Page 20

20

Saffron

After our chit-chat with Jade, me and Aurum returned to our bedroom while I dragged Rorik along. It was too late for him to return to the hotel, and more importantly, I wanted him near me. When the three of us walked in, we saw a tired Mylo sitting splay-legged on the floor surrounded by strewn toys and two bouncing ferret kits.

“Oh, good, you’re finally back,” Myo said, tired but smiling.

Aurum chuckled. He reached down to pick up the twin girls like a pair of tube socks. Without hesitation, he deposited them in my and Rorik’s arms.

“Here,” he said. “Free parenting practice.”

Rorik stared in awe down at Desiree as the kit squirmed and tried to climb up his shoulder. He didn’t seem scared like he had the first time, but I figured he’d appreciate some guidance.

“You’re good,” I encouraged while balancing a ferret of my own. “As long as you don’t move around too much, she won’t fall off.”

“Okay. Oof,” Rorik added as Desiree crawled over the back of his neck. “Her nails are sharp.”

“All the better for digging up bugs,” Aurum teased. “C’mon, you two. Mylo wore them out, so they’ll settle down for a movie.”

I perked up. “Yes! Come on, Rorik!”

Mylo chuckled, standing up off the floor. “I see we’re having an impromptu movie night. I’ll go make the popcorn.”

“I’ll come with you,” Aurum suggested. “I stuffed myself at dinner, but I can’t say no to movie night snacks.”

As the two left for the kitchen, Rorik sat next to me on the couch. He moved easily compared to before—less like a stranger and more like he belonged. His hands were constantly in motion as Desiree clambered all over him, as if juggling a moving current.

“Do dragon offspring always have this much energy?” he asked.

I grinned. “Some more than others. Having twins is a special kind of tiring.”

Rorik paused, chewing his lip. His cheeks were tinged with pink. “Do you think…”

When he trailed off, I turned to look at him. “Hm?”

“When we…” Rorik cleared his throat. “When we have kids, do you think they’ll be twins, too?”

My heart soared. I loved knowing he was thinking about it. I leaned against Rorik, soaking up the warmth of his big body.

“Who knows?” I said. “Would you be opposed to that?”

“No,” Rorik said quickly, then smiled. “I’m only considering the possibilities.”

Ugh, he was so cute. I wanted to pinch those chubby pink cheeks of his. But since my hands were full of squirming ferrets, I leaned over to kiss him instead. It was a chaste peck, but it still turned Rorik’s whole face red.

“Saffron,” he murmured. “I love you.”

My heart skipped a beat. I knew it in my heart, but it was the first time he’d said that out loud.

“We’re back!” Aurum announced, waltzing into the room with a huge bowl of popcorn. He hunkered onto the couch, shoved a fistful of popcorn in his mouth, then raised a brow at us. “You two weren’t doing anything PG-13 in front of my girls, were you?”

“No!” Rorik blurted, blushing harder. “I would never.”

I snorted in amusement. “I just gave him a peck on the lips.”

Mylo was right behind Aurum. He bundled up on the couch with a giant bowl of his own. “Here, you two. This one can be yours,” he said, passing his bowl to Rorik. “Eat as much as you want, there’s lots more where it came from!”

Rorik took the bowl from Mylo, careful not to drop the popcorn or the ferret balanced on his shoulders. It brought me joy watching the two omegas interact.

“So, gang,” I announced. “What movie are we watching?”

“Rorik should pick,” Mylo suggested.

He flashed a shy smile. “Thanks, but I’m not the best person to choose. I haven’t seen many movies.”

Aurum yawned, sinking into the couch. “I’m okay with anything family-friendly, as long as it’s not—”

“Ice Pincess!” Desiree and Kiara squealed.

Aurum groaned loudly. “Oh, Holy Drake, anything but that…”

The girls giggled at their daddy’s pain.

Mylo shot Rorik a sympathetic look. “ Ice Princess is their favorite movie right now. They’re going through a phase.”

“They’re obsessed,” Aurum grumbled. “It’s the only movie they’ll sit through quietly, start to finish.”

Rorik tilted his head. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Aurum heaved a sigh. “Yes, except I’ve only seen it one billion times. Those songs are etched onto my brain forever.”

“Ice Pincess, Ice Pincess,” the girls chanted.

Rorik looked amused at their stubborn tenacity. “I’ve never seen Ice Princess , either. It sounds fun. We should watch it.”

“YAY!” the girls cried.

I snorted, grabbing a bite of popcorn. “Congratulations, Rorik. For the next hour and a half, you just became their favorite uncle.”

Rorik flashed a genuine smile, one where his cheeks rose up high enough to block the lower half of his eyes. It was so fucking cute, I could’ve melted. As if I could be more obsessed with him.

I felt a sense of pride that my hoard was useful to my family. I leapt off the couch, fished for the familiar DVD, and popped it into the console. “All right, Ice Princess time.”

Back on the couch, Desiree and Kiara had settled calmly on Rorik’s shoulders. Their beady black eyes were glued to the screen even though the title hadn’t even appeared. But the girls weren’t the only ones—Rorik was doing exactly the same thing. I stifled a chuckle and slipped back next to him. Cuddling closer, I pressed our arms together. His large body was so comforting and soft.

“All righty, here we go,” I announced, then hit play on the remote.

After the girls’ initial excited hooting and hollering, they went silent as the title screen popped up. Rorik, too, was silent. He stared as the opening sequence unfolded, as if afraid to blink and miss something. He was so enraptured that he didn’t even eat popcorn. I picked up a few pieces and popped them into his mouth. He ate them without tearing his gaze from the TV.

This is nice, I thought, thoroughly content. The four of us—plus the girls—on the couch, watching a movie together… I could really get used to this.

After the initial character introductions and musical numbers, the plot thickened. Rorik was entranced. He gasped at every plot twist, laughed at every joke, and was spellbound by the beautiful animation. I held his hand, entangling our fingers. Every once in a while, he’d twitch in shock or squeeze my hand at particularly emotional moments. His honest reaction to everything in the film endeared him to me deeper than I already was. It meant a lot to me that he enjoyed watching this movie—any movie, really.

Our bowl of popcorn slowly vanished as the movie moved into its second half. The climax was coming up. Aurum was already half asleep. Once in a while, I saw Mylo nudge him awake.

On the other hand, the girls and Rorik were fully alert. When the big reveal occurred—that the main love interest was actually a villain—Rorik gasped. He sat forward abruptly, his brows furrowed and his mouth open in betrayed shock.

“What? No!” he cried. “Why did Johann do that to her?”

Any adult would’ve seen it coming from a mile away, but Rorik didn’t have decades of movie-watching experience. It was his first ever plot twist.

“Because he’s a mean dude,” I said sympathetically.

“But she didn’t deserve that,” Rorik argued. “I can’t believe this! Those other two friends, Andri or Jaki, would never do anything like that to her…”

I gave him a reassuring pat on the knee, then reached for the remote. “Do you wanna pause it and take a break?” I suggested.

“No!” Rorik, Kiara and Desiree all yelled at once.

I grinned and dropped the remote. “Okay, okay. Then keep watching.”

Rorik slumped back in his seat, arms crossed and pouting. I tried to contain my amusement as I put my arm across his shoulders and held him close. My poor grumpy, emotional bear. Maybe it was a good thing we never ended up finishing The Land Before Time. He might’ve bawled his eyes out...

He got a break soon enough. The ice princess fell for her real love interests—the two friends by her side, Andri and Jaki—and the baddie got a swift kick in the ass from karma. There was a big tearful make-up, a big party, and everything ended happily ever after.

As the credits rolled, Rorik slowly turned to me with wet eyes. “ Ice Princess is incredible. I think it’s my new favorite movie.”

Aurum groan-laughed. “Oh, good. Now we can watch it even more.”

I shot my twin a silencing glare, then smiled at my mate. “Ignore him. You, me, and the girls can watch it anytime you want.”

Mylo chuckled warmly. “I’ll join in, too. I’m not a hater like Aurum.”

Aurum grumbled as he melted off the couch. “Guys, I’m not a hater. I just can’t listen to ‘Let It Snow’ anymore. I’ll lose my freaking mind.” He yawned and got to his feet. “And with that over, I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day. Coming, Mylo?”

Mylo nodded, covering his mouth as he yawned, too. Then he gathered the sleepy girls from Rorik’s shoulders.

“They seemed very comfortable with their new uncle,” he pointed out, smiling. “See you guys tomorrow.”

Rorik beamed at the praise. When the two of us were alone, he turned shyly to me.

“So… when are we having our own?” he asked.

A huge grin broke out on my face. “How soon do you want to? ‘Cause I’m ready when you are.”

His dark eyes flashed. His tongue poked out, darting across his lips. In the electric silence that followed, my heart picked up speed.

Finally, Rorik asked in a low voice: “How tired are you?”