Page 13

Chapter

Ten

D elilah caught her daughter by the arm in case she decided to throw herself at the two males staring back at her with such obvious pleasure.

If nothing else, that alone showed her the depth of love and kindness that they were capable of.

They weren’t merely just tolerant of Lily but looked at her the way fathers watched their children when they were at play.

The way she’d often wished that Zack would have looked at her rather than with impatience.

Love. It was the same warmth that brightened their eyes when they looked at her, even if she hadn’t recognized it at that particular time.

They even received Lily’s declaration with a look of delight despite the fact that, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

First it was that the stars were sent for them, and then it was that they were to be a family…

and now she was just outright calling them her daddies?

Mortification filled her, but she was also surprised.

Lily had cried for her father when he never returned home, but she had never mentioned wanting another father.

Even Lily mentioning that she wished for a family so that they wouldn’t be alone hadn’t struck Delilah the same as wishing for a father.

She was far more invested than she had previously understood.

This was either wonderful if things worked out, or really, really bad if they didn’t.

“Lily—” she began, but was surprised when the males cooed at her, their wings extended out around them as if almost cupping her lovingly between them.

Now that she thought about it, they had done that with her as well.

“Greetings little one,” Gehj said. “I am Gehj, and this is my ahaku, Agrel.”

“Ahaku, that’s a funny word,” Lily replied and giggled. “I’m Lily, and that’s my momma. I knew the stars would hear me and send me someone, but I didn’t think that they would send me two daddies.”

“Lily,” Delilha gently chided, “it’s rude to make assumptions.”

Although both males seemed entirely on board with being her mate and would likely step up to help care for Lily as they had been, there was a lot more expected of “daddies” that she didn’t think was fair to automatically sign them up for.

To her surprise, Agrel gave a clicking laugh that was a bit startling and more adorable than she wanted to admit.

“We do not mind, swiya ,” he assured her, his expression soft as he looked down upon her daughter. “We would be pleased to be thought of as such.”

“It is a great honor to be called father,” Gehj confirmed, his eyes bright with emotion.

“You are? It is?” Delilah’s gaze shifted between the males. This was more than she had imagined from their earlier conversation.

Gehj nodded. “Naturally. We explained how much our people treasure children,” he said, tapping Lily on the tip of her nose with one claw so that she giggled.

“It is not just their existence that is special, but who you are shaped to become for them. Any male can provide food and protection, but a father is… more than that. And mothers are revered among the Atlavan, so much so that it is forbidden among our people for a male to leave a female caring for a fledgling without adequate protection and care.” His expression shifted, quickly becoming disturbed.

“It is beyond belief that anyone would leave a mother alone in this place.”

“A lone mother is supported by the entire clan of the rookeries because of how essential she is to the welfare of our nestlings,” Agrel agreed.

“She would live peacefully with everything she desired, but she would have no shortage of males eager to care for her and her young should she choose an ahaku pair. It is considered a great honor to gain the trust and love of a mother, who would be, by necessity, far more selective.”

“Ahaku pair? You’ve mentioned that before, but I don’t quite understand what it is, other than the fact that you appear to form together,” Delilah observed, keeping her wording skewed away from the subject of mating as much as possible since her daughter was listening with rapt fascination.

Gehj tipped his head to smile up at her before straightening to his full, towering height.

“That we do, but it is a result of being an ahaku pair, rather than being a pair because we chose to take the same female as a mate. Ahaku pairs are two males who bond as juveniles. It is a matter of our nature, but those who brought us here spoke of a chemical connection, but these are not things we know of.” He shrugged his wings.

“The whys do not matter so much as the fact that males are drawn together and select each other for ahaku. Like all mating, it is irreversible and permanent unless one of the males dies. They remain together as juveniles, stabilizing their relationship with each other, and then they choose a mate together as adults.”

His bright blue gaze drifted over her in such a way that Delilah felt the heat of it sink deep into her and stir the banked fire within her until it rapidly rose through her to burn her cheeks.

His lips parted for a moment, and he drew in a small, sharp breath before they closed once more.

Whatever he tasted in the air sent a shiver through him, and his eyes grew brighter as his mouth curled with a look of definite satisfaction.

She glanced over at Agrel to find him watching her in the same rapt fashion, though he remained crouched by Lily.

That at least made sense as to why things proceeded as they had.

Didn’t Ragoru mate in threes with a single female?

Zack had made it sound like something disgustingly bestial in which they relished sharing the same female between them.

She had assumed that this was the case with the two males in front of her—that sharing was a matter of pleasure.

The way that Gehj explained Atlavan mating practices, however, made them seem natural and beautiful.

Perhaps those of the Ragoru were as well despite being painted as ravenous monsters.

She doubted that the huntsmen would show Atlavans much more grace.

“Perhaps this conversation should be tabled for later when there aren’t little ears present,” she said, directing a meaningful look toward her daughter. “Lily doesn’t yet need to know the ins and outs of… mating.”

“Momma,” Lily protested, but the males chuckled.

“Of course,” Gehj agreed, his smile warm as he looked over at her. “Besides, we should address the meal that brought us here before the hour grows any later. Why not go inside and prepare what you need while Agrel and I prepared the hares?”

Delilah nodded, relieved to have everything shift back to some sense of normality. Preparing dinner in her kitchen was definitely more within her comfort zone.

“Come on, Lily, give me a hand.”

The sigh her daughter sighed was telling. It was clear that she would much rather be out there with the Atlavans.

“We do not mind if she assists us,” Agrel offered. “If you do not mind leaving her here in our care.”

Leave her alone with them? An uneasiness descended over Delilah and momentarily stole her breath and her ability to think.

The males halted all activity and watched her, their body language and calm and relaxed while waiting on her decision.

She could say no and demand that her daughter go inside with her, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that they would accept it without further comment.

But she also knew that her instinctive reaction was born out of years living with little protection in the village and unable to trust anyone.

It wasn’t fair to the males who were inviting them into their family.

“Please, momma,” Lily whimpered.

“We will watch over her and keep her safe. We could do no other,” Gehj quietly added.

“You are certain she won’t get in the way?” She glanced at them uncertainly. “Lily can be a bit much when she would rather play frivolously instead of pay attention.”

Agrel chuckled and shrugged his wings in response.

“Such is the way with fledglings. There were once many in our clan and we were often called upon to teach them. That was before the sickness. One little wingless female will not be too difficult. A young male trying out his wings and unable to sit still is far more burdensome,” he added.

Her lips twitched with amusement in spite of herself and she let her breath out in one slow, steady sigh. She could just imagine how troublesome Agrel was as a nestling. His poor mother. “Alright. Just call if you need me.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Agrel replied, his voice lowering to a husky pitch that sent a shiver of awareness through her and her blush rising once more into her cheeks.

She was still blushing several minutes later as she stood in her kitchen, fanning her cheeks with one hand as she began to pull down the pans and spices that she was going to need.

She thankfully managed to get control of herself by the time Gehj returned and set the hares where she directed on the freshly wiped chopping board.

She had a feeling that he would have lurked there at her kitchen table if she let him, but she shooed him back outside so that she could cook and think without his eyes caressing her, bringing heated memories back to her of their time at the pond.

It wasn’t that his eyes touched her in an unpleasant or lascivious way, but rather that they moved over her with true appreciation and admiration that made her blush anew.

And she absolutely was not going to sit there and spend her entire time cooking, blushing like a schoolgirl.

Still, that didn’t stop her from glancing frequently out the kitchen window as she worked, her eyes following the males as they fanned their wings and tail feathers in their play as they allowed her to chase them around with a large plush beast that had seen better years.

To their credit, the males seemed to find it a great game and allowed her to torment them with a plushy as she ran with little Nimh at her heels in hot pursuit.

Shaking her head in amusement, she headed back to the stove. Dinner would at least be eventful. And having the two alien males for company oddly made it the most enjoyable meal she’d had in some time.