Page 27

27

Rorik

I sighed, smiling as my sons clambered on top of the plushie I meant to return ages ago. At three months old, they were already incredibly mobile. Regular polar bear cubs were fragile and didn’t move much, but Andri was no ordinary polar bear cub. He was half dragon, which gave him a mobility boost in addition to an adorable pair of wings. Meanwhile, Jaki took after his alpha father in his draconic appearance. The yellow dragonet was bright, alert, and always curious. The patch of white fur on his head was growing fluffier by the day.

Saffron had suggested their names, which I immediately loved. Andri and Jaki were the two male protagonists in Ice Princess . They meant ‘snowshoe’ and ‘iceberg’ respectively, which we thought were fitting names for two snowy baby shifters. It was also a nod to my homeland. Hopefully we could all visit there someday under better circumstances than I’d left it.

“Andri, Jaki,” I said patiently, knowing they didn’t understand me yet. “Come on. Blueberry 1.0 has to go home.”

Andri hugged the plushie in his front paws and toppled over with it, looking thoroughly content. Meanwhile, Jaki gnawed on Blueberry 1.0’s tail like a giant chew toy.

“Oops,” Saffron said. He quickly scooped up Jaki. “Not with those sharp teeth, little man.”

Jaki complained with a squeak until Saffron replaced his makeshift chew toy with an actual teething ring. Then his dark eyes closed as he happily nibbled on the soft plastic.

“Well, I’ve got this one under control,” Saffron teased. “Your turn.”

“Hm… I have an idea.”

I shifted to polar bear form, then gently picked up Andri in my mouth. His instincts to obey his papa kicked in. He went limp as a rag doll and dropped the plushie.

Saffron quickly scooped it up. “Got it! Now let’s return it before it gets covered in any more baby drool.”

Each carrying a baby, we headed to Cobalt and Muzo’s room. We must’ve looked funny to an outsider—a huge polar bear strutting down the hallway carrying a cub in his mouth, next to a blond twink holding a baby dragon and soaked plushie—but this was our daily life. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I knocked with my paw when we arrived. A second later, a short omega with curly black-and-tan hair appeared. Muzo’s face lit up and he gasped.

“Blueberry! Where the heck have you been?” He reached for the toy, then paused. “Oh. He’s, er... wet.”

“Sorry,” Saffron said sheepishly. “Jaki and Andri chewed on him a little bit.”

Muzo grinned. “Oh, that’s okay. Laz used to chew on stuff all the time. Pretty sure our pillows still have holes in them… Wait, where did you even find Blueberry? He disappeared from our room again a few months ago. Seriously, it’s like aliens come down to abduct him once in a while. Or maybe it’s the snails…”

I exchanged a knowing glance with Saffron. It definitely wasn’t aliens or snails, but neither of us wanted to spill Viol’s secret.

“I dunno. We just found him in the blanket pile when Rorik laid his egg. The aliens must’ve known Rorik needed a cuddly friend,” Saffron suggested.

Muzo took that at face value. He nodded seriously. “Wow… Aliens are kind. Maybe Blueberry 1.0’s better off with you guys for now? We have 2.0, anyway.”

Saffron peeked over his shoulder, as if afraid a particular tiger would manifest behind him, then quietly asked, “You don’t think Taylor minds that our sons are chewing on him?”

“Nah, you know Tay loves kids,” Muzo pointed out. “He’d be glad his creation is being appreciated. Right, guys?” He wagged a finger at Andri and Jaki, then expertly pulled it aside before Jaki curiously chomped on it. “Aha! I know all your tricks, little guy. Dragonets love nothing more than taking a bite out of—ouch!”

I stifled a laugh. Muzo had made one fatal flaw—he’d moved his finger out of Jaki’s range, right into Andri’s, and my polar bear cub wasn’t one to miss his chance to chomp.

After saying bye to Uncle Muzo, we headed back down the hall to our room for the boys’ nap time. It wasn’t until we passed a shadowy corner that I realized we were being watched. Saffron was clueless, but I still retained my situational awareness and knew the gaze felt familiar.

“Is there something on your mind, Viol?” I called.

Saffron stopped mid-step. “Huh? Where?”

I waited for Viol to poke out of the dark corner, which he did. His usual scowl was missing. Being around two kids softened him up like that.

“How’d you know?” Viol asked, striding over to us.

He wasn’t actually as stealthy as he seemed. He submerged himself in shadows, but always lurked near the edges. Like he wanted to be noticed. His brothers just didn’t pay attention.

Instead of spilling yet another one of his secrets, I smiled and said, “Plenty of battle training.”

Andri and Jaki babbled and reached for the shiny black cuffs on Viol’s wrists. He raised them automatically, letting the boys explore them while we spoke.

Viol jerked his head at Blueberry 1.0. “Didn’t return him, huh?”

“Nope,” Saffron said, then narrowed his eyes. “Why? You come here to steal him again?”

Viol’s lip curled. “No. I don’t steal toys from kids.”

“Just adults who don’t appreciate them?” I offered.

A brief flicker of surprise crossed his face. “Something like that,” he mumbled. “Anyway, it’s time for the boys’ nap.”

“How do you know that?” Saffron blurted.

Viol shot him a deadpan look like the answer was obvious. “Because they’re three months old. They need naps, idiot.”

“...Okay, fair. Whoops.” He swooped Jaki out of the way before he ripped a hole in Viol’s leather cuff with his curious teeth, then grinned at his brother. “You know, Viol, I think you’re gonna make an amazing dad.”

Viol’s eyes widened until his pupils were dark pinpricks. He seemed genuinely astonished. A light dusting of pink colored his cheeks before he coughed and smoothed a hand through his tousled hair. “You’re not so fuckin’ bad yourself.” His face twisted as if trying not to implode. “Guess you’re not too much, either. Found your fated mate and all, like you wanted.”

A slow grin blossomed on Saffron’s face. He flashed it towards me, making my heart swell. “Yeah. I did.”

I caught the subtle longing in Viol’s words. It sounded familiar. Like I’d heard it from somebody else recently.

“You’ll find yours,” I promised, making Viol’s rounded gaze snap to mine. “As sure as a harsh winter eventually turns to spring, I know you will.”

Viol inhaled a barely audible breath. His gaze was frozen to mine, but without seeing me, as if drifting to a different world. Then the gleam of kindled hope was smothered to ash. He jerked his head aside, letting strands of dark purple hair fall across his face to obscure his expression.

“Sometimes spring’s just as fucking cold as winter,” Viol muttered. He ruffled Andri and Jaki’s fluffy heads, then strode swiftly in the opposite direction without saying goodbye.

Saffron watched him leave with a confused blink. “What was that about?”

“You brothers are clueless,” I said with a lighthearted smirk.

Proving my point, Saffron nodded eagerly. “Oh, I love Clueless ! We have to watch that next.”

I chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Movie date tonight?”

Stars sparkled in his amber eyes, brighter than the Milky Way on a cold, clear night.

“I’d love that more than anything,” Saffron murmured. “Except you. And our sons. But hang on, a movie date night means we need a babysitter… Hey, Viol! Wait up!”