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They take care of me through another long delivery, and when it’s all done, our family has grown, and Savi has a little sister.

21

Vex's Epilogue

10 Years Later

“Dad!” Vell comes running into my legs with her brother hot on her heels with a bug in his hands.

I force myself not to laugh. I will not laugh at the trauma being imposed on my daughter by her brother. I’m somewhat successful as I scoop her into my arms and set her on my shoulders, far away from the beetle Savi is now watching crawl up his scaled arms.

“What’s going on?” Rallan pokes his head into the living room to make sure our children aren’t killing one another.

“Savi has a bug,” Vell takes big gulps of air as she tries not to cry. She’s not successful, considering I can feel the wetness of her tears on the top of my head. “He tried to touch me withit!” she wails at the last part, and I have to swallow hard to stop laughing. Rallan’s forcing a frown on his face, but I can see the laughter in his eyes.

“I will get rid of the bug,” Rallan says, trying to sound serious. “Savi, come outside and leave your sister and father alone.”

“I just wanted to show it to her!” Savi pouts. “It’s purple, and she likes purple.”

“I am sure she would have liked it more if you had asked to show her a bug instead of chasing her with it, yes?” Rallan says as he pats Savi on the shoulder and guides him outside. The beetle’s now crawling under his tunic and might get lost in the house if it drops, but at least Vell seems like she’s done crying.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” I ask as I go to sit on the couch.

I grab Vell by her arm and lift her off me. She giggles as I plop her on the couch, and then she’s standing up on the cushions, wrapping her arms around my neck. Savi and Vell aren’t mine in a genetic sense, but as far as they’re aware and as far as our family cares, they’re both mine. For that I’m eternally grateful to both Simone and Rallan.

“Are you leaving?” Vell asks in a conspiratorial whisper that she says way too close to my face. I’m so surprised that she knows that I’m leaving and that she’s completely forgotten about the bug already that it takes me a second to answer her question.

“Only for a little while. A couple of days at most,” I answer, running a hand over the tips of her horns that are starting to form. She and Savi both look so much like Rallan that it’s pretty unbelievable from a genetic standpoint. Then again, none of this should really be possible, but somehow, humans and this species are compatible.

“Why?” Vell pats my face with her hands, aiming for the same soothing touch her mother and I do for her when she’s upset.She’s not as coordinated as she should be, and it’s more like she’s slapping me. “You can stay here with us.”

“I’ll be back.” I furrow my brows, trying to figure out how my daughter knows I’m leaving and why she’s worried about it like her mother. “I always come back.” I lean my forehead against hers and whisper. “Want to know a secret?”

She nods, her black eyes going wide.

“This is the last time I’ll ever leave,” I tell her. When a smile breaks out across her face, I let myself smile, too.

“The bug is taken care of,” Rallan announces as he comes back into the house with Savi hoisted up under one of his arms like luggage. He’s laughing and kicking his feet, but he’s still small compared to his father. “What are you two scheming?”

“No scheming here,” I say as I lean back on the couch. Vell narrows her eyes on me before plopping down next to me, crossing her arms over her chest like me, and leaning back on the couch beside me.

“No scheming,” she nods and agrees with me, which makes me bite my tongue to keep from smiling.

“Ah, very believable.” Rallan rolls his eyes, earning him a giggle from Vell as she crawls from the couch and runs over to him. “You think you can keep secrets from me and then beg for a hug?” Rallan scoffs and then squats down to wrap an arm around Vell as he sets Savi back on the ground. “Because you can. Always come to me for hugs. Even when you are grown and think you do not need them, yes?”

When she doesn’t respond, Rallan tickles her side, and she squeals in agreement. I watch them for a moment longer before standing from the couch. I try to get Rallan’s attention without making a big deal out of my leaving. He catches my eyes and nods in understanding.

“Let us go visit your cousins and make some paintings for your mother,” Rallan says as he grabs our children by the handand ushers them out of the house and most likely toward Dath’s workshop.

I don’t know if Dath’s even there right now, considering the final group of humans is coming tonight. Most of the original tribe is at the great hall preparing for the arrival of the new women. That’s where Simone’s been all day. Rallan would be there too if not for needing to watch our kids.

I go through the house, looking at everything to make sure the house is safe before allowing my energy to vibrate and open a portal back to Earth. I won’t be able to use the Hands’ technology to transport myself once I remove myself from the collective mind, but for now, I still can.

“Welcome back, Vexarionaxnoryndrik,” Amarithlumonarion says as I step back onto Earth wearing the human skin that’s become second nature for me to keep on my form.

“Good to see you,” I say through gritted teeth.

I don’t dislike the elder. I just dislike everything about being part of the collective. I don’t like how I have to lock my children away in a tiny section of my mind so the others don’t know about them. I hate how Simone and Rallan aren’t in my shared memories at all because they wouldn’t be safe if they were.