Amy Sumida - Eye of Re (The Godhunter Book 17)

by Unknown

  As opposed to a human crib, which stood on posts, Brevyn's crib hung from thick vines growing out of the ceiling. The pixies liked to hang out in the foliage and sing to my son or entertain him with their antics. He was such a solemn child that I think it was hard for them to leave him be. They just wanted to make him smile... which they succeeded in doing every time, those little rascals. They didn't understand that just because he was quiet, it didn't mean he was sad.

  He was actually a very happy baby. He just didn't have any of that newborn angst; the flailing confusion of learning this world for the first time. Brevyn was at peace. It took more to surprise him or upset him than it did Rian. Brevyn was already sure of himself and his environment. It made me wonder how much of Ull's memories had come through and were lying buried in that infant mind, just waiting for adulthood to bring them forth. Or maybe he wouldn't remember a thing, just have a sense of knowing. I personally knew how tricky past life memories could be.

  Whatever happened with him, I'd be honest and answer all of his questions when the time came. I wanted him to know who he was and what he meant to so many people. I wanted him to have the foundation of his past life as a support for him, not a hindrance, and I fully intended to give him the chance to become whomever he wanted to be.

  Rian, on the other hand, was never still. Not even when he slept. He was always moving about, making some kind of sound, whether it be crying, murbling (as I'd taken to calling the little grumbling noises he made), or just cooing. He too, was a happy baby but where his brother was calm and pensive, Rian was adventurous and ambitious. I know that's not a word normally used to describe a baby but Rian seemed to be constantly after one thing or another and if it wasn't handed to him, he'd find a way to get it on his own. Which made him a big pain in my patootie.

  At two months old, a human baby can't really get that far on its own. Maybe they can roll around but that's about it. Not my Rian. Evidently, dragon-sidhe babies developed quickly and although Rian was still the size of a two-month-old human baby, he had already discovered his dragon claws and the many things he could use them for. He loved scaling his scratching post especially. I'm sure you can imagine my shock when I went into the nursery one morning to find Rian smiling at me from his perch, high up on the floor-to-ceiling post. It was a little like walking into a horror flick; this dragon eyed baby with his chubby little baby fingers half shifted into claws and grinning at me like the Cheshire Cat. If I he hadn't been my son, I'd probably have run out of the room screaming. Then there was the fire thing.

  Dragon-sidhe babies are a bit volatile when born, thus the diamond crib. Well all that was good and fine when you're prepared for it. I'm fireproof too so I didn't mind when Rian hiccuped and ended up burping flames or threw a temper tantrum and roasted his mattress. However, Brevyn was not fireproof and so we had to put Brevyn's crib on one side of the large room and move Rian's from where it had been in the center, to the opposite wall. We couldn't have him burning his brother accidentally.

  These issues had me concerned at first for Brevyn's safety. I'd considered taking him out of Faerie, despite Arach's protests, or at least moving him into another room. But then something happened to change my mind. I had laid them down on the changing table; Brevyn on one side and Rian on the other. As I bent to get some swaddling moss (absorbent stuff that lines fey diapers) from its growing tray below, I accidentally caught the a corner of the boys' blanket with my shoulder and pulled it with me. Brevyn began to fall over the edge with the blanket. It really wasn't a big deal, I have fast reflexes and I would have caught him. But before I could react, Rian reached out, tiny claws popping free of his fingers, and caught the edge of Brevyn's diaper. With a little pull that shouldn't have been possible from a baby, Rian pulled Brevyn back to safety.

  I had stood up and stared at that in shock. Rian would have had to have been watching over Brevyn that entire time to have reacted so quickly. And that reaction... how did he even reach Brevyn in time? He must have rolled but I hadn't caught the movement. All I know is that Rian was suddenly beside his brother, keeping him from danger, with a big smile on his face like it was all a fabulous game. As I righted the blanket, Rian pulled his claws away and giggled at me. Brevyn hadn't made a sound, just looked serenely from his brother to me as if everything had happened just as he'd expected it to. On top of that, when I unwrapped Brevyn's diaper, I found that Rian hadn't left a single scratch on him. The control that would have taken, even in an adult, is substantial. That Rian did it instinctively as an infant, was astonishing.

  That's when I became certain that separating them would be cruel. They were obviously very aware of each other and now I knew that Rian wouldn't hurt Brevyn, not on purpose and probably not on accident either. Not with that kind of awareness between them. The episode had brought up all kinds of new questions in my mind and some very startling theories. I didn't share them with Arach because I didn't want to scare him and I wasn't sure he'd understand anyway. I'd held these babies inside me and I knew them profoundly. I had connected with their mind when they'd been one being and just because that being had been split into two, it didn't change its original personality. That mind had been split just as its body had.

  Their souls were complete and completely different but they were like halves of the same whole. Or perhaps two sides of the same coin. They balanced each other because they'd once been one. Rian got the ambition while Brevyn got the contentment. Rian was wild while Brevyn was calm. Action and Stillness. Risk and Stability. Dragon and God. Their bond was probably even stronger than I realized. A birth like theirs gave the potential for infinite possibilities.

  “What will you two be like when you get older?” I mused as I set Brevyn's cradle to rocking.

  “Beautiful,” Lissa, my favorite female pixie, said as she hung from one of the swinging vines and stared down at Brevyn. “And brave and kind. Just like their mother.”

  “You're buttering me up for something, aren't you?” I teased her as I went to check on the murbling Rian. He was fast asleep in his gently rotating crib but his upper lip curled up as he snarled and drew his blanket tighter around him. “Look at him, fighting even in his sleep.”

  “Probably protecting his brother,” Lissa commented.

  I may not have told Arach about my theories but I had to tell him about the episode with Rian saving Brevyn. The dragon daddy had been so proud, he'd told the whole damn castle. So comments like Lissa's had become commonplace.

  “I want one,” Lissa murmured and I turned to look at her in surprise.

  “A baby?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she glanced up at me. “Felix and I are already trying.”

  Felix was Lissa's fiance and the whole pixie community was gearing up for their wedding, which would probably be shortly after mine. The thought gave me a start. I'd been so focused on the children, I'd forgotten that my other men would arrive any day now and they'd soon become my husbands.

  That made me a bit anxious. I was glad I didn't have to plan the ceremony because I had no idea how a wedding between four men and one woman was going to work. Would it be like; I do; to you and you and you and you? That sounded like a Julie Andrews song. Sure, why not? Maybe we could just sing our vows and skip off over the Alps.

  As I mused over musical matrimony, my current husband walked in. He stood just inside the doorway and put his fists on his hips, looking over the full nursery with obvious pride and massive male satisfaction. I rolled my eyes as Lissa giggled.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I went over and nudged his shoulder. “We did good. But remember that they're the ones who split into two. We can't take credit for that.”

  “We can take credit for creating such brilliant boys who were valiant even before their birth,” he huffed.

  “Oh, here we go,” I sighed as Arach strode over to Rian's crib and smiled at the little noises he was making.

  “Don't wake him,” I shook my finger at Arach. “I just got them down and if you wake him up, Brevyn will w
ake up too and the whole process will have to start all over again. My grandmother was right, twins are hell.”

  “The let it start again,” he shot me a smile over his shoulder and then nodded to the doorway. “They have family to meet.”

  “And I at least, am well acquainted with Hell,” Azrael's voice carried over to me.

  I turned to see Trevor, Kirill, and Odin come walking into the room after Azrael. It was so strange to see them in Faerie that I didn't react for a second, just stood there gaping. Then they were wrapped around me and I was laughing and hugging them. Funny how sometimes you don't know how much you've missed someone until they're standing right in front of you.

  “You're not so fat anymore,” Kirill observed with a smile. “Are you happy now?”

  “That I don't look like a beached whale or that I have two sons?” I asked.

  “Two?” Trevor pulled away from me and looked over to where Arach was posing proudly beside the diamond crib. “You didn't tell us there were two babies.”

  “I wanted to let her tell you,” Arach waved his hand from Rian's cradle to Brevyn's. “And I will let her explain it all as well.”

  “Carus?” Azrael slid his hand to my cheek. “What happened to the baby?”

  “So very much,” I sighed and took a second to kiss Odin hello before I explained what I believed happened with my boys.

  “So this is truly Ull?” Odin was standing over Brevyn's cradle and I was shocked to see that Brevyn was awake and staring up at Odin with a little smile. “My word, he even looks like Ull.”

  “His name is Brevyn now,” I nodded. “We believe he's formed only of my cells, my blood.”

  “So Rian is fully dragon-sidhe?” Trevor edged over to Arach and a loud cry announced that Rian was awake.

  “That he is,” Arach said proudly as he scooped the wailing baby up and presented him to the other men.

  “Good lungs,” Kirill nodded in approval. Which had the odd affect of stopping Rian's screams.

  Rian set his bright eyes on Kirill and sniffed twice. Then he held up his hand and popped out his claws. With a rapid movement, he clicked them in against each other. When Kirill did nothing in response to this, Rian smacked Arach's arm angrily and clicked his claws again.

  “That means he wants you to come closer,” I explained and gave Kirill a little push. “Go hold him.”

  “Vould you mind?” Kirill asked Arach.

  “Not at all,” Arach handed Rian over.

  Kirill tried to hold Rian as one does a baby; on his back, cradling Rian's head in the crook of his arm. But Rian didn't want that. He wiggled so that he was chest to chest with Kirill, staring him straight in the eye. Then Rian cocked his head to the side and sniffed Kirill fully. Kirill laughed and leaned his head closer to the baby.

  “You von't know my scent yet but you remember my voice, don't you?” Kirill asked. “I used to talk to you vhen you vere inside your mama's stomach. I'm your Uncle Kirill.”

  Rian stopped sniffing and abruptly curled up on Kirill's chest. His little claws dug into Kirill's T-shirt and he gave a huge sigh before settling back into sleep. Kirill looked up at all of us in amazement.

  “He likes you,” Lissa said from the vines behind me.

  “I've only seen him do that with me and Vervain,” Arach frowned.

  “It's a memory from the womb,” I went over and stroked Arach's arm soothingly. “Just as Kirill said. That's all it is. Kirill's voice is probably very comforting to Rian.”

  “And I think this guy must remember Odin,” Azrael observed and we looked over to see Odin holding Brevyn in the traditional manner; rocking him gently as if he'd held a baby a thousand times. Which I guess he had. Brevyn was also sleeping again.

  “Well, I guess I don't have to worry about you guys getting along with the babies,” I smiled and slid my arm around Arach's waist. I knew Arach was trying hard to be gracious and he deserved a little support for his efforts.

  “This child isn't fey,” Odin said as he stared down at Brevyn. “He should come back with us to the God Realm where he belongs.”

  Before I could say anything, Rian rolled in Kirill's arms and shifted into a little green dragon. His emerald scales shone like glass as he jumped from Kirill's startled grasp, and his wings opened with a crack of sound to soften his descent. His blanket and bits of torn diaper fell around him as he dropped to the floor on outstretched claws and ran for Odin, fangs bared as he inhaled in preparation to breathe fire.

  “Rian!” I shouted and scooped him up.

  His claws cut into my arms and the scent of blood seemed to drive him even more wild. I shifted into half-form as the sound of Brevyn's screaming was added to the chaos. Rian's claws scraped along my scales as he struggled to get free and attack Odin. Then a roar shook the room and Rian was taken from me.

  I looked over to see Arach slightly shifted; crimson scales outlining his face and going down the sides of his neck. His hands were transformed into claws and one of them held our son up to his face as he roared again. Arach's yellow eyes were bright and glowing, and his sharp incisors were bared in warning. Rian went limp; long neck drooping along with his tail and legs. His eyes lowered submissively to the floor and he gave a little whimper.

  “That's better,” Arach sniffed and shifted back to normal as he placed the baby dragon down in his diamond crib. “I understand your anger but I am King and I will handle this.”

  Rian curled up and laid his head on the edge of the crib to warily watch his father. Brevyn was still crying, though he wasn't screaming anymore. He was doing that huffing sniff that signaled the end of tears. I shifted back to human and took Brevyn from Odin, giving my lover a chiding look. Then I turned and set myself between Odin and Arach.

  “He only spoke aloud the thoughts I myself have had,” I put Brevyn into Arach's arms, forcing him to concentrate on calming the baby instead of attacking my fiance. “He's not taking Brevyn anywhere.”

  “I obviously misunderstood how attached the brothers are to each other,” Odin mumbled behind me.

  “They were one person,” I glanced back at Odin. “These are not your normal twins. This is one life which has been divided into two and I think their psychic connection is only the beginning of what they'll share. They cannot be separated. At least not so soon.”

  “I agree,” Odin held up his hands in surrender. “And I apologize,” he leaned around me to address Arach. “I meant no harm. Honestly, I thought you'd prefer to not have a god baby around.”

  “He's my son and so that makes him fey,” Arach growled and beside him, Rian lifted his head and angrily huffed out a puff of smoke. Brevyn let out a mewl and Arach automatically began rocking him.

  “But you need to understand that this boy has my grandson's soul in him,” Odin gently eased me aside so he could face Arach. “And I will be a part of his life. A large part. I don't care if it's as his uncle or step-father or whatever he wishes to call me but I will know him and he will know me. He will know Thor, who was once father to him, and he will know all of those people who have loved him, because we will not let anything or anyone keep him from us.”

  “Then he truly is a blessed child,” Arach sighed and looked down at the suddenly quiet baby. “To be so loved, can't be a bad thing.”

  “Exactly,” I took Brevyn back gently and handed him to Trevor, who hadn't held one of the babies yet.

  Trevor smiled wide as he took the baby from me. Brevyn sighed and closed his eyes, once more content. Rian, however, was not. No one was paying attention to him and that just wouldn't do. He let out an unhappy yip and I went to stand in front of his cradle, holding out my forearms for him to see. Unlike my lioness form, shifting from human to half-dragon didn't heal my wounds. I needed fire to do that. But first, Rian needed to understand what he'd done.

  “See what you did to Mommy?” I put a wound right beneath his nose and Rian sniffed at it, then began to lick at it apologetically. “Remember this the next time you get upset. Power needs
to be controlled or it becomes chaos.”

  Rian breathed out a stream of fire and healed my wounds, shocking us all. Then he rolled and shifted back into baby form, giggling at me like he knew he was too cute to stay mad at. When I continued to glare at him, he began to whine and then finally, to cry. Arach slid around me with a sigh and picked up Rian, taking him over to the changing table to put a new diaper on him.

  “He's not old enough for that kind of treatment yet,” Arach scowled at me as I came over with his swaddling blanket. “He doesn't understand.”

  “Oh yes he does,” I leveled a look on Rian and he hid his face behind his hands. “Both of my sons understand me just fine.”

  “At least he made amends,” Azrael came over to watch Arach wrap Rian in his blanket.

  “That he did,” the Fire King finished swaddling Rian and then handed him over to Azrael with a smile.

  “You know, I love dragons,” Azrael whispered to Rian and the baby giggled in delight. “Maybe I can convince your Mommy to give me dragon sons too.”

  “No, we're having a pair of mischievous angels who will tend to behave more like devils,” I grimaced. “It's our fate.”

  “Dragon children can be challenging but at heart, they are pack animals and they will always bow to the will of their alpha,” Arach said to Az. “I think your angelic twins will be more wild than my fey sons.”

  “Says the man who just told me not to lecture my children,” I rolled my eyes.

  “Don't lecture them, no,” Arach agreed. “You must simply show them who's in charge. That's how you train a dragon.”

  There was a pause and then the whole room burst into laughter.

  “What did I say?” Arach scowled and we all laughed harder.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Leaving my sons in Faerie was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I kissed them both as they laid sleeping and then immediately burst into tears. The men didn't know what to do, floundering through hugs and reassurances that had no affect on me. Finally, Arach took me aside and put my face between his palms to stare at me sternly.