Page 74 of Thrown into the Mob

“The one with the gouges?”

“Mmmm, I like it, and I refuse to allow an inanimate object to have control over my emotions.”

That desk had his claw marks in century-old oak, but it was his, and I wasn't going to argue about furniture. Conrad had spent six months rebuilding a dragon flight and banishing memories, ancient rituals, and practices while we raised a seven-month-old and three hatchlings.

The day Evander died, Vasik told my mate about the eggs. That scent in the panic room that I thought was Evander’s mimicking my mate’s was right. I’d assumed it was because that was something they did, or that Evander did. But it was because my mate’s twin was also pregnant.

Conrad was badly injured and had almost died after the battle with his brother. Like I was when the bullet grazed my wolf, when he took his skin, he didn’t heal fully, though the laceration wasn’t as severe as the one suffered by his dragon.

He’d instructed Vasik to tend to the eggs until he could make the journey, but my mate insisted he send La Luna Noir people as well to make sure the eggs were safe. Vasik raged at Conrad, saying he didn’t trust him and almost set his hair alight, but my mate stood firm, telling Vasik he had pledged allegiance to him as the Alpha Regent.

My folks went to the compound with Hunter, and we made the journey a week later with Grandpa and Rudy because Conrad was still weak. We took over watching the three eggs and keeping them warm in front of a heat lamp for weeks.

Shula had broken through her shell first, a full day before her siblings. Never having witnessed a newly hatched dragon shifter, I was convinced she had fire in her eyes for the first few seconds.

Lena came next. She was quieter than her sister, and she reminded me of Conrad. Hagan was last. He'd taken his time, pecking at his shell as if he wanted the job done properly.

My mate hadn’t carried or laid the eggs. They were his brother’s. The three hatchlings carried none of my DNA, but they were our babies as much as Tyson was, and he was only a month older than them.

“That’s the last of it.”

I turned and looked at the pile of rubble and pivoted to gaze at the space two hundred yards away where the new house was being constructed. Conrad had designed it himself, and it contained no carved dragon furniture. The desk he’d kept would go in the office building when it was finished. Our new home was made of wood sourced locally, and it was light and airy, with windows that faced every direction. It was nothing like the original compound where every room reminded me of a cage.

“So it’s done. Are you going to do the honors now?” The stone would eventually be crushed, but any wood in the building was going to be burned, and my mate’s dragon would set it alight.

“This evening.”

Shula, Lena, and Hagan were on a blanket between Conrad and me. We put them in the triple stroller and headed back to our temporary accommodation. The flight was using shipping containers as office space for now because I refused to have flight business done in our home.

Vasik ran the operations. He'd transferred his loyalty to my mate, and if he regretted the flight’s original direction, he never showed it. He was good at his job, protected the compound and the children, and worked with Conrad to steer a new path.

The dragons who'd stayed were a smaller group than the original flight. Some had left after Evander's death, unwilling to serve under a wolf-mated omega regent. Conrad let them go saying, “A flight held together by obligation is one that won’t survive.”

The ones who remained were more reliable than a hundred conscripts.

“Grandpa called this morning. The family’s coming to visit.”

The children were in their highchairs while we heated up their food. They were silent and playing with toys, but I was aware of how quickly that could change and we’d have four howling babies demanding to eat.

“All of them?”

“Yeah, they want to see us, the kids, and the new house.” There’d be business to discuss because the flight still ran the alcohol business.

“I thought it was just Arnie and Rudy who were going to look after the kids.”

I’d decided we needed more than one elderly man and a middle-aged one to take care of our brood while Conrad and I got away for a few days. But when I’d asked for any hands to help out, I hadn’t expected the entire family. I’d booked them rooms in the villages surrounding us because we didn’t have the space.

My phone buzzed with a photo from Grandpa. It was the whole family crowded around Hunter’s kitchen table. The message that accompanied it read, Missing you both. See you next week. Send more photos of your four babies.

I snapped a few pics of our darlings as they smeared the highchairs and themselves with their lunch, and I sent a text: This is the turmoil you’ll be entering into if you dare.

After lunch, the babies were on playmats, and Tyson was chewing on a toy. Shula was trying to take it from him. Lena was inspecting her feet, having recently discovered she had them. Hagan had fallen asleep because he’d been awake since four, though he’d stayed in his crib without complaining and babbled until it was light.

“I love our children, but I am so looking forward to getting away next week.” I plopped onto the couch beside my mate.

Having four children under a year was a huge amount of work, and I’d been bearing the brunt of it during the day because Conrad had been so busy. But despite working full-time, he’d get up with me at night, saying I might be on leave from La Luna Noir, but I also had a day job, one that was more exhausting than his.

“Do you think the family will survive with their own kids and four babies? Maybe we should rethink our plans?”