I shifted to polar bear form, then gently picked up Andri in my mouth. His instincts to obey his papa kicked in. He went limp as a rag doll and dropped the plushie.
Saffron quickly scooped it up. “Got it! Now let’s return it before it gets covered in any more baby drool.”
Each carrying a baby, we headed to Cobalt and Muzo’s room. We must’ve looked funny to an outsider—a huge polar bear strutting down the hallway carrying a cub in his mouth, next to a blond twink holding a baby dragon and soaked plushie—but this was our daily life. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I knocked with my paw when we arrived. A second later, a short omega with curly black-and-tan hair appeared. Muzo’s face lit up and he gasped.
“Blueberry! Where the heck have you been?” He reached for the toy, then paused. “Oh. He’s, er... wet.”
“Sorry,” Saffron said sheepishly. “Jaki and Andri chewed on him a little bit.”
Muzo grinned. “Oh, that’s okay. Laz used to chew on stuff all the time. Pretty sure our pillows still have holes in them… Wait, where did you even find Blueberry? He disappeared from our room again a few months ago. Seriously, it’s like aliens come down to abduct him once in a while. Or maybe it’s the snails…”
I exchanged a knowing glance with Saffron. It definitely wasn’t aliens or snails, but neither of us wanted to spill Viol’s secret.
“I dunno. We just found him in the blanket pile when Rorik laid his egg. The aliens must’ve known Rorik needed a cuddly friend,” Saffron suggested.
Muzo took that at face value. He nodded seriously. “Wow… Aliens are kind. Maybe Blueberry 1.0’s better off with you guys for now? We have 2.0, anyway.”
Saffron peeked over his shoulder, as if afraid a particular tiger would manifest behind him, then quietly asked, “You don’t think Taylor minds that our sons are chewing on him?”
“Nah, you know Tay loves kids,” Muzo pointed out. “He’d be glad his creation is being appreciated. Right, guys?” He wagged a finger at Andri and Jaki, then expertly pulled it aside before Jaki curiously chomped on it. “Aha! I know all your tricks, little guy. Dragonets love nothing more than taking a bite out of—ouch!”
I stifled a laugh. Muzo had made one fatal flaw—he’d moved his finger out of Jaki’s range, right into Andri’s, and my polar bear cub wasn’t one to miss his chance to chomp.
After sayingbye to Uncle Muzo, we headed back down the hall to our room for the boys’ nap time. It wasn’t until we passed a shadowy corner that I realized we were being watched. Saffron was clueless, but I still retained my situational awareness and knew the gaze felt familiar.
“Is there something on your mind, Viol?” I called.
Saffron stopped mid-step. “Huh? Where?”
I waited for Viol to poke out of the dark corner, which he did. His usual scowl was missing. Being around two kids softened him up like that.
“How’d you know?” Viol asked, striding over to us.
He wasn’t actually as stealthy as he seemed. He submerged himself in shadows, but always lurked near the edges. Like hewantedto be noticed. His brothers just didn’t pay attention.
Instead of spilling yet another one of his secrets, I smiled and said, “Plenty of battle training.”
Andri and Jaki babbled and reached for the shiny black cuffs on Viol’s wrists. He raised them automatically, letting the boys explore them while we spoke.
Viol jerked his head at Blueberry 1.0. “Didn’t return him, huh?”
“Nope,” Saffron said, then narrowed his eyes. “Why? You come here to steal him again?”
Viol’s lip curled. “No. I don’t steal toys from kids.”
“Just adults who don’t appreciate them?” I offered.
A brief flicker of surprise crossed his face. “Something like that,” he mumbled. “Anyway, it’s time for the boys’ nap.”
“How doyouknow that?” Saffron blurted.
Viol shot him a deadpan look like the answer was obvious. “Because they’re three months old. They need naps, idiot.”
“...Okay, fair. Whoops.” He swooped Jaki out of the way before he ripped a hole in Viol’s leather cuff with his curious teeth, then grinned at his brother. “You know, Viol, I think you’re gonna make an amazing dad.”
Viol’s eyes widened until his pupils were dark pinpricks. He seemed genuinely astonished. A light dusting of pink colored his cheeks before he coughed and smoothed a hand through his tousled hair. “You’re not so fuckin’ bad yourself.” His face twisted as if trying not to implode. “Guess you’re not too much, either. Found your fated mate and all, like you wanted.”
