your mark and now you hesitate on this?” Krythar asked.
“I told Qylar I wasn’t ready to be a dad,” Kenji told Krythar. He lifted his gaze to Qylar. “Then I told him I’d changed my mind.”
“So which is it? Are you having children or not?”
Qylar said, “We don’t know” at the same time Kenji said, “Yes.”
Kenji turned to eye him. Qylar sat stunned. “Are you sure?”
“I finally got you to show me your commitment. So yeah, I’m sure.”
“I was fully committedwithoutthe marks,” Qylar said.
“So you said,” Kenji said. “But now I’ll have your sacred vow on my skin. Words can be empty. Action isn’t.”
Qylar’s chest tightened as he stared down at his mate. He leaned in and captured Kenji’s lips. Qylar forgot where he was andapparently Kenji did, too. When Krythar’s cough sounded, Qylar pulled back. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. We’ve all been in love once or twice here,” Krythar said.
Qylar met the man’s stare and for the first time, didn’t feel cool indifference reflected back.
“So… Xan?” Alex asked.
