21. Babies And Danger
BABIES AND DANGER
Emre glanced at Zenith. The alpha looked mystified.
“I don’t have any enemies,” Zenith said. “I write under a penname, and these books aren’t even that controversial. Unless you’re talking about Ulgon and Burnzinger.”
Or maybe it was Huxton who had accumulated some foes, with how long he’d been alive.
But neither of them wore the kinds of scars that Emre did.
Emre bit his lip. Is someone after me?
It had been five weeks since Bean’s birth.
Since then, Emre had left the property a few times with Zenith and the pups.
At first, he had been wary, constantly checking their surroundings in case the mysterious hooded stranger showed up again.
But lately, Emre hadn’t been paying attention; he had felt safe enough with Zenith to let his guard down.
Zenith seemed to come to the same conclusion. “Wait here. I’ll check it out.”
Emre scooped Bean into his arms and followed Zenith downstairs. In the kitchen, Huxton was pacing. Abbie pawed at her hard-boiled egg instead of eating it.
Huxton pinned Zenith with a look. “Do you need backup, going out there?”
“Aerial support. Get a good look without giving away your position.”
Huxton nodded sharply and left the kitchen. Buttwheel rolled in, wheels squeaking.
Emre huffed. “I think Buttwheel wants to help.”
The shopping cart raised its flap and bumped him lightly in the hip.
“Keep Emre safe, Buttwheel,” Zenith said. Buttwheel squeaked its wheels. “The four of you will wait in here. You’re safest in the mansion. Is that clear?”
He looked intently into Emre’s eyes. Emre gulped and nodded.
“Good.” Zenith dropped a kiss on Emre’s head and hurried out through the front doors. As he ran, leathery wings unfurled from his back; he took off over the tiny forest in his front yard.
“Hux?” Zenith said.
“There’s a few of them,” Huxton said quietly. “Up and down the street.”
“Maybe they’re not here for me?” Emre said.
Overhead, thunder rumbled. Clouds had gathered dark and thick in the night sky, and the scent of rain was heavy even within the mansion.
Emre picked up a tiny slice of meat and fed it to Abbie, pulling Buttwheel close so they could huddle together.
It wasn’t quite enough. He scooped up Abbie, and together with Bean, climbed into Buttwheel’s cargo basket.
Now they were all properly huddled together in one cozy bundle.
Emre directed Buttwheel to the living room window, before remembering that the tiny forest hid his view of the main gates. “Damn it!”
How was he supposed to see anything? Or help out? He couldn’t ask what the situation was because he didn’t want to distract Zenith.
Abbie whined. Bean whined too, and shifted into a wolf pup. Emre gathered them close.
Footsteps thumped. People yelled. The iron gate rumbled open.
Then, multiple somethings growled.
Zenith had said he was vulnerable in his human shape. He had also said he wouldn’t reveal his dragon shift because of how much more trouble that would bring.
Was he getting hurt now because he refused to shift into a dragon?
“Huxton?” Emre said quietly, trying not to panic. “Is everything okay? Should I call someone for help?”
“We’re fine for now,” Huxton said. “I’m going in.”
There was a piercing screech. Emre pressed his face to the window, and saw a huge shape diving down.
Was that a pterodactyl?
“Scribbly Master!” the pterodactyl cried.
Emre’s stomach dropped.
He fumbled Abbie and Bean out of his arms and into Buttwheel’s cargo basket, before hastily climbing out himself. What do I do? He couldn’t leave the pups. But what if Zenith and Huxton needed help? None of their friends knew to come over.
Someone snarled. Meaty thuds rang out, along with scuffling sounds and the whines of wolves.
Emre held his breath so he could hear the commotion better.
Then someone roared, and footsteps pattered away.
The sky opened up with a crack of thunder.
“We’re fine!” Zenith said when Emre unlocked his phone with shaking hands. “No need to call for help, sweetheart. We’re coming back.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Emre pushed Buttwheel out through the front door and into the rain, letting it soak his skin. The pups would be okay. Zenith could breathe fire on Abbie to dry her, and Bean—
Bean yipped, squirming onto his back to wriggle in the rain. He shifted.
Except he didn’t turn back into a human child. There was suddenly a shimmering blue tail where his legs should be, and he flapped it happily in the downpour.
This was Bean as a merchild, and he was beautiful.
Emre stared, his jaw dropping. “Um, Zenith?”
“What is it?” Zenith’s voice deepened.
Only then did Emre realize that Zenith had shifted into a dragon. Zenith flew over the trees and landed in front of them, large feet thumping on the ground.
Abbie took one look at him and shifted into a dragonet.
Emre yelped. He hurriedly fished Bean out of Buttwheel’s cargo basket; Bean was still soft and squishy next to Abbie’s claws.
“Oh,” Zenith breathed, dipping his head to peer at the children. “Look at you both!”
“We should take a picture,” Huxton said. “One for the Yuletide card?”
Emre’s heart skipped. That suggested a permanence that he hadn’t allowed himself to think about.
“S-sure,” he stammered. “But after that, we’ll need to get Bean into some water. Quinlan gave us some bath salts for him.”
It was only after Huxton had hustled them into the living room and taken a picture, that reality sank in.
“I don’t know how to care for a merbaby,” Emre squeaked. He had stayed in his human shape so he could hold Bean for the photo, so the wolf shifter part of their fam—their group—had not been properly represented.
Zenith cocked his head, Abbie in his scaly arms. “Quinlan said it was pretty easy, didn’t he? Put Bean in the water and let him swim?”
Emre frowned. “I don’t know, it almost sounds too easy.”
He carried Bean to the master bathroom, where the tub was the biggest.
Zenith shifted back into a human so he could measure out the bath salts. He sprinkled them into the tub, then turned on the water to mix it all up.
Bean sniffed the air and flapped his arms, straining toward the water.
Emre’s heart swelled. He held Bean above the filling tub, just enough for Bean to get his hands wet.
Bean babbled and tried harder to reach the water, flapping his tail.
It was almost difficult to contain him; Bean grew more excited the deeper the tub filled.
When there was enough water, Emre lowered Bean into it.
He was half a second from leaping into the tub himself, in case Bean crashed into the tub walls.
Bean flicked his tail and darted away, doing a loop in the tub with all the grace he didn’t have on land.
Zenith and Emre’s jaws dropped.
“Oh,” Emre whispered. “He’s amazing.”
“Isn’t he?” Zenith crooned, wrapping his arm around Emre’s shoulder. “He looks like he’s in his element.”
“I guess we’re keeping the tub filled more often than not.”
“We’ll probably have to use a different bathroom if we want a bath.” Zenith laughed.
Emre cringed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for the three of us to intrude on you and your home.”
Except Zenith frowned. “Sweetheart, I haven’t thought of this as my home for a while now. This is our home.”
That made Emre gape, overwhelmed. “O-our?”
“No? Do you not want that?” Zenith looked concerned.
“I do! I want it! But I also don’t want to seem greedy or anything,” Emre said. “Like, I didn’t mean for Bean to kick you out of your bathtub...”
Zenith rolled his eyes. “Sweetheart, I want you to be my mate. And whatever your pups need, I will provide.”
He wants me as his mate.
“Oh,” Emre said, his heart stuttering.
“Does that work for you?” Zenith asked gently.
Emre nodded, too emotional to get any words out of his throat. Zenith grinned and dropped another kiss on Emre’s head.
They watched Bean splash around the tub for a while. Zenith scooped Abbie back into his arms.
“I think this will have something to do with Bean’s name,” Emre said.
“Merchild? Agility? Speed?”
“Swift,” Emre said.
Zenith nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
He rubbed Emre’s back, his touch firm and comforting. Emre leaned into him. Everything was good—
No, not everything.
“Oh gods,” Emre said, tension shooting through his body. “I can’t believe I forgot. What happened with that explosion out front?”
Zenith made a face. “They escaped. I would’ve roasted them if I wasn’t out in the open. They were watching the hedges, sniffing around for a weak spot.”
Emre grew cold. “They’re after us, specifically?”
“... Yes,” Zenith said after a while. “They weren’t targeting any of the other properties on our street.”
“Oh no.” Emre curled his fingers around Zenith’s arm, just for something to hold onto.
Zenith tugged him closer. “I’ll call in a favor, ask some wolf friends to track them down.”
“I’m a wolf too,” Emre blurted.
“I’m not letting you out there right now,” Zenith growled.
It didn’t really help. “If it’s really Ronald, I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“Ronald’s a wolf, isn’t he? He won’t be able to harm my dragon.”
“But your human shape is still squishy. And Ronald plays dirty.”
Zenith looked at Emre. Emre knew what he was seeing—the claw marks that Ronald had dug into his skin, the patch of pink on Emre’s neck where Ronald’s bonding mark had once been. Emre had sliced it off to end the telepathic bond between wolf mates.
Zenith bared his teeth, danger flashing in his eyes. “I will rip him apart for hurting you.”
“As long as you don’t get hurt.”
“I’ll try my best.”
It eased some of the fear in Emre’s bones. Zenith was still tense, so Emre snuggled deeper into his side, keeping an eye on Bean splashing water everywhere.
“Let’s not talk about Ronald right now,” Emre said. “Tell me your embarrassing childhood story.”
Zenith groaned, but the stiffness in his body eased. “Damn it.”
“I’ll tell it!” said Huxton’s disembodied voice. “Once upon a time, when Scribbly Master was a wee lil one, he accidentally swallowed his Papa’s precious gold ring.”
Emre cringed. “Oh gods.”
Zenith’s sigh sounded like it had come from the depths of his soul. “I regret that Hux ever met my dads.”
“You love it,” Huxton said. “Now, that ring was a very precious ring. It bore a royal crest, and it was a gift from a King that Zenith’s Papa used to serve.
Tons of status attached to it. Wave it in one of those exclusive clubs, and it would grant you entrance.
Anyway, that ring captured lil Zenith’s fancy. ”
Emre could already see where this was going. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes,” Huxton said gleefully. “He would wriggle the ring up and down his Papa’s finger, but Papa always caught the ring before it slipped off. Except one day, Papa was distracted. And lil Scribbly Master freed his Papa’s precious ring, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it.”
“I would freak out so badly,” Emre whispered, feeling sorry for both kid-Zenith, and adult-Zenith.
“The entire household was in chaos. They tried turning him upside down, but the ring would not fall out.” Huxton popped his head into the bathroom and wriggled his eyebrows. “No one had the heart to make him puke. Guess how they got the ring back.”
Zenith groaned, burying his face in his hand. His ears were bright red.
Emre could already imagine it, but he also wanted to spare Zenith the humiliation.
Huxton barreled on. “It came out the other end. As a lump of metal. It had completely melted in his digestive tract, and would no longer provide anyone with a status symbol.”
Zenith shoved his hand over Huxton’s face and pushed him out of the bedroom. “He won’t want to be my mate after that story.”
Emre’s stomach flipped. He went over and wrapped his arms around Zenith. “I’m still here.”
Zenith sucked in a sharp breath, peering down at Emre hopefully. “Really?”
His expression was so adorable that Emre melted.
“Really,” Emre said.
Zenith looked so awed and relieved that Emre wanted to kiss him, except he was too short to reach Zenith’s mouth, even on tiptoes.
So Emre reached up, wriggling his fingers.
“What do you need, sweetheart?” Zenith lowered his head further. Emre wrapped his arms around Zenith’s neck, planting a wet kiss on his mouth.
Zenith beamed, returning the kiss so Emre shivered.
“And that is why I tell these stories.” Huxton dusted off his hands. “Always trust the sage advice of your friendly neighborhood butt-ler.”
“I still wouldn’t,” Zenith muttered.
The butler waggled his eyebrows. “You might not trust me, but you still owe Scribbly Consort another story.”
With an exaggerated wink, Huxton disappeared.
Zenith and Emre exchanged a look. Then Abbie squirmed and tried to leap out of Zenith’s arms.
“Abbie!” they squawked.
“I’ve got her.” Zenith wrapped his arms more firmly around Abbie; she flapped her wings and opened her mouth, as though she wanted to protest.
Not for the first time, Emre thought about letting Zenith be Abbie’s dad. If Zenith promised not to take his babies away, if Zenith promised to treat all of Emre’s children equally...
“What’re you thinking about?” Zenith murmured, gazing softly at Emre.
Emre blushed. “Um, nothing.”
He wasn’t ready to say it yet, even as his heart settled around the idea.
“I’m just—going to get my phone,” Emre blurted. “So I can pick out Bean’s actual name. Will you... watch them both?”
“Of course,” Zenith said warmly. “We’ll be right here.”
Emre was halfway through the potential names when he grew hot all over.
He staggered past the locked steel doors of Zenith’s hoard, clutching his phone as his vision swam. His teeth and bones ached; need coursed through his veins and gathered between his legs.
What’s wrong with me?
Why did it feel like he was going into heat again?
Damn it, it had only been five weeks since Bean was born. Surely it wasn’t his heat. Surely it was... something else.
But he didn’t have time for an illness either, not with Ronald on his tail.
Emre slumped against the wall, swallowing dryly. “Zen?”
“What is it?” Zenith asked, sounding alert.
“I think I’m going into heat.”