71. Chapter Seventy-One
Four Years Later
“You packed the present, right?” Kyrielle says anxiously, eyeing the backpack in my hand.
We’re walking up the path to Fynn and Orliana’s house.
The front yard is lush green, with flowers exploding from pots and flowerbeds.
It’s Rhuth’s second birthday — a big birthday for Dragons.
It’s when magyck begins to manifest for children.
Kissing her forehead and patting her ass, I say, “Yes. For the umpteenth time, yes.”
She pokes me in the side. “Excuse me, manservant, but last year you forgot Rhuth’s birthday present. So excuse me for quadruple checking.”
Okay, I’ll give her that. “To be fair, you distracted me with your tongue. It’s not technically my fault.”
She pretends to be outraged as we stop at Fynn’s front door. “You just wait and see if you get any use of said tongue for at least a day. That’ll show you.”
Into her ear, I whisper, “Then you get no use of my tongue or tail, baby girl.”
This shuts her up. Crinkling her nose, she pouts. “You play dirty.”
Brushing a kiss against her cheek, I murmur, “You fucking love it.”
Before she can say anything else, I open the front door. We’re immediately met with the squealing laughter of children. Small bodies chase one another, almost knocking down plants.
“Hello?” I call out.
“In here!” Talia responds from the kitchen, where other adults are chattering.
We walk into the brightly lit space, where a dozen adults smile at us stepping. Orliana, belly full of another baby, grins and waddles over.
“Hey, you two. You’re late.”
I jerk a thumb at Kyrielle. “Her fault.”
I receive a supposedly affectionate pump in the kidney. Orliana laughs, hugging her best friend.
When she pulls back, she looks at the backpack. “Assuming there’s a gift, you can put it on the pile in the living room. Fynn is outside with Luca and the kids.” Grabbing Kyrielle’s hand, she says, “Come with me. I need to make sure the cake doesn’t topple over when I pull it out of the fridge.”
Leaving them to it, I deposit the wrapped present on the pile before heading outside to the backyard. Fynn and Luca stand next to one another, both holding their children. Reverie stands next to Luca, incredibly anxious. It takes a second to see why; when I understand, I grin.
Stepping outside, I call out, “Who’s winning?”
Reverie glares at me. “Do not encourage this.”
She motions to her husband, who is proudly holding a male Gargoyle toddler. They recently adopted the kid, and she’s still incredibly protective, despite knowing Gargoyles are learning to fly by now. “Caz can’t even use his wings yet!”
The fathers ignore her, tossing the toddlers into the air. Caz goes higher than Rhuth, but both squeal with delight, their tiny arms flinging out. Rhuth’s black hair and golden scales shine in the sun, glistening across her face.
Fynn looks at Luca. “Best twenty out of thirty?”
“That’s fifteen for me, and ten for you,” Luca says, ignoring his wife’s attempts to grab the toddler, who is already screaming, “AGAIN, AGAIN!”
I grab a Heimlock from a nearby cooler and sit in a chair, watching them compete over which toddler can go higher.
Luca wins, placing Caz over his thick neck, and running around like a unicorn, with Reverie calling out encouragement.
Rhuth is clearly exhausted; within seconds of being cradled in her father’s arms, her eyelids get heavy.
Fynn comes to sit next to me, popping open a Heimlock. Holding a beer in one hand and a sleeping Rhuth in the other, he asks, “Kyrielle’s inside?”
“Yeah.” I glance around. “Where’s Joulian?”
My brother grunts. “Being a moody adolescent in his bedroom. Says he hates the crowds. His Siphon powers are increasing, so it’s hard on him.”
“Poor kid,” I mutter, taking another sip. “Do you think Rhuth will have the same ability?”
He shrugs. “Hard to say at this age. But she lit the counter on fire last week, so at least we know she’ll have elemental magyck.”
I chuckle. “Keep telling me these things — makes it easier not to have kids anytime soon.”
Fynn looks down at his daughter with so much love, it almost makes me want to take the words back. “Orliana is due in five months.” He looks up. “We found out the gender.”
My heart skips a beat with excitement. “What is it?”
“A boy.”
I grin, tilting my beer toward his. We clink the bottles before drinking. “Any ideas on the name?”
He shakes his head. “She’s still trying to decide.”
“Trinte’s a good name.”
My brother snorts, sending me a dry look. “Like this world needs two of you.”
“Fair,” I say, grinning.
“There you are.” Kyrielle walks over, plucking the beer out of my hand, sitting on my thigh and stealing a sip. “What are you two talking about?”
“How they’re naming their son after me, because I’m the sole reason they were together in the first place,” I quip, ignoring the glare my brother's drilling into my head.
Kyrielle laughs. “We don’t need two of you in this world.”
“See?” Fynn says, sounding too damn smug.
“Is this where the cool kids are gathering?” Orliana says, huffing as she walks over to us, a hand gently resting on her belly. She eyes Rhuth. “You tired her out? Before the cake?”
Fynn looks chagrined. “Sorry. I’m sure she’ll wake up in a minute or two.”
“That’s probably true,” she mutters, then smiles. “Well, that just means we can eat lunch first. The guests are getting hungry.”
I tap Kyrielle’s thigh. “Up. I’m going to go help.”
Keeping my beer, she hops off and bounds off to chat with Reverie. I watch her run off, loving the way her orange hair bounces with each enthusiastic step.
Orliana and Fynn come to stand by me, Rhuth still fast asleep.
“So, tomorrow night?” Orliana murmurs.
I give my sister-in-law a smile. “Yep. It’s all planned. Luca and Reverie will be there at Infinity Falls at sunset. Do you think she has a clue?”
“Not a one,” Fynn says, rubbing small circles on his daughter’s back. “She might kill you for hiding a secret.”
My chest fills with joy, knowing she’s going to do the absolute opposite when she sees the emerald cut sunstone engagement ring I’ve picked out for her. We might not want kids, maybe ever, but I’m very eager to make her my wife.
As Kyrielle rocks her head back and lets out a throaty laugh, I’m struck with a consuming sense of love that threatens to bring me to my knees. Sensing my stare, she finds my gaze and offers a blinding smile, then turns her focus back to Reverie.
Orliana threads her arm through mine, leaning her head on my arm. “I’m so happy for you, Trinte.”
“Me, too.”
Watching my future wife speak enthusiastically with Reverie, her orange fingers expressive with each word, I can’t help but be filled with gratitude.
Life has a funny way of taking you down through thrashing storms, but all storms pass.
Sunshine is inevitable. It’s about finding people who will hold your hand through the rain.
“Congratulations, by the way,” she murmurs. “Getting your degree in Weathology is a huge accomplishment.”
Pride wells in my chest. It’s been a struggle to get my degree while keeping my job as a Dragxi and supporting Kyrielle as she opens her female-only battle gym, but it’s all been worth it.
I kiss her forehead, thankful for the endless support Orliana provides. Every day since she walked into our lives, I’ve been grateful for the unexpected gift of a sister. “The grand opening of the gym is in two weeks.”
Orliana rubs a hand over her belly. “Who would’ve thought, all those years ago, that this is where we’d all end up?”
“I wouldn’t have believed it,” I admit, taking a sip of my beer. “But life is funny that way, I guess.”
We watch Kyrielle skip over to us, jerking a thumb at Reverie. “She’s inviting us to Infinity Falls tomorrow. Wants to show me some cool tricks with rainbows.” She clasps her hands together and pleads, “Can we go? Please?”
“I don’t know,” I hedge in a playful tone. “I hear it’s incredibly wet and misty there.”
“I knew you’d say yes!” she gushes, knowing damn well I’ll never refuse her. Then, without warning, she snatches the Heimlock in my hand.
“That’s mine,” I protest, lunging for it, but purposefully missing. Her throat bobs as she guzzles, mirth crinkling the edges of her eyes. As expected, she drains the whole thing.
With a loud smacking sound of satisfaction, she wipes her mouth with the back of a hand. “Yummy. Get me another one.”
“Oh, I’ll give you another one,” I growl. In one swift motion, I throw her over my shoulder. She cackles, smacking my shoulder. Orliana chuckles as I stalk through the crowd, heading inside the house.
“Put me down,” she demands, giggling. I bite her hip, earning a squeal and stares from the guests. “Where’s your discretion?”
I smack an ass cheek. “What discretion?”
When we’re close enough to a counter, I deposit her on its surface. Keeping one eye on the feisty Sprite, I grab us two Heimlocks from a cooler. Her legs part as I step between them, popping open a bottle and handing it to her.
“You’re paying for that later,” she mutters.
I grin, opening my bottle and taking a swig. “Firefly, I’ll pay however you want.”
Warm thighs tighten around my waist; she grabs my shirt and pulls my face closer to hers. “However I want?”
“However and whenever,” I murmur, nuzzling her nose with mine.
Our lips graze, barely enough to call it a kiss. My eyes flutter closed. I’m so lost in her, the house could crumble around us and I wouldn’t notice.
“I love you, Trinte Gleanscale.” Her mouth covers mine, lips already parted.
Placing my beer on the counter, I bring my hands to her hips to jerk her closer.
She inhales sharply, then whimpers when my hips barely roll into hers.
I’m trying to be mindful of our surroundings, but she always makes it so damn hard.
After delivering a searing kiss, I let myself drown in her magma irises. “Graves and all?”
My best friend and future wife delivers a beaming grin. Hooking her hands around my neck, Kyrielle presses her forehead against mine. “I’ll bring the flowers.”