CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
KODIAK
I sit watching my angel sleep. Six days ago, we found out Samuel Jackson was murdered by another prisoner, who the next day confessed everything to his counsellor before reporting to his duties, climbing into a washing machine that auto washes when the door is shut. He was at a few places with Ember over the years, including The Tank, but he wasn’t one of the lucky ones; he was serving time for killing his foster parents, who had been lacing his food with drugs, then filming his abuse to sell it. Ember petitioned to have his remains brought here, and he will be the first added to our memorial garden for fallen souls.
Rowan stirs in my arms. She was born by C-section five days ago. She takes after me in size and is closer to the size of a three-month-old than a five-day-old. After realising how big she was, Ember, Oriana and Xander all agreed it was safer not to have a natural birth.
My Angel got upset about the new Scar but none of us have ever found her repulsive ‘her words not ours’ and the new one is proof she brought our perfect daughter into this world, I love to lick the stretch marks on her beasts, thighs, ass, her tummy ones that I know more than just me spends time kissing each one, all of us that have yet to have a child with her have taken a six month injection to give her body time to heal, as soon as the C-section was decided we all agreed before she asked for time.
I hear our eldest coming along the hall, ready to change out of their school clothes, another of Embers amazing ideas, our kids are safe but still learning and in a structured environment, seven of the kids that have moved up to the high school that are at the pack group home have already asked Ren if they can join the pack when they graduate, they all have clear goals of what theywant to do in life, so we started building some dorm type cabins, that will be situated on the drive.
Taylor Welsh, the Judge who oversaw Jameson’s case against Ember, offered out his legal team to help any children that come through our schools, the hounds, the quad, Bas and Timber have all taken on a fair few as apprentices. We’ve even had some requests to transfer to our school to help smarter kids who are getting lost in the system. We have five who will graduate soon who have asked to join Saint and Dec’s unit.
Things are actually looking good at the moment, since the Mating Ceremony, no one else has come forward trying to claim any of us away from Ember. We’ve had a few requests for arranged mating to our kids, but they were dismissed within seconds.
“Papa Kodi, can we come in?” a small voice whispers. I glance at Kota, whose head is poking through the door, and nod, all four filing in, kissing my cheek and Rowan's head before crawling on the bed to give their mother cuddles.
“Is mommy going to be okay?” Dante asks, looking worried.
“She will be fine, because Rowan was a bigger baby; it’s just made mummy extra tired.” I try to keep my voice soft, not wanting to wake her, but my Angel is already awake,
“I still love you all, though, always will,” she vows to them,
“We know, Mommy, we’re just worried,” Dante says. They break into excited chatter about three new students at school, Dante asking if one of the girls can come live with us, and once they leave to do their homework, Ember is messaging Mickey G.
“Ren knew when we were four, so I’m not surprised,” she smiles and takes Rowan to change her nappy while I get her bottle. Ember tried breastfeeding our Quads, but it was easier and nicer for us if we bottle-fed, so she never tried with any of the others.
When I reach the kitchen, I find Amelia baking sweet treats for the children for their snacks.
“Amelia, can you set up one of the empty rooms near Dante’s? When you get a free minute? We may have a newmember joining us.” I send Miles a text to find out about clothes. When I get back upstairs with the bottle, Ren and Emberare on loudspeaker with Mickey G.
REN
I have no idea why. We know who Arya’s mates are, and one of our unborn children is fated to the scary Demon trio, but this is more nerve-racking.
“As she is placed within our group home, it’s a simple form to transfer to your full care, but I want to double-check, as eventually they will be teenagers.” I chuckle at Mickey G’s words.
“Yeah, we’re sure I never would have let Ember out of my sight if that bastard hadn’t stolen her, and I think the urge to claim and breed would have been less if she had grown up with us. They will go on birth control as soon as they hit puberty, like all the kids in our care are.” I kiss Ember's temple.
“Lia is sorting out a room, and I’ve texted Miles to sort out some clothes,” Kodi states, passing Ember a bottle, then settling down on the other side of her.
“Persephone Winston, she is a year younger, so at least they will have a little separation, just be ready when she starts high school.” he chuckles down the phone and confirms he will be over with paperwork tomorrow.
EMBER
I’ve been back to normal for three months now, and watching Ren sympathise with Dante has kept us all laughing. Effie is definitely sassy, a lot more than I ever was, to Miles’ delight. Her favourite colour is pink, and she loves tutus, especially when combined with combat boots and skulls. Vicki also got excited by this, but we had to tell her that weapons as gifts were a sweet sixteen onwards, before that, not a good idea.
Black combat boots with a pink sole, striped black and pink tights with sparkly skull and crossbones, pink and grey tutu over black denim shorts with a long-sleeved t-shirt that says glitter is made from unicorn farts, and her cute little pixie haircut is the way she rolls most days. Effie is a nature mage. We’ve had to renovate her room as high emotions trigger her powers. When she woke from a bad dream two days after she moved in, Dante charged into her room to her screaming. She yelled at him when he was trying to see if she was okay.
“Don’t care, stupid dream, you stomped my pretty flowers.” So, then Dante was sent out while I hugged her crying body over flowers. Her entire floor was covered in wildflowers, some very rare, that Lia and Jake moved to the greenhouse. Dante had stomped straight to Kodi and Jake and asked if they could make pots and things for her pretty flowers, so he didn’t get yelled at for stomping them again. We’ve added a Balcony to her room that was an enclosed open air Garden so she had plenty of space for her plants, because of the placement of her room, it means I have a flowered arch over one of my doors out of my studio, so we have added some seats and a table and its now where I sit for my lunch when working.
Just after my twenty-seventh birthday, I found out I was pregnant with baby number twelve, and by month two, we knew it was Tricks. He went full caveman and waited on me hand a foot; the guys wound him up constantly saying he had been body snatched. On Easter Sunday, which was three weeks earlier than we expected, I gave birth to Aimi-Rose our third little Kitsuneof the pack, I get the irony my sweet tooth mate became a bio dad on a day filled with chocolate eggs, within moments Trick had her in a ‘daddy’s little girl’ Harley Quinn baby grow, Arya had the traditional black and red diamond and Jester hat stuff so logically Aimi got the newer stuff, Forest had a few Joker things for when they were Kitsune’ing the latter normally the voice of reason but they already had a prank plan for when Aimi was older, Jenson was acting suspicious once and we found his office supplies where he had turned one of his bedside draws into a filing cabinet, he also has photo albums with before during and after photos.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
EMBER
I missed Aimi’s second Birthday as I was in the birthing room with Ren, so while the others blew out candles and played musical statues, Ren was passing me a gorgeous little girl, skin as white as marble and eyes a vivid ivy color, there was only one name for our little vampire, Ren passed Ivy over to Devin and I started to push again.
