by J. R Fox
He was about to hand the babies over, but by the time he looked again, Gabriel had fallen asleep.
“Let him be,” Mara said as she began cleaning up. “I’ve left a list of things you can do to help over the next few days, while he recovers. This is family time, and you shouldn’t confuse the babies with any scents that aren’t you or Gabriel, so no visitors for at least two days unless it’s an emergency. Then call me.”
Dean nodded, and left Mara to pack and go. Even if he thought he might be useful to her, he couldn’t take his attention away from the tiny, precious lives in his arms for long enough to do so.
Not wanting to leave Gabriel either, Dean curled up beside him with the babies between them. He’d only doze at best, and he was sure they’d all benefit from a couple of hours’ rest.
***
Gabriel woke a day or two after giving birth—it was hard to keep track of time, since all he’d done was sleep, feed babies, eat, and cuddle—to Dean licking him where he was sore. He made a startled noise when he figured out what was going on, which, unfortunately, caused it to stop.
“This was on Mara’s list. She figured you’d be too tired to shift far enough to do it yourself… is it helping?”
“Please don’t stop.” Gabriel lifted his hips and spread his legs a little further. He’d remember to thank Mara for throwing that suggestion in later.
Dean had been almost ridiculously attentive from the moment Gabriel had gone into labor up until now, and it wasn’t something that looked set to stop anytime soon. Gabriel wasn’t complaining, especially about Dean’s tongue soothing him where he was still tender.
Under normal circumstances, he might have left Dean do this all day, but soon enough he became too sensitive to handle it any longer and was forced to wriggle away.
“You okay?” Dean looked up at him with concern.
“Just over sensitive. Thank you, though. I’m not going to be able to take a knot for another few days, as much as I’d like to.” Gabriel smiled wryly. Only that he knew he’d be in agony immediately, he wanted to be that close to Dean right now. His body would recover quickly, but not quickly enough for Gabriel’s tastes.
On the bright side, he wouldn’t go into heat again until the twins had been weaned, so they’d have plenty of opportunities to do that without having to worry about spontaneous heats or accidental pregnancies. Right now, Gabriel never wanted to go through that again—though it wasn’t impossible that he’d forget, in time, how painful it had been.
One of the twins made a sound, and Gabriel rolled off the bed instantly to go see to them. Dean followed, yawning widely. They’d already discovered that parenthood was exactly like people said—a state of being constantly sleep-deprived and hyper-alert to the sounds the babies made, but not wanting anything about that to change.
Gabriel picked Anna up and rocked her gently, running a fingertip over her soft, velvety ear. She wasn’t old enough to experiment with her form yet, but Gabriel thought that of the two of them, she’d be the one constantly shifting no matter how many times she was told not to do it in public.
When he was a toddler, that had been Gabriel, so he thought he was in a good position to tell. Adrian seemed quieter, perhaps a gentler soul than Anna. They were too young yet to determine whether they’d be alphas or omegas, but if Gabriel had to guess, he expected Adrian to present as an omega, but take after his father in everything else. They had the same vibe about them.
“I love these babies, right?” Dean said, picking Adrian up carefully. “But I’d think they were cute even if they weren’t mine. They’re so cute.”
“They’re very cute.” Gabriel chuckled. Dean was taking to fatherhood well, even if he was perhaps a little younger than was ideal for it. They’d figure all of this out. “I want to take them to see their grandmother in the next few days,” he said, unsure what Dean’s response would be.
“Of course,” Dean said softly. “I meant what I said about fixing all of this, while you were in labor. I’m gonna make everything right for these two. And for you.”
Gabriel leaned in to kiss the scar Sammie had left on Dean’s cheek. He’d gotten it defending them all, and Gabriel liked it as a reminder that his mate was more than willing to stand and fight—even to face death head-on—for his family.
“Good. They deserve to have the peace their parents worked so hard for.” Gabriel rocked Anna gently, then moved to sit on the bed. Dean followed with Adrian in his arms.
“And they’re gonna have it. This is everything I have, and there’s nothing I won’t do to protect it,” Dean promised.
Gabriel believed him. There was a lot of work ahead of them, but the twins were the hope of the entire clan. They represented an alliance that would be solidified over the coming months and years, so that by the time Anna and Adrian were old enough to understand the concept, their family would be sprawling and untouchable. Their lives would be safe, and peaceful, and everything their parents’ and grandparents’ hadn’t been.
That was all Gabriel had ever wanted, and he was determined to do whatever it took to get it. With Dean by his side, he was confident there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish.
END.
