1
MEGAN
โI am thinking I should go back to the Icehome beach,โ Cashol says, lying flat in the furs across
from the fire one night.
โI think youโll go over my dead body,โ I say tartly. I macramรฉ another leather-strap rug, my fingers busy weaving. โYou just came back.โ
โYes, but they will need help getting through the brutal season. You should have seen how terrible they are at surviving.โ Cashol crooks a grin at me. โTheir stews were far worse than yours, and Leezh and Har-loh are the most experienced cooks they have there. You should feel pity for them.โ
โFirst of all, Gail is there,โ I point out. This is a game we play at night, just so Cashol can feel appreciated.
He teases me, telling me that heโs going to leave my side again and tries to get me all riled up. It worked the first few times, but now itโs just an easy game between us, where he needles me and I snap back. He likes it when Iโm sassy, apparently, and I get super sassy when Iโm pregnantโฆor when he talks about going back to the beach. Right now, itโs both. โAnd second of all, Brooke is there, too, and sheโs a decent cook. And thirdly, I will spank the hell out of you if you even so much as think of leaving my side before this baby is born.โ
โWill you, now?โ My incorrigible mate gets a playful look in his eyes. โPerhaps I should threaten this more often if it means you will put your hands all over my tail-side.โ
โLike you need an excuse to get more groping,โ I tease. โI barely keep my hands off you as it is.โ
โEspecially my feetโโ
Holvek chooses that moment to join us in the cave. โDaddy, my net broke and weโre trying to catch more dirtbeaks.โ
I make another twist in the mat, adding a decorative braid around the edges. This oneโs for Josieโs little house. Her storage area has a particularly cold floor and with this latest pregnancy, she likes to go barefoot thanks to feet swelling, so Iโm making her a mat to step on. Iโm always making mats for someone, because I like to keep my hands busy. Plus, it helps pass the time, and Iโve learned that when my hands are busy, my head is less busy.
โLet me see your net, Holvek,โ Cashol says, and I love that he changes to his dad voice. It turns me on to hear him so authoritative and protective of our son. They bend their heads together and I swear, theyโre both identical. If I hadnโt carried Holvek for a whopping fourteen months in my body, Iโd think heโs someone elseโs child and not mine. The only part of him that looks like me are his five wiggly toes to his fatherโs three. The rest is pure sa-khui and a hundred percent Cashol.
I rub my rounded belly and wonder if this next one will look like me or if Iโm going to be surrounded by a bunch of Cashol clones for all my life. The thought makes me smile. Not a hardship there.
โI can fix this part,โ Cashol says, his fingers deftly moving over the loose area of the net. โI am not as good with tying things as your mother but I will do my best.โ He gives me a sultry look from underneath his brows that even now makes me blush. He is just asking to be spanked. โAnd I hope you are not hurting the dirtbeaks? We talked about that.โ
โMasan wants a friend for his,โ Holvek tells me, his stubborn little mouth quirking. โAnd I want one, too.โ
โNoooo,โ I say with a shake of my head, lowering my mat so I can give my best mom glare to my son. โYou know what I said about pets.โ
โNo pets.โ He looks crestfallen at the thought. โNot even a snowcat?โ
โYouโre going to have a baby sister or baby brother soon.โ I point at my jutting belly. Even though Iโm nowhere close to delivering, my belly feels bigger than the last time I carried, and I fully admit to milking the pregnancy for all its worth. โThe last thing we need is a snowcat in the house. Youโve seen how big Kateโs kitten is!โ
โItโs huuuuge,โ Holvek tells me with wide eyes. โItโs almost as big as I am already. I bet I could ride him.โ
โYou need to stay far away from him,โ I say. Now Iโm going to have mom nightmares of Holvek playing with the cat and the cat eating him. Holvek pouts again, but I shake my head. โNo dirtbeaks, no cats. I mean it.โ
He looks at Cashol.
Cashol looks at me. โWe willโฆtalk about it.โ He pats our son on the arm.
Oh we will, will we? I narrow my eyes at the two of them. Are they plotting for pets behind my back? Iโm a little hurt that Iโve been left out of some secret conversation. I love my mate, and I love my boy. I always thought Holvek was a bit of a mamaโs boy, but if heโs got secrets with his dadโฆI donโt know why Iโm jealous, just that I am.
Holvek looks at me with an innocent, inquisitive expression. โMommy, whatโs groping?โ
Oh, so sly. Iโve been mated to his father for years, and I know a subject change when I see one. Clever little squirt.
Cashol speaks up before I do. โIt is what your mother does to your father when she pretends to be mad but secretly wants snuggles.โ He leans in toward our son. โMommy thinks that she gets better snuggles that way.โ
My son giggles. โDoes she?โ
โOf course not,โ Cashol straightens, tossing out the newly repaired net. He gives me a clever look. โAll of my snuggles are always the best snuggles to be had.โ
I snort, my sour mood leaving in an instant once more. Count on Cashol to tease me right back to happy.
โYou just be careful with the dirtbeaks, baby,โ I tell Holvek. โCome give Mommy a kiss.โ
He races to my side and flings his little arms around my neck, kissing my cheek with a loud smack. Then, he runs to his father and does the same, and then gathers his net and runs back out the door, yelling for his
friends.
Iโm left alone with my mate.
Cashol gives me a slow, gorgeous smile that makes my heart flip over in my chest. โSoโฆis it time for snuggles?โ
I giggle like a teenage dork, because my big, sprawling alien mate saying โsnugglesโ is the funniest thing ever. โI donโt know. Are you planning on getting a secret pet with our son behind my back? I might not want to snuggle after learning that.โ
He shrugs, getting on all fours and prowling across the floor of the hut over to my side. He leans in and nips at my neck, fake-growling like an absolute fool and I canโt stop smiling. โMasan has a pet. Farli has a pet.
Kate has a pet. Our son loves animals. What is so wrong with teaching him about taking care of them as well as hunting them?โ
โWe talked about this,โ I say with a tiny sigh, because heโs sucking on my earlobe and nuzzling at my neck and I know heโs distracting me. Itโs how he wins arguments. Heโs too damn good at distractions. โA dirtbeak is dirty and a snowcat is too dangerous.โ
โPerhaps something, at least?โ He nips at my jaw. โSomething to keep a growing boy busy and to give his overworked mother some free time?โ
โAm I overworked?โ I reach up and caress his cheek, leaning into his touch. โI didnโt realize.โ
โSo overworked,โ he agrees. โThere is hardly time for Meh-ganโs poor mate, who suffers greatly from such neglect.โ I snort, and he kisses my jaw. โIt is true,โ he murmurs, and the tease in his voice makes me smile.
โSo neglected I have not had a good foot rub in seasons and seasons.โ
I groan. And the truth comes out. โIs all of this angling so Iโll play with your feet?โ
โNo.โ He tugs at the neckline of my tunic, revealing my shoulder and kissing his way down. โIt is all angling so you can warm my furs and play with my feet.โ
โLucky me,โ I tease, but his lips are so skillful that I donโt even mind he gets his way.
I ๎๎โ๎ ๎๎๎๎ ๎๎ ๎๎๎๎ ๎๎ J๎๎๎๎โ๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎ ๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎๎๎, ๎๎ though I finished it before lunch. I spend far too much time with Cashol, snuggling after all, and then thereโs a minor emergency when Holvek smashes his finger while dirtbeak hunting and has to have his boo-boos kissed away before going to see the healer. By the time I arrive to visit my friend with the mat, Iโm ready for dinner and an early bedtime.
I scratch at the door, inwardly wincing because I can hear the noise from my hut next door. When no one answers, probably because they canโt hear me, I pause and then push aside the door flap, peeking in. โHello?โ
Josieโs house is, of course, utter chaos. Sheโs only got one more kid than me, but with the noise, youโd think itโs twenty. Joha is chewing on one of Josieโs bone ladles and banging another against the floor. Joden is running in circles, screaming a song about multiplication tables while Haeden calmly works on lashing together a crib out of bone. Josie is in the middle of the chaos, folding soft leather towels and humming to herself.
My friend looks up at the sight of me, her face lighting up. โOh! Megan! I didnโt hear you knock.โ
โI figured.โ Her house is always several decibels louder than everyone elseโs but Josie never seems to mind. She just beams at me and pats at the empty seat next to her. โCome sit. Haeden, will you make some tea for us, baby?โ
โOf course.โ The big, surly looking hunter gets to his feet immediately and moves to his mateโs side. He touches her belly briefly, plants a kiss atop her head, and then moves to the fire. Josie smiles at his back, as in love today as she was when they first resonated. She looks over at me as I sit next to her, and the hard rock seat has a fluffy pillow atop it so itโs not as firm on pregnant backsides.
I notice Josieโs sitting on one, too, and her belly looks utterly enormous. Sheโs due any week now, with our birth times being harder to pin down thanks to the longer sa-khui gestation. She rubs her back absently as I settle in next to her and offer the rolled mat. โFor your kitchen. So it wonโt be so cold on bare feet.โ
Her gasp of pleasure is all the payment I need. Josieโs eyes shine with excitement and she hugs it to her chest as Haeden moves around the fire. โOh, Meggers! You shouldnโt have!โ
โWhat, Iโm going to sit around all day and do nothing? Iโm not that pregnant yet.โ I pat my much smaller belly. โThis little oneโs going to be baking in the oven for a bit longer.โ
โPlenty of time to think up a good name,โ Josie teases. โWhatโs Cashol locked onto this week?โ
I groan. โThis week itโs โMeganash.โ I said hell no.โ
My mateโmy sweet, ridiculous, too-lighthearted mateโloves nothing more than to run a joke into the ground, all to make me laugh. When Holvek was about to be born, Cashol tormented me daily with terrible name combinations. Some peopleโs names fit great togetherโlike Georgie and Vektalโbut mine and Casholโs? Not so much. There isnโt a combination that doesnโt make me wince painfully. Cashol knows it, too, which is why he keeps throwing it out there, the nut.
Then again, it always makes me smile.
โI mean, I donโt hate it?โ Josie wrinkles her nose. โI donโt love it but I donโt hate it.โ
โItโs a no,โ I repeat. โA firm no. What about you? Got a name for number three?โ
โIf itโs a girlโฆโ Josie glances over at her mate. โI thought aboutโฆโ She lowers her voice. โZalah.โ
Haeden straightens. โNo.โ
Josie ignores his response. She just smiles at me. โWeโre talking about it.โ
Zalah? The woman that Haedenโs first cootie resonated to and died? Josieโs told me all about it, and I thought she hated the woman. Heck, I thought Haeden did, too. ButโฆI get it. When youโre pregnant, you also get sentimental. Josieโs probably wanting to honor his first almost-mate in some way. โMaybe as a middle name,โ I compromise.
โDo sa-khui even have middle names?โ She looks surprised.
They donโt. Which is kinda the point. I glance over at her surly looking mate, and Iโm always surprised at how taciturn Haeden can be such good friends with my playful Cashol. Which reminds meโฆ โSpeaking of arguments you canโt win, Cashol told Holvek he can have a pet and so now my son is trying to collect a dirtbeak.โ
โOh god.โ Josie gives a shudder of horror. She grabs my arm, because Joden has paused near his father.
โDonโt say that in his hearing or heโs going to want one, too.โ
Haeden quickly pours two cups of tea and sets them down on a little โtableโ next to Josieโs chair. He puts a fingertip under her chin, tilting her head up for a kiss, and then murmurs to her. โShall I take the little ones out for a walk?โ
She gives him a melting look. โYou are the best mate. You know that?โ
โI know.โ He straightens, nods at me, and then scoops up Joha with one arm, and grabs a pile of cloaks with another. โCome, Joden. Let us get some dirtbeak nests for your mother.โ
โDirt-beaks!โ Joden chants. โDirt-beaks! Dirt-beaks!โ
Itโs a whirlwind of chaos for the next thirty seconds as Haeden ushers his rambunctious children out the door and then itโs just me and Josie. She holds a cup of tea out to me, and when I take it, her hands immediately go to the small of her back. She winces.
I freeze. โIs it time? Should I go stop Haeden?โ
Josie waves a hand in the air. โIโve got hours yet. Or days. Itโs just the occasional contraction and a backache, you know? If this is anything like when Joha came, itโll be another day at least before my water breaks. Haedenโs ready to get Maylak at a momentโs notice, but I told him to wait. Soโฆdirtbeaks, huh?โ
โOr a snowcat.โ
โWith a new baby on the way?โ Sheโs shocked.
โThatโs what I saidโno way.โ Iโm glad someoneโs on my side at least. โSometimes I think he deliberately works me up just to see me riled.โ I shake my head, smiling wryly at the thought.
โItโs so funny how things work,โ Josie says, shifting her hips with a little grimace. Her hand flutters over her stomach, and I can tell sheโs feeling something unpleasant, but if she doesnโt want to get the healer yet, Iโm content to sit here with her and talk. โHaeden and I had such a stormy beginning and now weโre pretty much in lock-step about everything.โ She pauses for a moment. โWell, except the babyโs name. But overall, we just agree on everything.โ Her smile grows. โMeanwhile, you and Cashol had such an easy beginning compared to
ours.โ
I snort. โAre you crazy? Easy?โ
My friend looks surprised. โIt wasnโt?โ
โBitch, no!โ
Her eyes widen, and then she giggles. โBitch, are you lying to me?โ
โI remember it very differently than you do, it seems,โ I say, and then add, โBitch.โ
Josieโs giggles get louder, and then break off with a little hiss. Her hands clench over her belly for a moment. โThat was a definite shift of something.โ She adjusts herself on her seat again, as if she canโt quite get comfortable, and then picks up her tea again. โOkay, well, I seem to recall just you looking over at Cashol
one day and squealing with delightโโ
โSquealing?โ I sputter.
โSquealing, bitch,โ Josie says solemnly, and then ruins it with more giggles.
I canโt help it, I burst into laughter, too.
โAnd I remember thinking how lucky you were that it was so darn easy,โ Josie continues. โSo if it wasnโt easy, then how do you remember it?โ
I think for a moment, trying to remember that early time. Maybe Josie remembers it as me finding my happy-ever-after instantly, but it wasnโt instant. It might have looked simple, but everything was more complicated. It always is. โYou sure you want to hear this story?โ
She gestures at her belly. โLike Iโm going anywhere?โ
Sheโs got a point.
