Chapter 4
Jade
Guardians of Glitter Bomb Territory
Jayvius and Clawvius, AKA Vius and Claw, walked with Eran and Vatten from their house to ours.
Their parents, Brent and Jeran, ran the Cuddle Club downtown and were best friends with my parents.
So, growing up they were built in best friends.
Lucky for everyone, pride meant something to all of us and we remained friends as adults.
For a while, there were some concern about having so many young lions competing with each other, but we were more than lions.
We were shifters too. Vius was an alpha and Claw was an omega like me.
There were others our age but our social structure sort of just worked itself out because we were engrained into each other’s lives.
While I never saw either of the twins as ‘mate material’ I also never saw them as competition for the things I wanted in life.
While Claw and me were both omegas we wanted vastly different things in life.
He was a guard and I ran a playroom that sometimes acted as a daycare.
We weren’t even interested in the same type of guys.
Claw was pansexual so his dating pool was vaster than I ever dreamed of mine being, but he was single as often as I was.
I kissed them both hello in turn, picking up all the little details of their days and what exactly was going on with Pras’s stuff. So far, so good. Ferrick hadn’t so much as made a peep. Though, that led me to wonder if he was scheming inside that cursed book.
“I don’t think so,” Vius shook his head as Eran carried a basket full of puppies and kittens inside with Vatten in his Duck Toller form on his heels. “I don’t know a lot about dead people, but I think the book is pretty airtight as long as no one exploits the loophole Pami used to get out.
“Watch out. Bernard’s in a mood,” Claw added. “I swear since he met Nashen he’s taken on his mate’s moodiness.”
“No, his cousin should’ve stayed away until it was done. Who would want to stress Bree out?” Vius asked, raising his sandy brows high on his forehead.
“Stop crushing on the octopus dragon,” Claw rolled his eyes.
“Seriously, I’d stop if I were you,” I added.
I’d never met Bernard’s cousin before. He wouldn’t have been a kid at the same time as me and as much as shifters want to say age doesn’t matter, it does.
With some exceptions we seemed to group up with the shifters our age that we grew up with.
Maybe it was the bonds we made early on or the way it had always been, but that’s way things played out.
“Have you seen him?” I asked.
“Looking for a replacement for Eran?” Claw teased.
“No, I’m wondering if he’s going to set Jondi off,” I said, not really in the mood for his jokes. “He’s doing really well right now. He didn’t even freak out when I told him you two were dropping by to bring Eran, Vatten, and the babies.”
“Eh, he’s not a threat. Maybe a bit of a showoff,” Vius said. “I mean, coming here right now and all of that.”
“He grew up an only child too,” Claw added. “That can… Well, you know how that can make some dragons.”
“Not just dragons,” I shrugged. “I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“You’re not coming to the thing, right?” Vius asked.
“Nope. As soon as you two leave, we’re locking down. Six kids is just too much to risk. Just remember to let us know when it’s all said and done or we might never come out.”
“Finally, a break from you,” Vius teased, his hand on my shoulder. “You need something you call us. I don’t like when all the omegas start smelling this nervous. I don’t need to see ghosts to know that’s not a great omen.” He ran his free hand through his long mane of sandy hair.
“Put that up before the drama starts,” I laughed. “Don’t want you to have to shave it again.”
“I don’t think this is going to be like the war in London,” Vius said, his smile softening.
“What’s up with you two?” Claw asked, glancing between us.
“He’s trying to pick up on which part of this has me on edge,” I shrugged.
It was a bit more than that. Things weren’t complicated with Vius.
With some of the alphas, I never knew who was flirting with me and who was being a shifter driven by touch.
With Vius, I knew what his intentions were and there was something soothing about that.
Sure, he was trying to use my energy to make his job easier, but the safer the pride and the territory, the better.
“Ghost murderers, brother. Jade is worried about ghost murderers,” Claw rolled his eyes.
Vius cupped my chin and our eyes met. Normally, I’d punch an alpha for handling me so casually but maybe this one time I did want someone else to handle the threat.
After months of people threatening Flight School I was ready for someone else to handle the danger.
My nervous system could really use the freaking break.
Vius leaned in and sniffed my lips. I opened my mouth and a second later he kissed me.
His warm, familiar tongue slid into my mouth, seeking out my worries as if he meant to lick them away.
While we kissed, I gathered his thick locks into a ponytail and then maneuvered it around until it sat in a bandless messy bun on the top of his head. He laughed against my lips.
“Look,” he said, pulling away. “It’s like I said. When this is over if you want to go eat the fuckers who want to threaten a children’s establishment, let me know. We’ll fucking eat them. I’ll serve you their beating hearts on a silver platter. No one gets to mess with us.”
I almost sniffed myself because I must’ve been smelling more nervous than I thought I was if he was giving me all this extra attention.
“I’ll think about it,” I grinned at him and waved them off.
“It’s almost like he likes you,” Eran teased, appearing next to me as I shut and locked the door.
“You lost your right to be mad about that when Vatten came around,” I pointed out.
“I’m not mad. I think it’s cute, but then again, a lot of alphas like you,” he said.
“No, they like the idea of me,” I laughed.
“I’m the draconic lion who is driven to take care of children.
Some of them think that means if I was with them they could have children and do zero work.
I grew up watching all these true-mates running around taking care of each other.
It’s going to take more than a pretty face and a nice—” Jondi pattered up to us.
“A nice smile to keep my attention.” I scooped Jondi up so that he could look out the peephole to ensure the porch was empty and thus safe.
“You don’t think Vius? I mean, he didn’t smell like it. ”
“Oh, him? Probably not,” Eran shook his head. “I was teasing you. You do smell really on edge, though.”
“For days,” Jondi said, still looking out the peephole. “That’s why I’m glad you came. You can help fight the bad guys.”
“No bad guys are getting past me, kiddo,” Eran said and flexed his arms.
“Yeah, and Vatten will get them. He’s part polar bear,” Jondi nodded. “You carry me now.”
My heart melted when he reached out for Eran.
For a long time, my little otter pup trusted no one and then only me.
Eventually, he trusted Eran and my parents.
Now that had spread to Vatten and a few others.
Not every kid needs a million friends but the more trusted adults who he let into his little inner circle the better.
All of the GGB would protect my baby, but he’d run away from most of them.
“Did you bring danishes?” Jondi asked him.
“Yep. Bernard’s parents made them,” he nodded. “Would you like one?”
“One for each hand?” Jondi asked hopefully.
“How about we cut one in half, and you can hold half in each hand? Then if you want another we’ll get another,” Eran laughed.
“Okay. Oh! I need to show you the face rock I found out at the pond! It looks at you when you look at it and it bites the swimming pool instead of the clam! I don’t think it has a brain behind its face.
So it’s pretty but not smart. It’s sharp when it bites though. Don’t worry. I won’t let it bite you.”
I leaned against the door as Vatten settled in with his babies and Eran loaded up Jondi with a danish half in each hand before sitting down next to Vatten and the babies.
I wanted that. Not Eran, exactly, but what they had.
Vatten had been in dog form for weeks now and Eran still looked at him in that adoring way.
No sex needed. No human mode needed. He loved him no matter what.
I bit back a sigh and headed into the kitchen to grab some drinks.
There was no use in dwelling on what I didn’t have.
I made it this long without an alpha and I’d probably have to make it the rest of my life that way because I wasn’t settling for anyone except my alpha now.
Watching Eran and Vatten showed me just how worth it waiting would be.