I’d have thought I couldn’t laugh any harder than I already was until she said that, now I leaned against her shoulder, sides heaving, squeezing the breath from my lungs until my temples began to throb.
A brief flicker of Odem’s voice made me gasp and look around, until I realized it was him trying to poke his way into my head and slammed the door shut because whoa, it was fucking intense when he did that. Like he was right there, whispering to me again.
“You know I’m here for you if you ever need to talk,” Mable said once our laughter had died to an occasional snicker.
“And I will happily jabber your ear off,” I threatened, feeling a bit like my old self again.
Guess it was time to start the shift.
Chapter Seven
Odem
Ronan’s happiness filtered through our bond. I reached out, hoping to share the uplifting moment with him only to be denied. Guess that’s my cue to go find my own joy, otherwise I’d dwell on this step back and brood all day.
So much for progress…
It was interesting how fast he learned to shut the connection down and refused to use it at all. Never imagined I’d have a mate that wouldn’t be excited about the perks of being mated to a protector.
Guess we weren’t all that in a nutshell, or however that line went.
At least the mating ritual was complete, but the thought of spending an eternity with someone that despised me didn’t leave me with warm, fuzzy vibes.
Babies. I need to have baby time.
“I see your egg is illuminated,” Ionus said as I stepped inside their home.
“Didn’t check.”
“Ah, mated but still not happy?”
“Pretty much. I told him he didn’t have to work anymore but he insisted, so he’s at the diner now.” And I hated it. Not the diner, but the being separated part. Our bond was new and it would take time to be able to overcome that pressure, but for now, it was a throbbing ache in the pit of my chest.
“Mable knows who’s mate he is. She’ll keep an eye on him, no doubt.” Mable was good peeps, or good dragon in this instance, and a very loyal friend.
“Oh-dem!” My beautiful niece, Luna, sang out the moment she saw me. “Hold.” Adorable grabby fingers reached out, and I scooped her right up.
“Little girl, you have no idea how much your Uncle Odem needed that.” We rubbed noses, then I zoomed her around the room, her giggles filled the air and warmed my heart.
“Look, Daddy, I’m a dwagon.”
Ionus chuckled. “Yes, my Princess, you truly are.”
“Unca, O, pway wif us,” the twins circled my legs, chanting at the same time. I handed the princess of the castle over to her father.
“What are we playing today, boys?” Hunter and Kane had a tremendous amount of energy, and the fiery gift to match it, though they worked hard to control their flames now. The whole Christmas tree incident had really resonated with them, especially once I showed them how to feel what nature feels. The occasional hiccup and sneeze couldn’t be helped, but they did try to quickly remedy whatever came of them. Sadly, it was usually poor Luna’s beloved tutu’s that suffered the mishaps.
I took the boys outside. It was a total waste to be indoors on such a gorgeous day. The huge playground my brothers and Ihad put in for all the dragonets had everything they could ask for. Even though we’d had to rebuild a handful of components due to errant fireballs. Griffin joined us not long after. He may be the same age as the other three, but he was one-hundred-percent Ionus’ son.
“They be good, Unca O?” Stern, just like his father. His chubby arms crossed over his chest and a scowl to beat his father’s on his face.
“Of course, Griff. Why don’t you go play with them?”
“Hmph,” Oh yes, he was truly his father’s son. “Maybe no trouble if I do.”
For being as young as they were, their vocabulary was quite advanced. Not perfect, but there wasn’t much of a time lapse between barely speaking to using broken, yet understandable, sentences for the four of them. I wondered what my two would have in store for us. Gender was irrelevant as long as they were healthy.
“Ronan at work?” Mattias asked as he walked up.
