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“How was your other pappo?” I asked the girls.
Ember pouted. “Sad.”
“He’s no longer their king,” Shiri said. “He’s just a shell of a shifter.”
My stomach churned, and I swallowed back my unease, for I suspected he’d fallen from grace after I’d disappeared. I remembered now I was to be his secret weapon, the white witch who could defeat Fachnan. Without me, his rebel army had probably disbanded. I wondered if my magic would’ve been strong enough to take on Fachnan and his dragon army then. Or would he have destroyed me? Maybe even my entire family? As much as I resented my parents for stealing me away from my children and taking my memories, I knew they’d done it to keep me safe. Though maybe they’d also done it to ensure I lived to destroy Malvolia.
“There were a lot of shifters with melted faces,” Aurora said.
I smiled at my child while brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Now was my chance to hopefully make the girls understand their fathers’ motive for killing Fachnan. “Girls,” I said on a rush of air, “King Fachnan sent his dragons to destroy an entire town of shifters. I know you saw what your fathers did to King Fachnan.” When Ember gasped, I took each of their hands in mine, giving them reassuring squeezes. “They killed Fachnan because they knew no shifters would ever be safe as long as Fachnan ruled. Fachnan wouldn’t have been satisfied until all shifters were killed.” I paused, speaking around a lump of sorrow. “Even you. Do you understand?”
They both nodded, their eyes misty with unshed tears.
Ember swallowed, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. “His dragons killed Isabeau and Ronin.”
I gently stroked her hair. Those names were oddly familiar. “Who were they?”
Ember swallowed while looking at something beyond my shoulder. “They were children like us.”
Isabeau and Ronin? I gasped when a memory assailed me. Ash and Finn’s half sister and brother. The vision of them was so clear now. Though they didn’t have silver-blue eyes, they had their brothers’ fanged grins. They were twin toddlers, younger than Ember and Aurora were now.
I took my daughters in my arms, kissing their foreheads, so grateful when they didn’t pull away. “Your fathers would never harm you,” I murmured in their ears while stroking their backs. “They feel terrible that you saw. They never wanted to frighten you.” I pulled back, clutching their arms while looking into their wide eyes. “They were only trying to keep you safe. They love you so much, as I do.” More emotion pressed on my chest, threatening to cut off my words. “Won’t you please give them a chance to show you how much they love you?”
Words couldn’t describe the relief that pulsed through me when they both nodded. I clung to them again, kissing their foreheads while feeling like my heart could burst from the joy of holding them in my arms.
As if on cue, a shadow passed overhead as Bea let out a startling squawk. My rabbits both stomped to indicate their displeasure with Bea, and then they ran beneath a little hut Finn had made out of palm leaves. Bea landed on the embankment, my mates jumping off with excited howls as they unloaded a stash of ripe fruits from her saddle.
I’ll give you some privacy, Shiri said to me through thought.
Thank you, I answered, knowing there was no way I could ever repay my sister and her mates for everything they did for our girls.
She slipped away as another shadow swooped down from the sky with amazing speed and snatched her up. I waved to her as she flew off with her mates, giggling in Blaze’s arms.
The girls pressed against me as Finn slowly approached. Ash hung back, stacking fruits and then going to the other end of the pond to wash his hands and face. Finn gave the girls a shy smile before peeling a juicy fruit and biting off a chunk for the rabbits. Anger forgotten, they came out and greedily snatched the fruit pieces before scurrying back inside their hut.
The girls watched Finn’s every move like curious birds.
When Finn was finished, he returned to the pile of fruits and pulled out two round melon shells with smiling faces carved into them. “Look what I found,” he said with a wink, holding up the shells.
Ember stood while leaning against me. “What are those?”
He knelt in front of her, holding out one of the shells. “Two lonely babies looking for their mommies.”
Aurora made a face. “Those are just ugly fruit shells.”
“No, they’re babies, and they need mommies to take care of them. Listen.” He held one of the melons up to his ear and imitated the sound of a baby crying.
Aurora flashed a fanged smile. “You’re silly.”
Ember pouted. “They don’t have pretty dresses like Bethamy Four.”
“They’re just babies,” Finn said as he removed a cloth from his sack. “You have to swaddle them in blankets. See?” He swaddled one of the melons and handed it to Ember. Then he swaddled another and handed it to Aurora.
Aurora held her melon away from her, making a disgusted face as if it carried the plague.
Ember held her melon tightly to her chest while scowling at her sister. “Rora, you’re not holding yours right.”
Aurora rolled her eyes. “It’s just a dumb fruit, Em.”
