Their End

Chapter 14 | Hunt Failed

REMI

“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!” The twins chanted as they rushed into the room. Caysen fussed on the changing table. My littlest man needed a bottle and a nap but was finding the latter difficult with his siblings and Grayson being so loud and crazy today.

“Yes?” I answered them.

“Can we go fly with Fifi? Pleaseeeee?” Cerys asked, clasping her hands together while she elongated the last word. She batted her long eyelashes at me, just like she did with her dads.

“Your brother needs a bottle and a nap,” I sighed. “Is Aunt Pip still not back?”

“No,” Grayson shook his head. “Can we go?”

I lifted Caysen into my arms, trying to lay him against my shoulder. The three older ones looked up at me with eager expressions, even my calm Callum. “Alright,” I agreed. “Let me make Caysen a bottle, and we can go outside.”

Cerys jumped up and squealed. She was the first to tear out of the room. The boys quickly followed.

“No feet leave the ground until I get outside!” I called after them. Hoping they heard me, I grabbed a blanket to nestle Caysen in and headed downstairs to get him a bottle. Caysen loved to drink his bottles on the swing outside, so I planned to rock him while he ate and I watched the others.

Fifi was using her tail as a sword when I got downstairs, fighting Grayson as the twins giggled and jeered behind him. She caught sight of me with Caysen and quickly covered her ears with her hands until she realized Caysen wasn’t crying. Fifi was more sensitive to the shrill sound of baby cries than the rest of us.

“Can I train the copies now?” Fifi asked.

I smiled. “Just give me a minute to get Caysen a bottle.”

“Race you!” Fifi called as she sprinted for the back door. The kids chased after her, leaving me with my youngest.

“Come on, little guy. Let’s get something in this belly.”

With a fresh bottle in hand, I headed outside and got settled on the swing. Caysen started eating greedily as soon as I presented him with his meal. When I peeked at Fifi and the kids, Callum was pulling Cerys up onto Fifi’s back. Cerys patted her on the back, and Fifi took off at a run before jumping into the air. Her wings went wide, flapping gracefully.

After Callum’s first fall, Fifi was no longer allowed to fly them around on her back without one of us watching. After Grayson almost broke his arm, we had to limit how high she could fly with them. Luckily, she seemed to be able to glide around just high enough to have fun.

Grayson charged after them with his sword. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them play. The soft sucking noise from Caysen eating melted into the wind. The sounds of nature just beyond the packhouse were a calming background to the kids’ playful noise. Despite all the uncertainty we faced with the twins as well as Fifi, the last four years had brought us to a good place.

“Fifi, slow down!” I called after them as they neared the pool. “Stay away from the pool; they can’t swim well!” Cerys and Grayson were far more confident in the water than Callum, but they were still small children.

Shrieking giggles rang out as Fifi twisted and pulled Cerys and Callum into her arms as she made a controlled collision with the ground. Grayson was right on top of them, battling Fifi to release Cerys and Callum.

“It won’t be much longer until you’re out there playing with them, too,” I mused to Caysen. His bright purple eyes were starting to droop. His fussiness and fight was finally giving way to his tiredness.

My mates had spent all day locked away with Gentry in their offices working. I was looking forward to spending the evening with them and our pups, just the five of us. I ran a finger over Caysen’s cheek as his drinks slowed. Now that his belly was full, he was going to fall asleep very soon. With any luck, my mates would be done by the time he woke up.

I peeked at Fifi and the kids again. Grayson was poking her in the head with his sword while Cerys and Callum crawled away frantically. She was slowly letting herself fall to the ground in defeat. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright, and her tail snapped the air behind her. Grayson stopped jabbing her and looked back to the twins. Fifi focused on something in her hands.

“What’s that, Fifi?” I called as loud as I dared. I adjusted Caysen, who was mostly asleep now, as I stood from the swing, trying to get a look at whatever she found.

Fifi’s head came up, her gaze meeting mine. Her eyes looked somewhat distant, setting me on edge. She spoke in a subdued way, “My brother’s coming.” Her words hung in the air ominously.

My mouth went dry. I didn’t know she had a brother. I assumed she had a family somewhere, but the only one she ever spoke of specifically was an ‘Elder Dragon.’ We hadn’t pushed her too much because it seemed a little sensitive for her. It made sense to me that this Elder Dragon might have been her parental figure.

“You have a brother, Fifi?” Grayson asked. She nodded almost solemnly.

“He’s coming? Does he like to play too?” Cerys asked.

“No, he doesn’t,” she said. Her eyes met mine, and I just knew this was not good news.