By the time Saffron arrived with a blindfolded Thystle in tow, the rest of us were already on stage. My heart pounded when I saw my mate. He wore a grumpy yet curious expression. I could tell he wanted to see the big surprise, but didn’t love the fact that his younger brother robbed him of his sight and manhandled him all the way to the beach.
Since Thystle couldn’t see, Saffron took the liberty of holding Heather, so he was really only half paying attention to where he guided Thystle. Well, maybe more than half. Most of Saffron’s attention was on the baby, cooing and making kissy faces at them. It was adorable—even when Saffron accidentally led Thystle into a big rock.
“Ow,” Thystle mumbled.
“Oh, sorry,” Saffron said, still smiling at Heather.
Sensing imminent disaster, the rest of Thystle’s brothers arrived to take care of him. Crimson and Jade ushered him closer to the stage. Meanwhile, Aurum went and fetched Cobalt. Taylor smiled reassuringly at me while Ruby fussed in his arms. Everybody was present except Viol.
Or, that was what I thought—until he manifested out of nowhere behind everybody else. Dressed in all black leather, he looked like a walking shadow.
“Who’s the biker daddy?” Keaux asked.
Just as he spoke, Viol shot the world’s nastiest glare in his direction. Keaux paled and clutched his drum sticks tighter.
“That’s my brother-in-law,” I explained simply.
I was surprised to see Viol here after what Aurum said, but Viol’s body language indicated he wasn’t sticking around. He approached Taylor, tapped him on the shoulder, muttering something I couldn’t hear. A moment later, Taylor smiled, nodded, and handed Ruby to him.
The second Viol held the infant, his whole demeanor changed. A radiant, genuine smile spread over his face. It warmed my heart to see him that happy since I’d met him.
With Ruby squared away in his muscular arms, Viol went over to Saffron. I managed to overhear the conversation this time.
“It’s going to be too loud for the kid,” Viol explained. “Hand ‘em over.”
Saffron frowned, holding Heather closer. “What? No, it’s my baby time.”
Thystle, who was still blindfolded, mumbled, “Are you two fighting overmykid?”
“No one’s fighting,” Viol stated gruffly, “because Saffron is going to give Heather to me, and we’re going to enjoy a nice, quiet nap.”
“What, is there gonna be fireworks or something?” Thystle asked.
“The noise will be too much for infant ears,” Viol growled, glaring daggers at Saffron.
Shockingly, Saffron glared back. Despite being related, they couldn’t have looked more different. Saffron’s small, bright appearance clashed with Viol’s dark, domineering one. But they had one important thing in common—they both wanted to hold the baby.
I sighed. “Dragons.”
In the end, Saffron agreed about the impending noise and handed Heather to Viol. With both babies tucked into his arms, he swaggered off to a quieter location. If it was anybody else in the world walking away with my child, I would’ve flipped my lid, but I trusted Thystle’s family with all my soul. They were all incredibly caring uncles, especially Viol.
It was finally time. As I stepped up to the mic, everyone quieted down. It was no sold-out concert hall, but seeing every member of our little family gathered on the beach filled me to the brim with joy.
“Is anyone gonna tell me what’s going on?” Thystle demanded.
I chuckled. “You can remove the blindfold now.”
As soon as Thystle tore it off, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. His brain seemed to short-circuit as he registered what was going on. His gaze snapped from me, to Vani and Keaux, to the speakers on stage, then back to me.
“You... wait, wait, wait,” Thystle blurted, getting amped up. “What the hell’s happening?”
My heart swirled in my chest as I brought the mic to my lips.
“Thystle Chromatimaeus,” I said. “You probably know this already, but you’re my world. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here on stage with my former band mates, ready to give you a one-of-a-kind TalonStorm concert.”
Emotion wavered on Thystle’s face as he stared at me, his amethyst eyes full of stars.
“One-of-a-kind?” he asked softly.
