After breakfast I ran upstairs. One of the things I’d ordered and was most excited to arrive had come in the mail. I set it up then met the others downstairs to send off those embarking upon the next mission this morning.
“Oh. My. Goddess, that is so awesome!” Ronan announced, checking the straps on the double egg chest carrier I wore. The girls were wrapped tight and wide awake inside their tiny domes.
“Ha-ha, you look like you have man boobs!” As soon as Upalo said it the house erupted in laughter.
“Huh, guess it kinda does.” I posed, twisting side to side. “The girls are ready to go outside for the first time.”
“Wherever did you find such a contraption?” Kaelith was full of youthful curiosity, checking every inch of the carrier. “That is quite the…I don’t even know what to call it.”
“Caro had one for Cade. As soon as I found out we were having twins I reached out to the manufacturer andvoila! They sent usone. They went through a couple of protypes but as soon as they added it to their website, sales went crazy, so they gifted us with this.”
Instead of taking the tunnels down to Mattias private beach, we walked the long way down the side of the pitch to the water. Much easier this way with the crowd we’d amassed.
It was a gorgeous day outside, a bit warm, which my dragon loved, and it appeared our girls did too. They flittered away inside their shells, enjoying every moment of our adventure. Ionus took one look at me, shook his head, doubled up his steps and sped right by me. Sometimes his old grouchy side peeked out, but for the most part since Alex came along, he was wayyyy easier to be around.
“Report as often as you can,” Ionus directed. “Be safe and keep your eyes and ears open.”
“Always, brother,” Caro assured him. “Will be nice to visit with Tasi and the Tempest Clan again.”
“Pfft,” Mattias groused. “Thankfully your mate befriended them, or they’d have handed you your ass.”
“As if.” Now that had us all in stitches. Caro stealing my lines was something else. Though what, I wasn’t quite sure.
Ionus shook his head. “That response I’d expect of Odem but coming from you, Caro… I’m at a loss.”
That was never a bad thing.
“Give Aris and Tasi a hug for me please,” Emerson kissed Caro, who then leaned down and kissed his son. “Tell them to come for a visit.”
“I will, my love. I’ll do my best to remember everything we encounter so you can add it to your beloved journals. And maybe one day, Cade, you can swim the depths of the ocean with your Papa and Uncle Mattias.” Cade cooed and kicked his feet. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Kaelith hugged Ronan and Upalo. I was glad to see Upalo took his father’s word and stayed behind to be with Rory. Soon enough they shifted and dove beneath the water, lost to the depths of the sea.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s take the girls for a walk around the grounds.” Ronan dabbed at his eyes and nodded, taking my hand in his. The others parted for their own destinations. I was happy to have this alone time with my family. “Would you like to float in the springs later? We can take the girls if you wish?”
“I’d like that. I love the nursery and the nest but it’s nice to get up and out for a while.” Ronan stopped and stared at a cluster of trees. “Did you see that?”
“See what?” My hackles shot up but I didn’t sense anything.
“Just over there. It was there and now its disappeared.”
“What was it exactly?”
“I don’t know. It was big, dark, and staring right at us, then poof! It vanished into thin air.”
Brothers, Ronan swears he saw something dark in the trees along the south lawn.
Do you see anything?
No. Nor do I sense an unfamiliar presence.
Take your family inside. Baird and I will check it out.
“Let’s head back in. Time for that soak I promised.” We’d barely turned to head back toward home when Ionus and Baird hovered over the trees. It had slipped my mind that they were on duty today when I first alerted him.
We don’t see anything. Possibly, it was a shadow.
Possibly. But it’s not like Ronan to see things.
