Madison watched his children play with the others and was still amazed that he’d not noticed that William was harming them.He would have had to have threatened them with certain death for them not to have told on him.Especially his oldest.At twelve years old, he had to know that it wasn’t right for him to knock the kids around.He got all worked up just thinking about it.His children were not playthings for a monster like William.
“Have you told your kids that he’s gone?I told mine this morning, and they were jumping for joy.I find that to be the saddest thing of all.That they’re happy that their own great-grandfather is dead.They’d be devastated if anything were to happen to grandmother or our parents.They love our kids so much.”Dyson agreed with his brother and told him that he’d told his kids just before coming over here.They had reacted about the same way.“I just don’t know how I could have missed it.How come they didn’t come to us?”
They talked about other things, yet still came back to William.He wondered what the man was thinking about harming the children when they’d done nothing to him.He looked at little Celesta asshe played dollies with her cousins.She was such a sweet little thing that he wished his own girls were like her just a little bit.
“She is sweet, that one is.”He nodded as she played tea with two of his daughters.“I’m betting that we’re going to have to keep an eye on her when she grows up.Someone will take advantage of her, and that will be all she wrote.Those brothers of hers will make sure that she’s all right, too.”
“I’m betting that they protect her when she needs it.She’s going to be a heartbreaker, too.Just look at those green eyes.The same color as our mom.”He thought of something.“Do you suppose that Mom will take her under her wing and make sure she can defend herself?I’d hope so.Maybe we should talk to Fowler about her.I’d hate for him to be aware that someone was hurting his little girl.”
They talked about their own children and were hurt because they’d been hurt and not known about it.That was what they were going to talk to them about tonight.All the parents were going to be giving their children the news that their great-grandfather was gone if they didn’t know already.And to ask them why they’d not come to them.It could have been a simple thing that he’d threatened them, but they didn’t think so.He’d been doing it to all the kids, and someone should have come to them at some point.
Madison had five children and one on the way.His mate, Layla, was the fire starter for their kind, giving the flames to the newly born dragons that came along.She loved her job as much as he did, and he wouldn’t have changed it for the world.Being the attorney for the family was working out well for him, and he liked his job.Being around the kids all day made him happy, too.There was never any stress in his body when she could spend twenty minutes with his children.
Dyson and Emma had nine children.They also had the oldest of them all, with their oldest being in his early thirties.He couldn’t believe it had been that long since she’d had her first child, and the first of their kind born to them, too.There were other children in the family who were older, but DJ was the oldest born dragon to the family.His children were next in line of children and he loved that the older ones were getting out and meeting their mates now.He was glad that they didn’t have to wait centuries for them to come along.But he knew too that it would be all right.They were out there, and they’d soon come to the family.
They talked about things that they had to get done, and neither one of them moved.It was like that on some days.They weren’t lazy, but watching the kids play in the yard had a wonderful effect on them all.They all got along so well that it amazed him that they were all related.Sometimes there would be spats, but nothing that the kids didn’t get themselves out of.He was glad that he’d had his children so young in life after meeting Layla, so that the one they were having now could take all their attention, and it wouldn’t matter.He loved being a father.
They all understood their father now.Mother, too, in being a parent, but their dad had been the one who had been in their lives the most while mom was working.Dad had loved being around them as children, and it continued up until they were adults.He hadn’t changed much since the grandkids had come along.Only now he had a pocket full of treats he’d hand out to the kids when they were around.He wondered if any of them cared that he was this big beast of a monster vampire that had been around for centuries?He rarely thought of him as anything but their dad, who just happened to be a vampire.
When Edgar joined them a bit later, he’d brought his kids as well.It seemed that the women were working on some project for the town and would be thrilled to get it done while the kids were preoccupied.None of them cared about being a babysitter for their own kids.It was a time they got to hang out with each other, too.The kids were no problem, as they were good kids.
“Mandy is coming home in a few days.She and her mate are going to be helping her mom with the warehouse.I guess they’re getting ready to expand again, and it’s going to be a big deal for them.”Mandy was Tabby and Edgar’s oldest daughter.Edgar had four other children, and he said they were finished.He’d see.He’d heard that from him before, right after their second child had been born.It was fun teasing his brothers about their offspring.“Once this expansion is finished, they’ll shut down the one in Tennessee and open up the one here.It’s not able to expand anymore, and they’ve outgrownit.That means her brother will be moving up here with his family, and that’ll be fun.I love that guy.”
They all did.It was nice to have extended family around, too.Tabby’s parents were still alive, enjoying the life that they’d not been able to have with the warehouses being open.Now that their kids ran it, they were free to go on trips and cruises to have the younger life they’d not had.He was happy for them.
Madison got to tell Edgar about William.He too speculated on who the dragon slayer was, as they’d never seen any new dragons around the compound.When they got on the subject of whoever it was that killed William, they were all sad that they’d not noticed that their own children had been made to suffer at his hands.They all said that had they known, they would have killed him themselves, but he knew that wouldn’t have happened.Grandma would have had to have gotten in on it, and she wouldn’t want him to be dead with all the grandkids around.He also told him that she’d been beaten up as well, and that pissed them all off again.
It wasn’t until the kids started to complain about being hungry that they realized how late it was.They took them into Madison’s house for some lunch that the faeries had made and smiled at the mess they made when helping out.The faeries were trying to please everyone, and he thought that was funny.There were as many different kinds of food as there were children, and he had to laugh again.The faeries weren’t being so much helpful as they were messy, and he loved it.The kids did, too, apparently.
Putting the little ones down for a nap after lunch, he helped with the older kids to get into their swimsuits to play in the pool.He was glad that he had one and even happier that they all seemed to enjoy it as much as he did.Even the adults got into the water when it was obvious that the women weren’t going to be done for another few hours yet.
“You know who I miss?I miss Emma’s grandda.Boy, that guy would tell a yarn about anything.And the kids loved him.”They all nodded, knowing how much he’d meant to them all.“He wanted to go home, and I don’t blame him.Being a hundred and nineteen years old was a long time to be around.”
“He only wanted to be around long enough to outlive his daughter.He did that and some.”Nodding again, they all talked about how his daughter had been killed when she drew a gun on Dyson.He’d been shot, too, but nothing that he couldn’t heal from quickly.All three members of grandda’s family had been killed in a police standoff that took the life of their daughter and husband as well.“I think that he enjoyed his later life more than he did the beginning.But he wanted to go to his wife.I hope they’re both up there having a good time watching over the kids.”
“You know that’s just what he’s doing too.”They all laughed and talked about some of the stories that he’d tell.Some of them were all sure he’d made up, but it didn’t matter; they were good stories, and they all loved him for telling them about his life before his daughter had been born.“I hope they’re all having a good time watching down over the kids.It’s what they deserve for being such good people.”
He nearly brought up William again, but they were having such a good time that he didn’t.He knew that they were still angry that he’d been around their kids, and he was as well.But he was dead now, and no one they had to worry about.Everyone was safe.
The three of them got the children up from their naps and helped them with their pool things.He was thrilled that they all knew how to swim, so that he didn’t have to worry so much.Also, he was glad that they didn’t mind sharing what they had at the house for when it came to sharing clothing.He had enough to go around, and that was all that mattered to him.Besides, the kids didn’t care what they had on.They were just there to have a good time, and he was sure that they did.
Chapter 9
Melbourne loved being the mayor.He’d given up the seat a few years, only to then go back and straighten things up again.The town was looking good, and he was proud of the way things were going.They had no crime to speak of, and no one was getting hurt around town because things had been taken care of.Case in point, the sidewalks.They were all beautifully maintained and cleaned up every summer so that they could be used by all the kids who were coming into town for different things.
“I have two questions for you.”Melbourne smiled at his mate and the love of his life.“First of all, did you know that William was killed?”
“I heard about it from Fowler earlier this morning.He said that the dragon slayer killed him.He wouldn’t go into who that was, but I left it alone.Whatever happened there couldn’t have been a more deserving man for it.”Sammy agreed with him.“What were your questions?I’m all ears for the love of my life.”
“How sweet.I love you too.”She looked frustrated.“Don’t get me sidetracked.You know I hate when you do that.”All he did was laugh and pat his lap.“If I sit there, I’ll never remember what it was I was going to ask you.Something about the house…?”
“I’ll distract you.I thought you’d like to know that the meeting that the other women are having is over now.You dodged a bullet by being too busy to go.I know you wanted to, but I also know that getting your truck in for supplies is more important.”She said she’d gotten it done about an hour ago.“Good job.Also, you’ll be happy to know that you’ve not been voted into any committees that you can’t get out of.I think you might be on the flower pots, but that’s easy, you said.Just assign some of the faeries to the job, and that’s it.”
“I don’t mind that job so much.Like you said, just get a few of the millions of faeries around to help out, and I’m finished.And keeping them watered is easy too.What other committee am I on?”He told her.“That’s a good one.I can be objective because we don’t have any kids going to the school.I like that one too.Thank you for telling me.Oh, the questions.I remember now.What are your plans for Thanksgiving?I know that it was left up to us if we wanted to host it this year again, but I think that it should be Sidney and Olivia’s turn.We’ve done it for the last five years or so.”
“I agree.That’s an easy one.One of us can talk to them the next time we see them.I have to work in the office the day after Thanksgiving, but that shouldn’t affect anything else we have going on.The Christmas lighting will be that night, so no worries there either.”He asked her what her second question was.“Unless Thanksgiving and who was going to host it were two questions.”
“It was.Thanks for rambling while I figured it out.”She finally sat down on his lap.“Have you told anyone yet?About the baby?”
