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“No!” Luka shouts. “No, you cannot.”
“But he was born here,” Hudson points out, his horns starting to curl back at the top. “That’s all it takes, right?”
He has grown so much since the last time I saw him. They both have. I remember when Hudson was born, Luka’s biggest fear was that he’d be unable to mask. He feared he would need to keep his boy hidden from the world.
But the practice started immediately, even with just Luka masking in front of Baby Hudson, so he could see how it was done. By age two, Hudson was masking on his own, and Cooper picked it up before he uttered his first word.
Their natural skin color is a pale blue, no doubt due to their human genes, and though it took them longer to shift than the average draxilio, and their beasts are smaller than ours, their fires are strong, and their fangs are terrifyingly sharp. They are brilliant, thoughtful boys, and being in their presence fills me with overwhelming joy.
“That’s not all it takes,” Harper clarifies, “But yes, it’s a requirement.”
“What are you doing?” Luka asks Harper. “Do not encourage these thoughts.”
She shrugs. “Maybe by the time Coop is old enough to run for president, we’ve figured out a way to keep this big secret hidden. Anything is possible.”
“No,” Luka argues. “This is not possible.” He looks at Cooper. “You running for president is not possible.” Then his eyes find mine. “You running for mayor is not possible.”
“Luka,” Axil begins in an attempt to calm him, but Luka cuts him off.
“Do not start,” he replies, holding up a hand. “I know you wish to ease my fears, but you cannot.” He looks around the room, taking a moment to focus on each of us. “Do you understand what we have here? Look at what we have built. You wish to put our happiness at risk to sate your need for vengeance?”
It is Luka who doesn’t seem to understand. “All I am trying to do is ensure our safety,” I tell him.
Cooper lets out a dramatic sigh. “Ugh, can we have tacos now?”
“Yeah,” Hudson agrees. “This is boring, and we’re hungry.”
Ryan bursts out laughing. “I know this is an important discussion, but I’m with them.”
Harper puts her medical bag away, grabs her cane, and pulls her sons in for a hug, then pinches the tips of their noses. “Got ‘em. And I’m keeping them.”
“Mom, we know you didn’t actually steal our noses,” Hudson mutters with an eye roll.
Cooper agrees. “We’re too old for that game.”
Harper gasps in mock surprise. “Um, you’re never too old for that game, understand?” She strides across the room, and tucks herself under Luka’s arm, then leans up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Let’s put a pin in this for now. Your overbearing, big brother schtick can resume once our bellies are full. Sound good, my love?”
It pains him to relent, but even I can see the slight pull of his lips into a grin as he gazes down at his mate. He nods with a cranky huff, and we make our way into Vanessa’s tiny kitchen as we fill our plates with tacos.
“Doc, don’t forget to tell Vanessa about the…” Ryan says, his voice lowering and his eyebrows lifting as he trails off. “The…you know.”
Vanessa, mid-bite, drops her taco onto the plate and waits with a nervous gaze. “Hmm?”
Harper sighs as she gives Ryan a stern look. “I thought we weren’t going to share it until we had more data?”
Ryan chuckles. “Oh come on. It’s exciting! Plus, you have to show them your new party trick.”
Putting her plate on the counter, Harper finishes chewing, wipes her mouth, and strides into the living room, opening one of the large windows overlooking the cornfield across the river. “Ryan and I have been studying my DNA since Luka and I became mates, and we’ve noticed that my cells have changed significantly over the last sixteen years.”
Vanessa clears her throat and reaches for Axil’s hand. “What does that mean?”
Harper chews nervously on the inside of her cheek. “Well, I’m not…entirely human anymore.”
“What!” Axil shouts, getting to his feet.
Vanessa stands and places a hand on his chest. Immediately, the tension fades from his shoulders. “Harper, I’m going to need you to say more right now.”
“I’m not saying I’m turning into a draxilio, but my body can do things it couldn’t before. Things that are distinctly draxilio traits.”
