Page 13

Chapter Thirteen

As soon as we stepped through the portal, Dad teleported to us.

His scowl turned into a smile when he saw us. “Welcome home!” He pulled me into a hug and I returned it, squeezing him tight.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Did you think we were unauthorized demons entering?” Trey asked.

Dad nodded. “We left it open so you could come home, but we had a couple more animalistic demons come through that we had to send back. After discussing with Jol, we decided that we would need to lock the portal except for authorized entries until we finalize how we’re going to handle things. A topic for tonight’s meeting.”

“We’ll be attending the meeting as well, at Jol’s request,” I explained.

He nodded, then drew in a deep breath and pushed me gently to the side to look behind me. “Who is this?”

Elrith hid behind Mason, the top of his head and his eyes peeking out from behind Mason’s leg.

I held out my hand and Elrith walked forward to take it, his tail wrapped around his waist, something I was beginning to understand was a sign of unease.

I picked him up and held him on my hip so he was higher and felt him relax a little with my arm around him. “Elrith, I would like you to meet my adoptive father. This is Caleb, King of the Hybrids.”

“King?” Elrith asked in a whisper.

I nodded. Looking at Dad, I said, “Dad, meet your grandson, Elrith.”

Dad’s eyes widened a second before immediately sparkling. A huge smile split his face. “Hello, cub. I’m excited to meet you!” He held out his hand and Elrith shook it.

“You want to know something fun?” I asked Elrith.

He nodded.

“Your new grandfather here can shift into lots of forms.”

“He shifts, too?” Elrith gasped.

Dad’s eyes widened as he looked from Elrith to me.

“Dad, can you show him your dragon form?” I requested.

He immediately shifted into his full dragon form and Elrith squealed in delight. “Scales! Like me!”

“Elrith, can you show Grandpa Caleb your form?” I requested.

He hesitated, but nodded. “Okay, Mama.”

A zing of such powerful joy shot through me that I nearly dropped him as I was setting him down at hearing him call me that. I’d thought it would take him a while to refer to me that way, so it was unexpected to hear it so soon. Perhaps being alone for so long had made him desperate for a family again. Being so young, I could understand.

Once on his feet, Elrith took a breath and the smoke curled around him as he shifted.

Dad shifted from his dragon form to his human form and knelt in front of Elrith, examining him. “You are amazing,” he praised. “Your scales are harder than mine!” He poked a fingernail against one of the scales, smiling wide.

Elrith beamed with pride.

“Why don’t we go meet your other grandfathers and grandmother?” I suggested. “I’m sure they’ve got some yummy snacks inside.”

Elrith squealed. “Snacks!”

I picked him up and swung him around onto my back, giving him a piggyback ride. “Let’s go get snacks!” Jogging slowly, holding onto his arms around my neck, I made sure he didn’t fall as we went.

Elrith laughed loudly, and I knew we were both smiling like fools as we approached the house.

Dad and my mates whispered behind us, but I dismissed them, since they were likely filling him in on what had happened.

Mom opened the door as I approached. “My baby’s home!” She ran out to tackle me, but stopped when she saw Elrith. “Oh, an adorable visitor!”

“Mom, this is your grandson, Elrith. Elrith, this is Queen Ember of the Hybrids.”

“Does she shift, too?” Elrith asked.

I nodded. “All hybrids shift. Grandma here can even shift into a bunny!”

“A bunny? What’s a bunny?” he asked.

Setting him on his feet, he tilted his head slightly, confused.

“It’s a prey animal,” I explained. “Small, furry, and cute.”

“Also delicious in stew,” Dad teased as he caught up and kissed Mom on the cheek.

Mom shifted into her bunny form and then into her hybrid form, which was mostly humanoid with her legs rabbit-like to allow her to jump higher and a puffy white rabbit tail on her butt. “I prefer this form since I’m bigger.” She winked.

Elrith giggled. “You’re all so funny!”

“Mom, are there snacks?” I asked.

She gasped. “Of course! Come on, Grandson. I’ll show you where I keep the good snacks.” She leaned close to him and whispered, “The ones I have to hide from Grandpa Caleb.”

“What? What snacks do you hide from me?” Dad gasped in not so fake shock.

Elrith laughed and took Mom’s hand, letting her lead him inside.

“How many words out of his mouth before Nana Jolie melts into a puddle?” I asked Dad as we watched them go inside.

“Zero,” he said. “She’ll melt as soon as she sees him.” He put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “He reminds me of you. Small, smart, and full of magic.”

“I think he’s a hybrid,” I whispered. “He can do things the other demons can’t, like shift.”

“Well, we’ve got the first hybrid demoness right here,” Dad said, squeezing me again. “So, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. He did smell like a hybrid, but I will need to smell him again to tell what kind.” He looked down at me and asked, “Are you feeling well?”

I shrugged. “As well as I can in the circumstances.”

“You should visit Nana Kara for some healing,” he suggested.

“Great Nana Kara already visited me. I think it’s just going to take time to get used to not having that part of me. I’ll be fine.” I hugged him and said, “Thank you for worrying about me, though.”

“Always, Daughter.”

“Where’s my granddaughter?” Nana Jolie shouted suddenly behind us.

We both spun around, staring at Nana Jolie and Grandpa Nico who must have teleported here.

“What are you two doing here?” Dad asked.

Nana Jolie shoved Dad to the side and pulled me into a hug. “There you are! You naughty little thing. You haven’t visited me since the battle and I’ve been worried.”

Laughing, I hugged her back. “Sorry, Nana.”

“She has news for you,” Dad said.

Nana pushed me back. “What?”

“I’ve brought you a great grandson,” I explained.

Her mouth dropped open and she pushed by me, running into the house.

“Once there’s a younger generation, you get shoved to the side,” Dad said with a sigh and draped an arm around my shoulders. “Welcome to the club.”

We all laughed, but our laughter doubled when we heard her delighted squeal when she saw Elrith.