“She’s far too perceptive for someone her age,” Balor agrees, still gazing out at the water with the contemplative focus that means he’s processing multiple layers of information simultaneously. “That child sees patterns and connections that most adults would miss entirely.”
“Who’s too perceptive?” Raven’s unmistakably youthful voice suddenly pipes up from directly behind us, causing both Balor and me to jump so violently that we splash backward into the shallow waves.
There, standing on the sand like they’ve been there for hours, are Belladonna and Raven, arm in arm and staring up at us with expressions of innocent curiosity that don’t fool either of us for a single second. My daughter Bella’s eyes are bright with mischief, while Raven’s gaze carries that unsettling depth that makes her seem far older than her chronological age.
“Bloody hell, kids! What did we specifically tell you about sneaking up on adults?” I grip my chest dramatically, trying to slow down my racing heart while simultaneously calculating how much of our conversation they might have overheard.
“If we’re going to do it, don’t get caught?” Belladonna suggests with the helpful tone that makes it clear she knows exactly what she’s done wrong and is proud of it.
“Make sure the coast is clear and that no one is actively holding a weapon?” Raven adds with perfect innocence, though the slight smirk playing at the corners of her mouth suggests she’s enjoying our startled reactions immensely.
Shit.The one time I desperately need them to ignore our instructions, they follow them to the absolute letter. I run my hand down my face with a long-suffering sigh, feeling the weight of being outmaneuvered by children who are far too clever for anyone’s good.
“You both executed the technique perfectly,” I admit reluctantly, glancing over at Balor to see barely contained humor dancing in his eyes behind those protective lenses.
“Who’s too perceptive, and what exactly is happening on the twentieth?” Raven asks with that distinctive head tilt she’s inherited directly from her father. It’s the same gesture Thauglor uses when his patience is wearing thin and he wants answers immediately.
“Mommy is planning a special surprise for Daddy Lee, Daddy Vaughn, and Daddy Callan,” I explain, hoping that telling a version of the truth without revealing the complete picture might satisfy their curiosity without compromising the operation.
Raven’s eyes dart from mine to Balor’s and back again, studying our faces with the intense scrutiny that makes me feel like she can read minds. Then she pulls Belladonna into the protective shelter of her dark leather wings, and I can hear the softmurmur of whispered consultation taking place behind that living curtain.
Periodically, she pokes her head out to study us with those unnervingly perceptive eyes before diving back into private discussion with her co-conspirator. Finally, she opens her wings fully and crosses her arms in perfect imitation of her mother’s most intimidating stance.
“We think it has something to do with the next clutch,” Raven announces with the confidence of someone stating an obvious fact, looking over at Belladonna for confirmation.
“Mom got all sketchy and evasive last time too,” Bella adds with great finality, her expression serious despite her young age. “Dodging direct questions, vanishing from sight at odd moments, being extra secretive about everything. I’ve definitely seen this pattern before.”
Bloody hell. It wasn’t just Raven I needed to worry about, but my own incredibly perceptive progeny as well. The realization that I’ve been outmaneuvered by my daughter is both pride-inducing and terrifying.
“Don’t worry—Azalea is interrogating Mom as we speak, with Orpheus providing backup support,” Raven adds with a smirk that’s absolutely diabolical in its knowing satisfaction. She looks directly at Balor when she mentions his son, clarifying that our entire conspiracy has been thoroughly compromised by a group of children who are far too intelligent for anyone’s peace of mind.
“How can we help with the operation?” Bella asks with the eager enthusiasm that makes me throw up my hands in defeat before flopping dramatically into the warm sand.
“Distract the other fathers as effectively as possible,” I sigh, accepting that resistance is futile when faced with such determined young conspirators.
“That’s incredibly easy,” Raven responds with the confidence of someone who’s already planned a complete battle plan. “I’ll simply say I want to fly to the oasis for swimming, and Daddy will take me immediately. Lily will want to come along, which means Daddy Abraxis will follow to supervise. That’s two fathers successfully diverted from the primary operation.”
“Klauth is extremely proud when it comes to the ancient history of his bloodline,” Bella adds, clearly having given this considerable thought. “I’ll ask him to take me exploring the ruins of his ancestral castle so we can search for treasure and artifacts. He’ll spend hours giving me detailed history lessons about the region and his family’s legacy.”
I stare at Balor in complete shock, hardly able to believe how much easier these brilliant hatchlings have just made our romantic conspiracy. Their strategic thinking is honestly impressive, even if it means our “secret” operation now has additional participants.
“That distraction would help tremendously,” I admit with genuine gratitude, smiling down at Raven despite the complexity she’s just introduced to our plans.
“On one condition,” Raven says, rolling her head in that distinctly dragonic gesture and flexing her leather wings with deliberate emphasis.
Damn it.I should have known there would be conditions attached to their cooperation. “What is it?” I ask, though I’malready glancing over at Balor and noting that he’s cringing in anticipation of whatever demand is about to be made.
“To be named later...” Raven says with a mysterious smile as she extends one small hand toward me in the gesture of formal agreement.
The phrase sends chills down my spine because it suggests she’s already planning something that will require a significant favor from me in the future. I feel like I’m about to sign my soul away to some supernatural entity far more clever and dangerous than she appears.
“Agreed,” I say reluctantly, shaking her hand with the sinking feeling that I’ve just made a deal with a miniature version of Baphomet himself.
The satisfied smile that crosses Raven’s face as our hands meet tells me that Operation Last Clutch just became infinitely more complicated—and probably more entertaining—than I ever anticipated.
Chapter
Six
