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Glancing up, I realized the others were watching me. Ravenal, who was the closest, was wide-eyed, her gaze going between me and the gigantic beast. I guess it was a bit curious, with me sitting on the ground and the lecanifer's body laying partially in my lap.
“I have never seen such a seamless connection between a witch and their familiar,” she whispered.
I snorted, running a hand down his back. “How many of the familiars have been equal or greater than us in intelligence? Or could communicate with their partner using language? Lecanifers are like us on their world, creating family units and producing tools, researching science, recording their history, and creating art. They are way beyond us in the ability to travel the stars, which we haven’t done without magic.”
I put one hand out in front of Renth, and he placed a front paw in it. It was heavy, but I also suspected he wasn’t putting his full weight on my hand. With my other hand, I spread out his fingers.
“He has flexible digits and an opposable thumb, which puts him on the same level as humans. He can do most everything we can and more, given his body,” I continued to lecture.
Lexi sauntered over and stopped, grinning. She held a protein bar in one hand, a huge bite taken out of it, while in her other was an unwrapped one that she tossed at me. I caught it before it hit me in the head.
“Yes, Renth is people. He just looks different. His tail is incredible. It sweeps away his footprints as he walks, removing all evidence of his passing.”
The lecanifer preened, enjoying her compliments. The lycanthropes in the group grumbled with envy, wishing they had such a simple way to hide their passing.
Tamerin barked out a laugh. “The lecanifers as a species have adapted well to their environment. When young, they like to travel and explore various planets. I am guessing you were such a scout?” He directed this question to the enormous beast.
He answered, including everyone in the conversation, proving that he could talk to anyone he wanted—when he wanted to do so.
Everyone gasped when hearing his voice in their heads, except Lexi, Tamerin, and me. And the triplets, who giggled and rushed over to tackle him once again.
Yes, I was part of a team that was searching for other lifeforms to interact with. We had traveled to that planet, but our transport gate crystal shattered during a fall, so we weren't able to return to our home world. Living on the world wasn’t bad. In the beginning, there had been five of us, but the others mated, settling down to form family units. I didn’t want to live like them. My skin itched for something more. So I walked the mountains and found Soren. Coming with him here was the right thing for me.
James laughed. “Welcome to Earth, Renth. I, as the Spirit Dragon here, am glad you ran into the rascal.”
Lark grinned and added, “And if you want to go back to your planet, let me know. I can gate you back to your world. Heck, Stet could take you as well.”
Renth didn’t glance over at the gigantic demon, but his eyes slid that way before quickly returning to the children. I didn’t think he was comfortable around the demons. He didn’t run away, didn’t appear to dislike them, but he was wary of them, for reasons I couldn't discern.
Thank you, Gatekeeper. I will keep your offer in mind. But if I return home, I would need to make sure my people would welcome my bonded witchling and his mate. That would take more negotiations than I am willing to do right now.
Shane grimaced. “I can relate to that.” He turned and peered at us all. “Okay, first things first. Let’s get everyone fed and afterwards, we can talk some more.”
Lexi squealed, one hand shooting up high above her head. “I second!”
Lark wrapped a hand around her waist, leaning down to whisper something into her ear. My sister broke free of his hold and darted towards the house, cackling the whole way. He gave us all a sheepish grin before bolting after her.
Holden shook her head. “And I think we just lost those two. I can’t believe how beautiful she is, but to lose all those years?”
Betta shrugged. “She lost nothing. She lived every single one of them. Only not here on Earth.”
Our foster mother paused, staring at her. “What?”
The Gaterunner exhaled. “Time runs faster than it does here on our planet. The two or three days she was gone from here? It was more like four to five years for them. Both of them experienced those years. And it appears they found out things about themselves they hadn’t discovered before.”
Shane came up and wrapped an arm around his wife, urging her forward. “Like what?”
My sister shook her head, her dark hair flying. “Nope. I am guessing, so it’s their story to tell. But Stet sensed the differences.” She didn’t turn to look at her mate, who was still standing next to the open gate, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his gaze locked on her.
It appeared he was going to guard the place, taking his role as a peace guardian with the seriousness it deserved.
James glanced over his shoulder at the demon, frowning. “Stet isn’t coming up?” He was walking a little behind Shane and Holden, his hand wrapped around his wife’s. Ravenal and Tamerin walked with them, conversing quietly.
Konner and Justin stayed near the gate, talking to one of Stet’s guardians. I had no idea what they were discussing, and right then, I didn’t care. I just wanted to have my mate next to me, here on Earth.
The Protector and his Berserker soon jogged up the hill, reaching us just as we were climbing the stairs to the porch.
“Hey, Soren. Lily is okay. I had a brief conversation with her not too long ago.” He slapped me on the back, pulling back the force enough to keep me from falling over on my face.
