“All of fire!” Samara repeated and pointed at her brothers.
“Mom was trying to teach me about blessing someone with Love Magic,” Brevyn said. “But Rian doesn't want to be blessed because he's a playa.”
“He's a playa?” Arach widened his yellow dragon eyes, then swung them my way.
“Play with me?” Samara asked. “Play?”
“No, Sammy,” Rian said. “Not that kind of play.”
Grimacing from Rian to Arach, I said, “Yourson thinks he's going to have a harem in a few years.”
“What's a harem?” Rian asked eagerly.
“It's what your mother has, except with women,” Arach said smugly.
“You mean a lot of wives?” Rian asked.
“Well, the women in a harem aren't all married to . . . the . . .” Arach trailed off as my expression registered.
“It doesn't matter what it is because you are not having one,” I said. “We raised you better than to treat women like playthings,playa.”
“Play, play, play!” Samara said, then cupped her father's cheek. “Play, Daddy.”
Arach melted, his head rolling down to bring their foreheads together. “In a second, my darling girl.”
Meanwhile, Rian huffed and rolled his eyes again. But Arach still caught it.
“Don't do that, Rian,” Arach said gruffly. “You listen to your mother.”
I looked at Arach expectantly.
“Uh, and she's right. You shouldn't date multiple women at the same time.”
“But, Dad, you said—”
“Never mind what I said,” Arach hurried to cut him off. “One at a time. Respectfully. Always treat women with respect.”
“I'm nice to girls,” Rian whined. “And I don't expect them to only have me as their lover.”
“Agh!” I screamed over the sound of that word coming out of my son's mouth. “Stop saying that. You are not having lovers anytime soon. Not until you're mature enough to understand the intricacies of a sexual relationship and the responsibility involved.”
“What responsibility?”
“Exactly!” I pointed in Rian's face. “You're not ready. If you were, you wouldn't have been scared to be blessed with Love. You'd know that being blessed to find true love is the greatest gift, not a curse.”
“It is if it comes later in life,” Arach muttered.
I spun to face him. “What did you just say?!”
“Nothing, A Thaisce. Why don't I take Rian and Samara outside to swim? Then you and Brevyn can practice in peace.”
“Swim!” Samara shouted. “I go swimming now!”
I grimaced but nodded. “Go get into your swimming trunks, Casanova,” I said to Rian.
Arach gave Rian a warning look that sent him running for his dresser. He grabbed the trunks and ran out to change in the hallway. Arach sighed and walked out after him.
“Come on, Sammy, let's go get your swimsuit,” Arach said.
