I harassed them with random questions as they popped into my head, trying to pass the time until Leo opened the portal and brought my family to me.
Finally, after ages and ages, a portal opened in front of us and Tammy walked through carrying Michael, followed by Danyelus with a screaming Rose.
Tammy looked like she was ready to break down in tears, but grinned when she saw us. “I'm so happy to see you guys,” she said, laughing while tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Rose has a bellyache, and Michael must be having a growth spurt because he's eaten every hour today,” she said, depositing Michael in my arms.
Linna woke with a screech as if she could feel her brother close to her. I walked over to Axoular, who held her, and put them side by side so their faces touched while I listened to Tammy talk about the kids.
“Charlie skinned his knee, that's why he's crying,” she said.
A sniffling Charlie walked through, held by Stephen. Stephen deposited him into his dad's arms, and Elias grinned, squeezing him tight. His tears stopped once he was in the comfort of his dad's arms.
David walked through holding Daniel's hand, which he snatched away as soon as they entered the room. “Hey mom,” David said, walking over and kissing the twins. “Hey Linna. I'm happy you're safe.”
“I gotta get away from Daniel,” he whispered to me. “He's driving me crazy.”
I winked at him. “Go, escape.”
“Daniel!” I exclaimed. “Can I have a hug?”
He grinned at me toothlessly. “Look,” he said, pointing at his mouth. “I lost a tooth.”
I raved over his missing tooth and hugged him tight, eventually letting him go so Axoular could take them to the kitchen and make dinner. They claimed they were starving.
I followed, holding Michael. “Are you sure I can't make it tonight?” I offered.
“I'm sure. I love doing this for the family, and I'm good at it.”
I smiled at him, love and thankfulness squeezing my heart. “We have a lot to catch up on, now that we're safe.”
He paused in his prep, putting the knife down. “You're mine, as soon as possible. I can't wait another day to be bonded with you,” he said, quietly so the little ones sitting at the table couldn't hear.
His promise made shivers dance down my spine.
Dinner was chaotic, with everyone excited to be together again. Once they'd eaten, we sent all the kids older than little three-year-old Talem off to play or watch tv, whatever their choice. They were exhausted, as were we all.
The twins slept peacefully in their portable bed in the corner, and we made quick work of the dishes, sending Tammy and Danyelus off with their two to relax alone for the evening.
When the dishes were done, the kids occupied, the babies asleep, we sat down at the kitchen table to talk. “I want to bond with Axoular,” I said. “In the eyes of the Sárkány, it'll marry us, but not in the eyes of the Unseen, so we need to plan a marriage ceremony for all of us now that we're four, not three.” I chose my words carefully, stating, rather than asking, what I wanted.
Having three husbands would be a lesson in not allowing myself to be bowled over. I wanted to start as I meant to live, as a team. Everyone on the team would have valid opinions.
“That sounds great. We can have that big party for the Unseen and have the wedding at the same time,” Anthony said while Elias nodded along.
The conversation went faster and easier than I expected it to be. Axoular didn't say much, mostly he just stared at me, probably looking forward to our night.
We finished our drinks, and I hooked up the pump while we talked about the events of the past few days. Axoular's eyes kept straying to my nipples being manipulated by the suction of the pump.
That man only had one thing on his mind, now that we were about to do it. I grinned, putting the milk into bags, and labeling them. Once everything was cleaned up, I looked at Elias and Anthony, who were smiling from ear to ear. “Can you two handle putting all the kids to bed alone tonight?” I asked.
They nodded their heads simultaneously, ribbing each other and chuckling.
“Oh, stop it, you act like teenage boys, losing their virginity behind the bleachers,” I scolded as they chuckled harder.
Axoular stood, “I don't know what that means, about teenage boys, but they can laugh all they want to—I get to bond with you tonight.”
He held out his hand and I took it, nervous, feeling a bit like a teenager myself.
