Chapter 20
TWENTY
Gardens were fascinating things. With the right care and attention, the deadest ones could grow new life. New ones could be created and blossom into something new and beautiful. If Drex was sounding as poetic as his brother, it was because he had good reasons to be.
He wandered through the brand-new public garden that had been built during the repairs to the city.
It was a huge space topped with a massive dome and filled with plants that would thrive with the filtered light.
He and Madison had worked with several experts to design this for his people.
There was much to celebrate, including the creation of this space.
Word had reached them that a new species had been found that was compatible with Virilian genetics, so hopefully more matches would be found. The prospect of finding mates had invigorated the mostly male populace and breathed some new hope and life into Exir City.
Drex kept walking. He strode through the palace and into his private quarters.
A pair of thick glass doors slid open at his approach.
He stepped into another, smaller garden and took in the scent of lush, vibrant life.
He had rebuilt Tuli’s garden, making it bigger than before, with a higher dome and more plants.
This time, a pond had been added, along with a few brightly colored fish, which had been transported here from Earth.
“Hello, Drex.” Madison sat at the edge of the pond. Her back rested against the fat trunk of a pacca tree and her bare feet were outstretched. She nursed their newborn daughter at her breast with a smile. His mate had taken to motherhood with a natural ease that had surprised both of them.
He walked to her, as affected by her as ever.
His heart still beat faster when he saw her.
His hands still itched to touch her. The spiral pathway had been included in the design of this new garden, but Tuli’s grave no longer sat dead center of it.
Instead, his beloved deceased mate’s gravestone was a marker on the way to the middle, where the massive pacca tree perpetually bloomed its fragrant flowers and flitflies danced around its branches.
He sat beside Madison and gently touched the soft, silken hair of their infant’s head. “She is falling asleep.”
“She always does when she drinks too much,” said Madison with a laugh. The sound of her laughter still moved through him in ripples of pleasure.
His mate handed the baby to Drex. “Enjoy this last bit of peace,” she said. “Your brother and his family are arriving tomorrow.”
Drex sighed. “Yes, I know.”
“Don’t sound so resigned.” Amusement wove through her voice. “Anna is amazing. I can’t wait to see her. And besides, we built them their own quarters on the other side of the palace. You and Trak will have plenty of space apart whenever you need it.”
And he would need it. As much as he loved his brother, Trak knew exactly how to needle Drex to the point of madness, and this was despite being mellowed by fatherhood—twice. Anna had given birth to a baby girl a week after Madison had. “At least the babies will meet.”
Madison chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure they’ll remember the day by sleeping and burping on each other.”
He smiled. “We will remember. And they will know their family. They will know they’re loved.”
She wound an arm around him and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips fit together like perfection. She let out a little noise of happiness. “I love you, Madison,” he murmured against her mouth. “Always.”
He kissed her again, as their daughter slept, and pacca flowers wrapped them in their gentle scent, and flitflies fluttered around them in flashes of color. He couldn’t argue with his mate, who had brought love back into his life and reminded him how to live.
“And I love you,” she replied breathlessly. “I wouldn’t trade the life we made for anything in the universe.”