Page 9 of Starfall (Stand Alone Tales #20)

E mery stood and supervised the wave of tiny people in her back yard. Rowen wrapped his arms around her and held her belly. I was thinking we should slow down, but every time I do, you bite, and I can t say no.

It s only six and a half so far. Orla is coping well. I feel a little guilty, but the fact that I have four girls and two boys, and she has four boys and two girls means that we aren t perfectly aligned.

Sallen and her partners arrived and released her children. The bounce houses were getting plenty of action.

Emery, how are you doing?

I am fat and waddly. How are you doing?

Pretty good. My ovaries are on a break.

Lucky. As soon as I am generally in shape from one, Rowen brings me flowers or roasted meat, and off I go again.

Rowen started laughing.

She looked up at him. Keep giggling, and next time, it s venison.

You can put me in your mouth anytime, Emery. He leaned forward and kissed her.

Sallen smirked. You two are adorable. Orla has Thomas designing all kinds of kids furniture, so I have a household full of prototypes. They are selling well, though. He might be able to spend more time in town with the business taking off under her relentless demands.

Orla waddled over. Speaking of relentless, I am thinking of banishing Rowen the next time she s ready to go off. Just for a few months. I need a break.

Emery looked at her. Unless you can find supplemental childcare, he s staying with me. The daycare we opened next to the gym is great, but I have so much other stuff to fuss over, thanks to the lovely and scaley wonder. She handed me an empire, and I seem to want to populate it.

Rowen chuckled and supported her belly, taking the weight off, and she happily groaned as she leaned back into him. His wedding band gleamed on his finger, and hers was on a string around her neck. Dozens of tiny fall leaves in different shades of gold, from red to white, marched around the band.

They watched the kids party as Krys and Kelnen came over, and when Maven, Olmin, and Argo came with their kids, the riot was on. This next generation was wild, strong, and had a protective community, as well as stern self-policing.

She turned to Rowen. Avaknell has uncoupled our emotions. So, she s no longer going to be on the baby train.

Kelnen wandered over and caught the end of that. How many does she have?

Same as me and Orla. Six and a bit.

His eyes bugged out. Six baby dragons? Holy hell. Null and Void must be so happy and frazzled.

Krys caught up. Did you tell her what she said?

Kelnen shook his head. No. We have always been celebrating something. It slipped my mind.

Now is a good time.

Oh. He spoke casually. Avaknell is my descendant. The joining of my line and Blue s.

Emery smiled slowly.

Orla looked at her. You knew?

I suspected. They have the same eyes. Not the colour but the set and the same aggressive whimsy.

Kelnen smiled. And her temper.

Oh, yeah. She is going to relax now that she has made a whole bunch of little dragons.

Orla looked at her. When are you going to relax?

Emery sighed. I try, but it s a compulsion.

Rowen said, Accompanied by ogre fire and dark light.

Hunter murmured, I am going to have an extension put on the house. Don t get me wrong, my family is ecstatic if confused.

Emery shrugged. I suppose I could try to break the link to Orla.

Orla grunted. Don t even think it. I can always use birth control. Or he can. Or we can. This has just been fun because, now, they are all going to be grown by the time I am fifty-five, and they all have little friends now.

And you won t look a day over thirty. Hunter kissed her cheek.

She chuckled. Seven is enough for you, Winter?

Definitely. They all started laughing.

Emery smiled and felt relief. She had felt horrible hauling her friends along, but ogre queens were populators. She was shooting for an even dozen, and the occasional oops baby wouldn t be amiss. Rowen s family was nuts for each pregnancy, and the amount of custom clothing and embroidered quilts she now had was extensive. The women of the family liked to create, but once the babies were done, they switched to clothing the family. That included Emery after a hasty proposal and a glorious wedding in the woods with a pathway made from arched tree boughs. Orla s wedding had occurred an hour later with the same pathway frosted and a change of family. Where Emery had had her as the maid of honour, Orla did the same. Her mother was the officiant.

The years were flying by, but it didn t matter as much as Emery had thought it would. She looked the same, and her friends looked the same, so it felt like the world was rotating past them. The kids were ways to mark the passing of time, and they would have loving family to help them deal with any part of the ogre bloodline.

The stars had fallen, and their friendship remained on the world that had called them. It had just become something that no one would have guessed. The light star was flourishing, and the dark star was on the rise.