Chapter 16
Caspian
The trip from station Z68 seems to take forever, and we are all on high alert and anxious. The plan is flimsy at best, even though Lila and Xavier were both confident they could pull it off. I’m just pleased that Brannock is with them. He seems to have a level head and is motivated to regain our trust, so he will ensure our mates are careful. Now that I have my own children, I know what lengths I would go through so I could keep them safe. It would be worse if they were being used against me, so while I am upset he didn’t tell us immediately, I understand. He didn’t know us, so for all he knew, we were terrible people. I forgive him and will do whatever I can to help him get his child back.
He must be frustrated to be so far away from Earth. Once we find Liliana Adams and then sort out Silac’s family issues, I have no doubt that Earth will be our next destination. Agent Smith really made a mistake by fucking with us. I think he underestimates the fallout, and he’s going to wish he had never been born. The Syndicate is going down, and Xavier will crack Agent Smith’s fragile little human brain to get all the information we need regarding it. I can’t wait to watch. His screams of pain will be like music to my ears.
“Swim, Daddy?”
“Huh?” I had been staring out the window of our residence as the ship follows the halla harvesters’ vessel, cloaked from view.
“Cally would like to go for a swim in the big pool,” Saxon tells me, his eyebrows pulled into a frown as he bounces said child on his lap. She squeals with delight and claps her hands together. Jack and Cordy are on the floor, building a city of blocks with Link. “Are you okay?”
“Ah, yeah.” I scrub my hand through my hair. “Just worried about the others.”
“Why don’t we take the kids down for a swim, and I can check on Nikos? He hasn’t met them yet, and he’s been dying to. He keeps asking when you’ll bring them to swim with him, and now that he’s healthier, I think it’s a good idea. They need to meet their new daddy, and I’m sure he’d like to try his hand at parenting before his own arrive.” Link stands up and stretches his arms high. His shirt rises, exposing the smooth expanse of his shimmery abs, and my kraken cracks open an eye, perking right up. He’s been sulking since Lila left the ship without us, and this is the first sign of interest he’s shown since.
Easy, I caution him.
He nudges me, liking the idea of shifting and going for a swim if he can’t stick a tentacle into Link. I roll my eyes at my horny inner beast. He is as bad as Lila’s now. If they had their way, the day would start and finish with an orgy, with a little afternoon delight as a midday snack.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I could use something to take my mind off everything. Where are the cats? Do you think Echo would like to visit Nikos?”
“He and Maxsim are sleeping. Apparently, pregnant lightning cats need a lot more sleep than normal, and he was worried about Lila, which wasn’t good for his blood pressure, so I told him he should lie down. He wouldn’t, though, because he didn’t want to miss anything that might happen, so Maxsim threw him over his shoulder and took him to their den.”
“Probably fucked him into submission. That’s what I would do to Lila,” Saxon mutters quietly enough so Cally doesn’t hear it, but Link and I do.
“And she loves it. Echo probably does too,” I point out, looking at the mess our living room is in and grimacing. You would think with so many of us in this relationship, it would be easy enough to keep clean, but it really isn’t. We’re going to have to look at hiring a cleaner when the crew returns. Each person is usually responsible for their own quarters, but we are a busy family, and it’s about to get bigger. I will talk to the Adams brothers. They and the captains have one, so maybe they can share them with us.
“It’s all those pregnancy hormones,” Link adds as he starts to pick up the blocks. The children begin to complain, so I jump in to distract them.
“Do you two want to go for a swim with Cally and me?” I ask them. “We can meet the pretty mermaid in the pool.”
“Mermaid?” That gets Cordy’s attention. Lila has had them watching a kid cartoon with an unusual group of friends—a mermaid, a fish, and a crustacean. There was singing, and it had an evil octo-lady that I told the kids was their grandma Mira. Lila was horrified and told me my mother will kill me. She’s not wrong, but it was funny, and I can’t wait to tell my brothers.
“Yup, help Daddy Link clean up, and then we’ll go meet Daddy Can of Tuna.”
“Caspian,” Link scolds me, but Saxon bursts out laughing. He’s so serious all the time that when he laughs and his face lights up like that, he’s kind of stunning, and I find myself staring a little too long. He catches me and winks.
“I won’t come. I need to feed, and there’s a bag of Lila’s blood in the fridge. I’ll also prepare some bottles with blood for these three for when you return.” He stands up and comes over to me, handing me our daughter. I take her, and he leans in to give her a kiss on the cheek, but she ducks, and he gets me. We both kind of freeze, stunned by what happened. Cally just cheers and uses her hands to hold our heads together.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss,” she chants.
Saxon’s tongue flicks out, and he licks my lip before giving it a little nip and pulling away. I blink in shock. When we played before, I was always with Link, and he was with Xavier, but that was nice, and I wouldn’t mind repeating it. He smirks at my stunned expression and gives me a wink. Playful Saxon is hot, and my inner beast is here for this. He suggests we stick a tentacle in him since I won’t let him stick one in Link.
We won’t be sticking our tentacles anywhere, I scold him, and he goes back to sulking.
“I want kisses.” Cally smacks her hands against my cheeks, startling me, and then pushes them together, making my lips pucker before she lays a sloppy baby kiss on them. My heart swells, and I make kissy sounds, and her laughter is music to my ears. God, I love my babies. My life is pretty fucking amazing. How did I ever get so lucky?
Half an hour later, we are leaving the elevator on the Aquilian level. It takes an unusually long time to wrangle three kraken babies and get them where we want them to be. It’s hard work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It didn’t help that their great-grandpas were walking by on their way to the flight deck, and all three needed cuddles from all the babies. You can practically feel the anxiety dripping off them. I have no idea what it would be like to be without your wife for close to twenty years and know she was out there somewhere. At least it must be a relief to know it wasn’t voluntary. I do not envy the person who took her when the Adams men discover who it was.
“Swim with us, Daddy Link.” Cordy drags the cyborg to the side of the pool and strips, unconcerned about being naked before shifting into her kraken form and sliding into the pool. They don’t have a half form yet, but I’m assuming it’s coming. I can’t remember a time where I didn’t have one, so it must be soon—maybe once they have Aquilian siblings to swim with and can’t communicate with them underwater in beast form.
“I want to see how Nikos is doing. How about I meet you in the cave underneath his home?” Link suggests to me, since Cordy has disappeared and Jack and Cally are already naked and shifting. There are no predators to worry about in the pool, but I’m not sure what kind of protective instinct Nikos has now that he’s expecting. I don’t want the children to sneak up on him and scare him.
“We’ll meet you there. If I see him, I’ll let him know you’re here.” I strip off my own clothes and hurry after my children. I find them swimming amongst the coral reef, a game of tag already in play. It looks like Jack is it. I watch them with pure joy in my heart for a few minutes before I call out to them. Come along now. Daddy Link is waiting for Daddy Can of Tuna, and it’s our job to find him.
The kids zip in and out of my tentacles. Their beasts have taken control, but they know I need them to come with me.
Lila told me that Nikos was in the jimble gem cave last time she was in here, so I have a feeling that’s where I’ll find him. I haven’t shown the kids the cave yet, so now is as good a time as any. I dive down deep, using my tentacles to propel me along. I don’t go as fast as I normally do because I want the children to keep up. They dart in and out of small crevices, weaving their way through the reef in a completely different way than me, but I can feel them nearby, so I don’t worry.
Eventually, we make it to the bottom of the deep pool and the pretty, sparkling cave that Lila likes so much. At the entrance, I hear a low, haunting melody being sung, and I frown. That sounds so sad. Now I’m worried about our silly can of tuna. Nikos? I call out, and the music cuts off. My children gather under my tentacles, wary of the dark entrance. They have good instincts, but I pulse my tentacles to let them know there is nothing to be scared of.
Caspian? Nikos replies, and I move into the cave with the children sticking close to me. Is Lila with you? he asks hopefully.
I move into the opening and see him sitting in the anemone, his stomach even larger than it was when I saw him last.
No, I’m sorry, she isn’t. She’s still searching for her grandma.His hopeful look dims. But I brought our babies to meet you, I tell him, gesturing for the kids to move forward.
His eyes light up, and he grins, waving the children forward. Come let Daddy look at you, he calls out, making grabby hands, and I roll my eyes. The kids can’t understand him in beast form, but the gestures say everything. Lila told me the silliness is an act, but I won’t call him out because I can feel the kids’ excitement. They all zip toward him and splat against him like leeches, their little tentacles wrapping around his body. Jack spreads out across his belly, and Nikos looks like he’s wearing a Jack apron. Nikos is knocked over, but he’s laughing madly.
Oh my goodness, they are adorable. He giggles.
Careful, I warn my children. Daddy Nik is going to be having your brothers or sisters soon, so don’t be too rough with him.
He strokes his hands over the babies, his eyes wide with awe when he looks at me. They are beautiful, Caspian.
I puff my chest up just a little. Yes, they are. Jack is the one who is currently giving kisses to your belly, Cordelia is the one whose tentacles are tangled in your hair, and Calypso is the one who’s trying to strangle you. I point to each child as I introduce them.
They have lovely names. How did you decide on them? he asks. I am having trouble making a decision.
Lila and I picked Cordelia’s name from a book my parents had, and she let the rest of us decide on the other two, and both of them were from an Earth pirate movie.
His eyes light up. Would you help me pick some names for my babies? Are there Earth mermaid movies?
Yes, of course we can. The children have a favorite one that they watch at least once a day. I can arrange to have a screen put in the cave under your house, and you can watch it and see if any of the names appeal to you. I will ask Lila if there are any other good mermaid movies.
Thank you. I like the idea of giving our babies Earth names like their mother.
Come on, why don’t we go for a gentle swim? Link is waiting to check on you as well.
He nods and flicks his tail, moving much slower than normal. Okay, but I can’t move very fast at the moment, he warns me, and I call the kids off him to make it easier, but he puts out his hand.
They are okay. They barely weigh a thing. It’s the two inside me that are the problem. One of them is pressing on my spine, and it makes it hard for me to flick my tail. He winces and slaps his hand over his lower back and groans.
Shit, do you need some help? I ask him. How about I tow you through the water so you don’t have to move? I go over to him and shoo the children away. Daddy Nik is hurting. How about you swim ahead and tell Daddy Link we’re coming? I tell them, and they peel themselves off the poor encumbered merman and disappear. I wrap my arms around him and turn him around so his back is to my front, then I propel myself forward with my tentacles.
Hang on, we’ll see if Link has anything to help you. I’m anxious and worried about the can of tuna now. It can’t be easy to be so round, and unlike my babies, which were encased in eggs, his are fully formed, and their tails must be pushing on some nerve or something. I look down his body as I maneuver through the reef, wanting to see Link as soon as we can. His stomach is way bigger than Lila’s was.
Link told us twins are uncommon for Aquilians, so maybe there are complications we hadn’t anticipated. Well. Link probably did, now that I think about it, but he probably didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to worry any of us, especially Lila, unless it was necessary. I would say it is necessary now, and our wife is on another planet and not where she needs to be, but I’m here, and I’m going to do everything I can to support my mate’s mate and our new babies.