Page 93 of Sway’s Peace (Delivery Service #2)

Grace

“Dad, can we have some candy?”

“Please?”

Sway looked down from the mirror and onto his sons. Smiling indulgently before he even saw them. Even before he opened his mouth, Grace knew what he was about to say.

She snapped, “Lucas! Teel!”

The boys jumped before turning with sheepish smiles. Big, innocent eyes. Looking so adorable and pathetic, one might think they were beaten puppies. Grace glared at them, hands on her hips, anger burning in her chest.

“What did I say?” She demanded to know, staring them down.

Neither boy answered her. Their gaze alternating between giving Sway puppy dog eyes and looking, ashamed, down at the ground.

They were in trouble, and they knew it, but they were going to try to tug on their father’s heartstrings, knowing they had a much better chance of getting away with their mischief with him than with her.

The boys were twins, but only insomuch that they were laid at the same time.

Grace, for her pregnancy, had laid two eggs, making them fraternal twins.

She wasn’t surprised, considering that had been when Goldie was still learning how to turn ovulation on and off.

She had turned it on, definitely, but Grace had produced two eggs instead of just one, resulting in her boys.

They were both bad, but had absolute angel faces. They also had their father completely wrapped around their little fingers.

Lucas was slightly taller than his brother, though he had hatched second. Teel was shorter, though only marginally, and his face was a bit rounder. Otherwise, they were very similar in appearance.

Unlike Sway, they were covered in skin, not feathers, like her, though it was the same pale blue as their father’s palms. They did have feathers, though it was where hair would be.

They were too young to have crests yet, but their heads were covered in downy blue feathers, just a few shades darker than their skin.

They wouldn’t get their crests until they hit puberty, but they would most certainly be the same color as Sway’s, just like their tails already were.

They did have hard, gray skin at their knuckles and from their knees down, like their father, as well as the shiny, all black eyes.

But they also had claws. Which had been a surprise.

Their fingers and toes were tipped with thick, black claws, almost like talons.

Sway had fingernails like herself, so it confused them as to where that particular trait had come from.

After looking into it with Goldie, researching farasie genealogy and history, they discovered that ancient farasie used to have that exact feature, but it had long been bred out.

Nowadays, if a hatchling began developing claws in the egg, it was classified as a birth defect and corrected before hatching.

Claws were violent, after all, and the farasie people would not appreciate such things. Claws were useless to their modern lives anyway, so it wasn’t a loss. To them, correcting the claws before birth was no different than pre-emptively removing wisdom teeth before they caused problems.

Sway didn't know if claws ran in his family, and they certainly couldn’t ask his estranged father, but it appeared that the hybridization with her human DNA had brought forth that ancient trait and returned it to them.

Neither of them wanted to classify their claws as birth defects. If the boys wanted them removed or altered as adults, that would be their choice, but they wanted their sons to be hatched as they were unless it would affect their quality of life.

But it didn't seem to. The boys still played like normal farasie. They had to keep their claws dulled, since they would get sharp if they didn’t, but many species did that, and it was no different from trimming someone’s nails.

Grace’s little raptor babies. They were adorable.

And so, so bad. They had been getting into things since they were old enough to toddle around, and manipulating their father into getting away with it since they could talk.

Not even five minutes ago, they’d come to ask Grace if they could have some candy, and she said, in no uncertain terms, that they could not.

They’d be going to a banquet soon. All the kids were invited, but after the award ceremony, they were going to be watched over by caretakers so the adults could mingle and relax.

But those caretakers came with a buffet of foods, including lots of treats.

Grace had already accepted that her boys were about to overdose on sugar and probably no real food.

She wasn’t going to let them pre-game candy on top of it.

But when she said no, their immediate problem solving technique was to then go present the same question to Sway and almost always, if he didn't realize she’d already forbidden them, he would give in and say yes.

Grace had followed them, knowing exactly what they were planning when they slipped away after seeming to accept her rejection without complaint.

And, sure enough, they’d gone right to the privy where Sway had just left the shower, his feathers still damp, a towel about his waist, while he was cleaning his teeth, and tried to circumvent her authority.

“Go finish getting dressed,” she ordered her boys, pointing back through the suite towards their room. “You two look like feral children.”

“Feral children!” Teel yelled, screaming like it was the greatest of compliments.

Only made worse when Lucas howled – like a wild animal.

They ran away from her, growling and hissing and whistling at each other.

They didn't even make it back through their door before they were wrestling and barking. Grace sighed, not even bothering to stop them. If she tried to stop every fight they started, she’d never get anything done.

As long as there was no blood drawn, there was no foul and they were good to tire themselves out.

“Sorry, my Grace,” Sway said, wrapping his arms around her from the side, pulling her against his chest. “I’ll be sure to ask next time if they’ve asked you first.”

She let out a long sigh, her head dropping against this chest. “No, you know what. It’s fine. Spoil them while you can. You’re never getting another hatchling out of me. And you can thank those little demons for it too.”

Sway only laughed, kissing her head. “You’re tense.”

“Would I be sentenced to Rik-Vane for strangling my kids? Asking for me.”

“Maybe not, but they would hit you with those eyes of theirs and you’d never be able to finish.”

“That’s you,” she frowned, letting out a long breath.

“Tell you what, why don’t I call and book some time at the spa for yourself tomorrow. You can go, relax, be pampered. I’ll watch the feral children.”

“They’ll run right over you and be hyped up on sugar and probably some kind of animal sacrifice by the time I get back.”

Sway laughed. “I’ll take them out with the others. Let them all play together and wear each other out. I’ll make sure they’re in bed by the time you get back, and then,” he turned her in his arms so he could embrace her properly, “I’ll do a little pampering myself. How’s that sound?”

She couldn’t stop a smile from tugging at her lips. That sounded really nice, actually.

The two of them hadn’t had a moment’s peace since they arrived on Holotulle.

Alred was getting this big award and it came with an equally big banquet and party.

It was one huge vacation that was all expenses paid for them and all their younglings.

This big hotel suite had been provided, free, with a room for them and another for their boys.

But their boys had slept with them last night, and they’d been following them around the last two days, and the night before Grace and Sway had been tired from their arrival and their boys combined and hadn’t wanted to do anything but sleep.

Tonight, all the younglings were going to be watched by the caretakers – also provided free of charge.

But Grace was afraid that they’d throw in the towel and comm at some point to beg them to take their heathens back.

Though, after the party, Grace probably still wouldn’t want to do anything but sleep again.

But if she had a whole day at the spa to rest and relax first…

“If you’re not too tired after dealing with all the kids,” she smiled, running her hand down Sway’s chest, “I think we could-”

A loud crash from the boys’ room cut her off and made her wince. She didn't know what that was, but it sounded expensive. And the sudden, eerie silence from both boys did not bode well.

“I’ll check on them,” Sway laughed, kissing her head.

“How are you always so calm?” Grace asked as he separated from her. “I swear, nothing those boys do ever riles you up.”

He took her chin in hand and brought her eyes back to him. He smiled at her, and there was such joy in his face, it washed over her like a soothing balm.

“You three are my peace,” he said, tracing her lip with his thumb. He leaned down to kiss her, once, so sweet and tender, before letting go.

Grace stood there, smiling at his back as he disappeared into the room. She heard his stern voice as he chastised them over whatever they broke. She could just imagine Lucas and Teel giving him those puppy dog eyes already, so she knew it wouldn’t last long.

But really, though she huffed and puffed, she didn't actually mind.

Because if they were Sway’s peace, then they were her joy. And her life, finally, felt like she had everything she needed. She had enough.