sniffing excitedly around Blossom's thick stem. The nostradim flower had grown in Alfheim in response to my magic and she had helped me escape Freyr's evil clutches. I'd brought her back to Faerie when I escaped and she had connected with the magic of Faerie, blooming beautifully ever since. Now her bright yellow petals dipped down toward Dex and opened joyously to display her shivering white stamens within. It was her way of smiling. Dexter gave her a snuffle in return.
“Good boy,” I nodded. “So you're going to be a Daddy. Will you be returning to help your mate with the babies?”
Dexter gave a huffing sigh.
“Yes indeed,” Arach noted, “children are hard work.”
“As if you do any of the work,” I scoffed.
“I do some,” Arach bristled.
“Okay, whatever, Dragon Daddy,” I chuckled and then waved to Dex. “Come on, we can talk about your paternal responsibilities later. It's time for you to meet the twins.”
Dexter ran over to my side and looked at me curiously. Normal animals can understand humans well enough, they read human body language and the tone of their voices, but fey creatures really could understand the words you said to them. That didn't take me long to get used to, I've always talked to animals as if they understood me, but it was nice to actually hold a conversation with one.
“Yeah, I had two babies,” I leaned over to give him a kiss. “Not as many as your lady will probably have but I think I did well enough.”
Dexter ran out of the room, heading straight for the nursery, and Arach and I followed while we laughed.
Chapter Eight
“Excellent,” I said to Vidar, Vali, Thor, and Kaitlin as they climbed out of the coach I'd sent for them. “You've arrived just in time to see Arach throw our son out of a window.”
“What?!” Thor looked up to where I gestured; the highest peak of Castle Aithinne, the Flight Tower. “Which son?”
Vidar, Vali, and Kaitlin stared upwards in shock.
“Which do you think?” I huffed and Dexter whined beside me. “The one who has a chance at flying.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?” I looked back at Thor. “You're not concerned anymore, now that it's not Brevyn?”
“No,” Thor shrugged. “I imagine that Arach knows what he's doing in regards to a young dragon-sidhe. Where is Brevyn, by the way?”
“Up there, with his father and brother,” I huffed. “Those boys don't like to be separated. Brevyn started to cry when I tried to carry him away from Rian. So Isleen is up in the Flight Tower holding Brevyn beside Arach.”
“Why aren't you up there too, Mom?” Vali asked as he absently leaned forward to pet Dex.
“Because I need to be down here, ready to shift into a dragon and save him if I need to,” I grumbled.
“That's not comforting,” Vidar grimaced.
“You're telling me.”
Dexter whined again. He'd bonded with the boys instantly and this whole tossing Rian from a window thing was bothering him almost as much as it bothered me. He was extremely nervous, circling me, twitching his tail, and staring back and forth between me and the dreaded tower.
“It's kind of a big deal, huh?” Kaitlin's eyes went from Dexter to the huge crowd of faeries gathered in the open space before the castle, all of them with their necks angled back so they could watch the tower window.
“Yeah,” I huffed. “Oh, sorry, I completely forgot that this is your first visit. Welcome to Faerie, Kaitlin. And this is Dexter, he's my furry son.”
“Thank you,” she laughed, her walnut eyes sparkling. “It's nice to meet you, Dexter,” she nodded to Dex and he shocked her by nodding back.
“He can understand you,” I explained.
“Oh,” she blinked. “Well then you're one more amazing thing to add to my list of wonders,” she said to him before looking back to me. “Faerie is much more interesting than the God Realm and I thought nothing could impress me more than that.”
“Faerie is in a class all of her own,” I agreed.
Why,
“Good boy,” I nodded. “So you're going to be a Daddy. Will you be returning to help your mate with the babies?”
Dexter gave a huffing sigh.
“Yes indeed,” Arach noted, “children are hard work.”
“As if you do any of the work,” I scoffed.
“I do some,” Arach bristled.
“Okay, whatever, Dragon Daddy,” I chuckled and then waved to Dex. “Come on, we can talk about your paternal responsibilities later. It's time for you to meet the twins.”
Dexter ran over to my side and looked at me curiously. Normal animals can understand humans well enough, they read human body language and the tone of their voices, but fey creatures really could understand the words you said to them. That didn't take me long to get used to, I've always talked to animals as if they understood me, but it was nice to actually hold a conversation with one.
“Yeah, I had two babies,” I leaned over to give him a kiss. “Not as many as your lady will probably have but I think I did well enough.”
Dexter ran out of the room, heading straight for the nursery, and Arach and I followed while we laughed.
Chapter Eight
“Excellent,” I said to Vidar, Vali, Thor, and Kaitlin as they climbed out of the coach I'd sent for them. “You've arrived just in time to see Arach throw our son out of a window.”
“What?!” Thor looked up to where I gestured; the highest peak of Castle Aithinne, the Flight Tower. “Which son?”
Vidar, Vali, and Kaitlin stared upwards in shock.
“Which do you think?” I huffed and Dexter whined beside me. “The one who has a chance at flying.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?” I looked back at Thor. “You're not concerned anymore, now that it's not Brevyn?”
“No,” Thor shrugged. “I imagine that Arach knows what he's doing in regards to a young dragon-sidhe. Where is Brevyn, by the way?”
“Up there, with his father and brother,” I huffed. “Those boys don't like to be separated. Brevyn started to cry when I tried to carry him away from Rian. So Isleen is up in the Flight Tower holding Brevyn beside Arach.”
“Why aren't you up there too, Mom?” Vali asked as he absently leaned forward to pet Dex.
“Because I need to be down here, ready to shift into a dragon and save him if I need to,” I grumbled.
“That's not comforting,” Vidar grimaced.
“You're telling me.”
Dexter whined again. He'd bonded with the boys instantly and this whole tossing Rian from a window thing was bothering him almost as much as it bothered me. He was extremely nervous, circling me, twitching his tail, and staring back and forth between me and the dreaded tower.
“It's kind of a big deal, huh?” Kaitlin's eyes went from Dexter to the huge crowd of faeries gathered in the open space before the castle, all of them with their necks angled back so they could watch the tower window.
“Yeah,” I huffed. “Oh, sorry, I completely forgot that this is your first visit. Welcome to Faerie, Kaitlin. And this is Dexter, he's my furry son.”
“Thank you,” she laughed, her walnut eyes sparkling. “It's nice to meet you, Dexter,” she nodded to Dex and he shocked her by nodding back.
“He can understand you,” I explained.
“Oh,” she blinked. “Well then you're one more amazing thing to add to my list of wonders,” she said to him before looking back to me. “Faerie is much more interesting than the God Realm and I thought nothing could impress me more than that.”
“Faerie is in a class all of her own,” I agreed.
Why,