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C inaed:

“ I still can't believe they're five already,” Lysandor said, shaking his head in disbelief. His silver hair moved in the light morning breeze. “It feels like yesterday we were at Hollen Hall celebrating their births.”

Walking up the path from the dock, I thanked the Earth for giving us such good weather for the children’s birthday party. Not too cold, and not too hot. The kids could run around without overheating, and the adults would be comfortable watching them.

“Marking time in children’s years gives you a new perspective,” Rod said, his fingers linked with mine as we headed toward the house. “It moves at the same pace, but you notice it more when you see the little baby you held in one hand running around like a terror.”

“That sounds way too personal,” Owen said with a laugh.

Rod’s youngest brother had grown up in the last ten years.

His once lanky frame was more muscular, and the carefree attitude had been replaced with purpose.

“And accurate. Classes ended last month, and I couldn’t believe an entire school year had passed.

It feels like weeks earlier we opened the school and welcomed our first students. ”

“Don’t get too upset,” Lysandor said. “It starts all over again in two months.”

“You two should visit more often,” Rod said, echoing my thoughts. “It’s been way too long.”

“I know, I know," Owen said. “We've just been so busy with the school and the ranch, we forget there's a world outside Wyoming.”

That was a feeling Rod and I understood all too well. “Welcome to adulting.”

“I know, right?” Lysandor answered.

I loved that life hadn’t destroyed their playful spirits.

Of all the mated pairs, they’d had no defined role when the war ended.

That freedom sounded great in theory, but it left them without direction.

We were all proud of them for taking time to discover their passions before making life-changing decisions.

After traveling the world, Lysandor decided his heart belonged on the open prairie.

He didn’t, however, want to go back to the family’s ranch.

His status as the “almost” Southern Guardian made it difficult to let others make decisions for him.

His mate was one of the most powerful mages alive, and he’d grown beyond being the baby brother.

His solution was to buy a large tract of land adjoining his family’s and run it himself. Branimir had spoken of his son's venture with equal parts pride and concern the last time we'd met. “How’s the ranch coming along?”

“It's harder than Dad made it look.” Lysandor grimaced. “Herd management, personnel issues, feed prices, vet bills. It’s way more complex than I expected.”

Five years of parenthood gave me a new perspective on ‘simple things.’ “I’ll tell you what our mothers told us—you didn't see the early struggles and growth. By the time you understood what you were seeing, your parents had already gotten good at their jobs.”

“You're so right,” Lysandor said, shaking his head. “I’d also never expected to run the ranch. I assumed Thal would do it. I figured I could just coast along and enjoy life. Thank the Earth Dad comes over often to give me lessons. It’s his excuse to check on us for my mom and O’s parents.”

“I’m glad he comes over,” Owen said. “He’s a lot easier to deal with than our moms.”

They laughed at some private joke.

Owen had also needed to find himself. He decided his passion was academics, and he wanted to teach.

In any other age, Owen would be the preeminent mage of his generation.

Bart, however, was in a class of his own.

Rather than take a job at Utrecht and work in his brother’s shadow, Owen opened his own school.

“Speaking of Mom,” Rod said in a tone that meant Owen might regret what came next, “she said you told her your new school was going to ‘leave Utrecht in the dust.’ Whatever that means.”

“Hey, I needed to sell the product,” Owen said, his expression lighting up with enthusiasm. “I was raising funds for an endowment.”

“Wow,” Rod said with mock surprise. “This must be what they teach at the school. Who knew when we donated to your school, we were donating to your school?”

“Grumpy old man,” Owen said.

Rod put his arm around his brother and pulled him into a hug. Seeing him with his family reminded me of when we first met. “Ignore him, Owen,” I said. “Tell me about your school.”

“It's incredible, Cinaed!” he said, not pulling away from his brother. “In addition to unicorns, we've got eleven different shifter communities sending children. Eleven! I had hoped for three or four.”

“We've had to hire specialized teachers for each species," Lysandor added, his voice steadier than his mate's. “They all teach other subjects. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find a wendigo who could also teach a core subject?”

Their unique nature as bonded mates gave them the perfect foundation to create such a school. “Nope, but it sounds expensive,” I said. “No wonder you created an endowment.”

“Money won’t be an issue.” Owen waved a hand at my concern. “The Shifter Assembly offered to help fund us after hearing about our curriculum. We’ve already received applications for next year from a jackalope family and three lynx families. Word of mouth travels fast.”

“I’m not surprised,” Rod said. “The Council and Assembly have been trying to address educational inequities for decades. It’s incredible how you’re filling both at the same time.”

We reached a fork in the path, and Owen paused, looking down the branch we weren't following. “What's down there? More gardens?”

“Guest houses,” Rod replied.

“Houses?” Lysandor raised an eyebrow. “Plural?”

They really hadn’t been here in a long time. “Rod’s parents aren't content to stay at the castle when they visit now that there are grandchildren to dote over. So we built three guest homes. Out of sight from the main house, of course.”

“They’re nice, actually,” Rod added. “When Mom and Dad visited last time, Cinaed and I used one to get some alone time.”

“And that let Mom and Dad have the kids to themselves,” Owen said. “Smart.”

“Let me show them to you,” Rod suggested. “Maybe seeing them will convince you to come visit more.”

“Absolutely!” Owen's eyes lit up. “Let’s do it.”

Rod gave me a quick kiss before the three headed down the fork in the path. “Don’t stay too long. Everyone will be here soon.”

“Okay, we won’t take too long.”

I watched them go, Rod gesturing animatedly as he explained something to his brother. The sight filled me with a contentment I once thought impossible. Even after ten years together, these simple moments of happiness still felt like miracles.

A whoosh of phoenix wings interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t need to look to know two of my siblings had arrived. Their two copper-gold forms streaked past me and landed a few feet away. Their feet had barely touched the ground before they shifted. Showoffs.

Elspeth swept me off my feet while Colum watched with a grin. When she set me down, he did the same. “Okay, what did I do?”

“You saved us from party duty,” Elspeth said.

Her cryptic answer explained nothing. Did she think I invited her late so she didn’t have to help? “I don’t get it.”

“Mom’s going crazy,” Colum said. “This siblings-only party was a great idea.”

It took me a moment to decipher this sibling code. I was clearly out of practice. “Oh.”

“It’s partially your fault,” Colum continued. “She is NOT happy you excluded her. She’s the grandmother after all.”

He used all the right inflections, and I could see and hear Mom telling anyone who’d listen. I laughed and led them toward the house. “She was never this obsessed over us kids.”

“Grandkids are different,” Elspeth hooked my arm as we walked. “You can expect a frosty reception tomorrow.”

She didn’t need to explain. I’d seen Mom do that before. “Not happening,” I said. “Like you said, grandkids are different. If Mom ices me out, she won’t see them.”

“You’d stop her from seeing your children?” Colum looked as shocked as he sounded.

My first reaction was annoyance, but I had to remember they weren’t parents.

“No, I’m not an asshole. The kids keep us so busy, we need a schedule for everything.

We even made one for contacting all the siblings.

If Mom didn’t call me, I might go two weeks or more without calling her.

If she gives me the silent treatment, who do you think suffers more? ”

“Oh! My! God!” Elspeth punctuated each word with a slap on my arm. “You’re devious. I love it.”

When we first had Ailpein and Adelais, I didn’t realize how much my life would change. What she saw as devious was reality. “Anyway. We’re prepared. When we arrive, we’ll send the twins first. Mom will be too busy being in G’ma mode to remember why she’s mad at me.”

A thought hit me as we neared the house. “Where are your dates?”

“Helping Mom at the castle,” Colum looked decidedly unhappy with the answer. “Moira thinks Mom doesn’t like her, so she’s trying to earn points.”

“Becca can’t fly,” Elspeth said. “She didn’t want me to pull her in a boat. We’ll survive a day apart, and she and Mom get on well. She took one for the team.”

Reading between the lines, I realized two things. Mom wasn’t nearly as mad as they suggested, and I wasn’t paying close enough attention to my siblings. “That's serious if you left them with Mom.”

“You having a mate and kids is putting pressure on the rest of us.” Elspeth elbowed me playfully. “Mom’s hints get less subtle by the day.”

Rod and I had to start adulting sooner than all of my siblings except Lauch. He had to step into the crown prince role, but even that was simple compared to being a guardian. “Sorry not sorry.” I sighed. “The island is too small for everyone. Even siblings only is a big crowd.”

“We get it.” Elspeth’s tone changed. She was back to being the protective big sister. Or Aunt. “The kids get the party they want before the madness at the castle tomorrow.”