Page 56 of The Flame Game

“My bride becomes very offended when rival males look at me wrong. It makes enrolling her into challenges quite difficult. We try to leave the other contenders alive,” my husband said in an amused tone.

“I better get to fight at least once, Quinn.”

“Not until the twins are born and you are no longer breastfeeding.”

I shrugged, as I couldn’t see myself seriously fighting when worried about their milk supply. “That’s reasonable.”

“You are expecting twins?” Thomas asked.

“We are. Fostering your children won’t be a problem. The chances our children will inherit her general immunities or my general abilities are rather high. Beauty and Sylvester are currently with my grandfather learning how to socialize with other gorgons. Their education has been unique. If you can, begin teaching yours how to read a little early, as our whelps are voracious readers. You may want to inquire if your whelps would like to learn how to cook, as Beauty will be starting as soon as we move into a new home. Ours is not sufficiently sized. We’ll also have pets in the house, so we can work with your whelps on that as well. Sunny, my wife’s wolf, should be capable of handling defensive whelps, but our other pets are mundane in nature.”

“I will begin their lessons immediately. When would you like to begin their fostering?”

“Bailey?”

“As soon as we have space for them is fine with me.”

Quinn smiled at me before focusing his attention back on the road. “I’ll get back to you on that as we start our house search. Do you have a contact we can reach in Chicago about Miss Hautlin?”

“Yes, of course. I will text you with the information, and I will warn him you will be calling. I have a relationship, as he sought out my advice regarding her. She misses humans.”

‘Bailey?”

“There is no reason we can’t take the kids to visit her and her family, especially if she can help us sink Morrison.”

“I think you will find her an eager participant in your investigation. She hates him with a burning passion. She only gave up her son because she was terrified she would infect him.”

That poor woman. “But he’s already gorgon enough he won’t be infected, will he?”

“It would be a mercy for him to be infected. He straddles two worlds without being welcome in either.”

Damn it. No wonder he had looked annoyed. The poor man likely wanted what we had, a caring family and a sense of belonging. “The chances he’s allied with Morrison? There are pictures of him with his father and Quinn’s ex-wife.”

“His hatred for his father is an equal for your love for your husband, I suspect.”

Huh. “Damn. He’d light him on fire while still alive and screaming, and he’d take his time about it while roasting marshmallows, then.”

My husband snickered. “I love you, too, Bailey.”

“I can help him with the fire part. I’m really good at making fire, and my father said I need to transform several times a week to keep the babies happy and healthy.”

“Your father?” Thomas asked. “Surely not that Gardener man?”

Sam laughed. “No. Ra. Her other father. She’s the daughter of a quartet. It might be worth informing the hives that her divine parents are very protective. Her mother is Menily, a moon goddess. A guardian divine from a tribe somewhere in the western United States, from the little I know about her.”

“I will pass the word. Her father being Ra explains much, especially about her willingness to engage in challenges for whelps. It is her nature.”

“She does like conquering. Mostly me, though. Oh, well. So much tragedy.”

Thomas laughed. “Continue your conquests without fear, Lady Quinn.”

“Oh, look. He thinks I’m a lady. Boy, do I have him fooled.”

My husband snickered. “What can you tell me about the Chicago vampires?”

“Ernesto Saven.”

With a low groan, Quinn took one of his hands off the wheel and rubbed his temple. “You have got to be kidding me.”