Chapter Sixteen

Ciudad Vaquero, capital city of Harp, aka “the city”

Amanda was outside again. The twins seemed to rest better out among the trees, and they’d finally quieted down after a bad morning. Fire was still burning in the Green. Fires didn’t happen often on Harp, but when they did… Everything that affected the Green affected shifters, including her twins. She’d hoped their umbilical connection to her would blunt the worse of the pain. She could hear the trees’ song, but she wasn’t tied into the Green at the cellular level the way shifters were. Despite all of that, however, she could feel their stress and knew their little shifter minds were feeling the Green’s pain. There was nothing she could do about that, except give them every ounce of love and comfort she had.

The saving grace had been that the fires were far away, and that a rain storm finally had moved in to help douse the flames. Rhodry had told her the fire was connected to whatever the second ship was doing, and he’d gone over to the Guild to dispatch a team of shifters to reinforce Aidan’s group.

She heard the door open downstairs but didn’t move. She could tell it wasn’t Rhodry, and she wasn’t prepared to risk disturbing the twins for anyone else. She heard Cullen’s deep voice, and then…her mom, laughing. Amanda wiped her cheeks, wanting to erase any sign of tears. She pushed her awkward body out of the chair and turned toward the open doorway.

“Did you come to visit Cullen or your grandchildren?” she called.

Elise stepped onto the main level at that moment, her sharp gaze lingering over Amanda’s puffy eyes, before scanning the rest of her body. Her expressive face tightened briefly, then she smiled and said, “I’ve told you, sweetling. I’m much too young to be a grandmother. Now, how are my babies?”

“Your baby is swelled up like a balloon, thanks to my babies,” Amanda said, walking over to close the patio doors before sitting on the couch. “Where’s the Vice?”

Her mother was “dating” Vice-Admiral Randolph Leveque, a relationship made easier by the fact that they were both assigned to Admiral Nakata’s fleet. Leveque also happened to be the son of one of the wealthiest industrial families on Earth, which meant he could claim any assignment he wanted. And since what he wanted more than anything was Elise, he could make sure they stayed together.

On the other hand, Leveque wasn’t entirely fond of Amanda, since she was living proof that Elise had, at one time, chosen another man over him. But Amanda and the Vice had reached an accord of sorts, since they both loved Elise. As long as Leveque took good care of her mother, Amanda could get along with him just fine. Not that Elise needed taking care of, but Leveque did it anyway.

“Randy’s in orbit for now. We have the pinnace,” she said, referring to Leveque’s private ship, which was far more elegant than anything the fleet could provide. “He’s getting some work done, but he’ll be down to visit soon. Never worry.”

Amanda scoffed privately. As if she was worried about Randy visiting.

“And Rhodry?” her mom asked, leaning over to kiss her cheek as she sat next to her.

“He was called away this morning, but he’ll be back soon. Um, Mom…” Amanda bit her lip. The timing sucked, with the Wolfrum situation still going on, but she had to tell her mom about shifters. Rhodry had assured her that while the babies would be born in their human form, they’d start developing shifter traits while still in the womb. Hell, Amanda was already feeling tiny claws, even though he’d assured her they wouldn’t begin shifting fully until they were at least a month old. But how do you tell your mom that her grandchildren would be kittens? And not just any kittens, but little shapeshifters who could bounce between baby and kitten at will? And what about the Green, with its special connection to shifters and its singing trees? Her mom didn’t need to know all of Harp’s secrets. It wasn’t safe. Wolfrum’s horrendous scheme had proved that much. But she needed to know about shifters. Even Rhodry had agreed with that much.

“Amanda?” her mom asked now, leaning over and cupping her cheek in one soft hand. “Baby, you look so tired. Is something wrong? Are you and Rhodry having—”

“Of course not,” she said quickly. “We’re fine. He’s fine. Well…” She laughed. “He’s terrified, but otherwise fine.”

“Then, what is it? Come on, you’re scaring me. Just out with it.”

“Okay. First, and this is really important, you can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. Not even the Vice. Not anyone.”

Her mother frowned. “All right.”

“There’s something about Harp that you don’t know.”

“I’m sure there are many—”

“No, Mom, just listen. Harp’s…unusual.” She was making a mess of this. She needed to simply come out and say it. Her mom was a scientist. She’d understand. “All right, look. Everything on Harp is connected, like a single organism. I know, I know,” she said, raising a hand to stop her mom’s predictable protest. “I’m simplifying, but if you let me finish, you’ll understand.”

Elise’s lips tightened into a flat line of disapproval, but she gestured for Amanda to continue.

“Life was incredibly harsh for the survivors of that original crash. It was as if the entire planet was against them, from the smallest plant to the biggest and deadliest predators and everything in between. The colonists were desperate, so they took a chance. They needed people who would be part of the Harp ecosystem, people the planet would recognize as its own, so it would stop fighting them at every turn. Which meant genetic modification, right? No big deal, but…and this is where it gets complicated.

“Every trace of data from the original experiments was destroyed—maybe intentionally—so there’s no record of exactly what their geneticists were thinking or what they did. I do know that it was a last-ditch effort. They were running out of everything. Even their genetic samples were in danger because they couldn’t generate the power necessary to store them properly. And, the equipment, well—”

“You’re telling me they succeeded,” her mom interrupted with forced patience. “That Rhodry is a product of this genetic modification, which means the twins are, too. And that’s fine, Amanda. It’s not exactly rare these days. So, what’s the problem?”

Amanda smiled at her mother. “It’s not a problem. It’s the most remarkable genetic modification I’ve ever seen. But first…”

She crossed over and opened the stairway door just as Rhodry loped into view. He grinned up at her as he climbed the steps, taking them three at a time. He normally would have come in over the balcony—shifting and leaping in from the trees—but he’d known her mom was there and taken the stairs instead. She grinned back him.

“Missed you,” he murmured as he came even with her.

She went up on tiptoe, her arms around his neck as she kissed him. “You, too.” His hand stroked her belly, and the babies bounced happily. “We all did,” she said dryly, lifting her head to smile at Cullen, who’d come up behind Rhodry. “What am I missing over at the Guild? Any news?”

“Everyone’s on their best behavior what with—” Rhodry bit back what he’d been about to say, glancing over Amanda’s shoulder where Elise was sitting, probably listening to every word while pretending not to. “The fires,” he finished instead. “Report came in while I was there, says the rain is doing its job, so everyone’s breathing a sigh of relief.”

“They’ll no doubt be at each other’s throats again by morning,” Cullen agreed.

“Not if I—” Rhodry started to comment, but Elise was tired of being ignored.

“Rhodry,” she drawled. “How lovely to see you.”

It was her mother’s way of saying they were being rude, mostly aimed at Rhodry. But it took more than that to get a rise out of him. He corralled an entire Guild of alpha male shifters every damn day, and when he wasn’t doing that, he was wrestling with unhappy clansmen who weren’t exactly known for their willingness to compromise. One unhappy mother-in-law was a piece of cake.

“Elise,” he said easily, strolling over to kiss her raised cheek. “It’s great to see you. Amanda’s glad you’re here.”

“But you’re not?” she responded perceptively.

“Whatever makes Amanda happy. Where’s the Vice?” He’d taken to using Amanda’s nickname for Vice-Admiral Leveque.

“Upstairs,” Elise said, using fleet parlance for in orbit. “He’ll be down soon. In fact, Amanda, darling, maybe you should hold off on your big secret until he’s here?”

That got a rise out of Rhodry. He turned his head sharply to regard Amanda, his eyes wide in a question.

“I knew you’d be home soon, so figured I’d get the preliminaries out of the way.”

Elise had been listening to every word and now tipped her head thoughtfully. “Telepathy?” she guessed. “Is that it?”

Amanda smiled nervously. “Not quite.” They were going to have to demonstrate. She could talk science and historical necessity until she was blue in the face, but in the final analysis, someone was going to have to shift. Rhodry had insisted that he be the one. These were his children, and Amanda was his wife. And he didn’t care what Elise approved of.

Of course he doesn’t, Amanda thought fondly. His alpha male perfection wasn’t limited to physical beauty. He had all the confidence and arrogance to go with it. He only cared that Elise’s reaction not hurt any of the people he loved, which meant he had to control the scene. He had to be the one shifting.

Amanda wasn’t quite as sanguine about it. Elise still resented the fact that her only child had chosen to remain behind on Harp instead of continuing with the fleet and life among the stars. And she blamed Rhodry for Amanda’s decision. A lot of that blame was just Elise projecting her own preferences onto Amanda, with a little bit of personal history thrown in for good measure. Amanda’s father had chosen his planet over Elise, way back when. He was perhaps the only man in her life whom she hadn’t been able to charm into doing what she wanted, and she still held a grudge, even though she admitted she’d once loved him. Or maybe it was because she’d loved him. Either way, the parallel between Amanda’s father leaving and Rhodry taking Amanda away from her to remain on Harp was just too obvious. So was Elise’s transfer of blame, but her mother couldn’t see that part of the equation.

For her part, Amanda was worried about Rhodry being Elise’s first exposure to Harp’s shifters. He was spectacular, even when compared to a shifter population filled with gorgeous masculine specimens. He was beautiful in either form, but his cat form was also huge and threatening. And Amanda didn’t want to give her mom another excuse not to like him.

She looked up at Rhodry and found him watching her. “You ready?” she asked.

The look he gave her was full of his usual love, but also confidence that they were doing the right thing. “Aren’t I always?” He gave her a roguish wink.

Amanda smiled, unable to do anything else when he looked at her like that. She drew a deep breath and turned to face Elise. “Okay, Mom. We can discuss the science later, at least what little anyone knows, but it’s easier just to show you.”

Elise rolled her eyes but patted the cushion next to her and held Amanda’s hand once she lowered herself to the couch. “Cullen, you want to join us here for the show?” she asked cheerfully.

“I’m good here, Elise,” he responded from where he was leaning against the wall, watching Rhodry with an unreadable smile on his face.

Elise noticed the smile and frowned. A moment later, she was too busy staring in disbelief to worry about Cullen. Because Rhodry didn’t wait, didn’t give any indication that something was about to happen. He’d already slipped off his shifter-style soft boots, and now he simply pulled off his shirt and shifted.

With a soft growl, he prowled over to Amanda’s side, rested his big head right up against the swell of her stomach, and started to purr. She stroked her fingers through his soft, black fur, tears spilling down her cheeks—damn hormones—when she felt the gentle hum that was her babies purring back for the first time ever.

And then she remembered her mother.

She turned, not knowing what to expect, but Elise was just staring, her mouth open in a silent “oh” of surprise.

“He’s a shapeshifter,” Amanda explained unnecessarily. “Or just a shifter. That’s what they’re called here on Harp.”

“How…” Elise breathed, and then paused to stare some more.

“I told you, the records were lost. We don’t know—”

“No, no. Not that. How many of them are there?”

Amanda blew out a breath. “Well, there’s Cullen.”

Elise’s head spun to where Cullen had straightened from the wall, hands spread wide as he shrugged. “Are you all…? Good God,” she said, “I don’t even know what question to ask first. I need to contact my assistant—”

“No,” Amanda said instantly, even as Rhodry’s head came off her lap to aim a golden stare at Elise. “Remember, Mom, I told you. You can’t tell anyone. Not even Leveque.”

“But, Amanda, this is remarkable. It would be worth a fortune to…” Her words trailed off as she suddenly understood. No one had ever accused Elise Sumner of being slow-witted. “They’d never leave you alone. Even worse, they’d try to claim you’re less than human in order to assert control, deny your basic rights. It won’t even matter what the genetic reality is, they’d tie you up in the courts for centuries, while they… You’re right, Amanda. No one can know of this. Can you shift back as easily?” she asked Rhodry, her expression grim.

Amanda felt the shift the moment it began. She lifted her hand, and when she put it down again, it was Rhodry sitting on the floor next to her, not his cat. Cullen shot a pair of pants over their heads, which Rhodry donned quickly in deference to Elise. He then stood, lifted Amanda as if she weighed nothing, and sat down again with her on his lap.

Elise watched the whole thing, and Amanda knew her mother didn’t miss the ease with which he’d lifted her. Or the ease of his second shift, either.

“The twins?” her mother asked simply.

“Our sons will all be shifters,” Rhodry explained. “Our daughters will be strong and beautiful, like their mother. But not shifters.”

Amanda rested her head on his shoulder, feeling all squishy at his casual reference to their sons and daughters.

“The gene is sex-linked. Of course,” Elise murmured. “What about development? How much control do infants and children have over their form?”

“They’ll appear human enough at birth,” Rhodry answered. “But they’ll have little control over the shift for the first six months. In fact, most shifter babies prefer their cat. It’s easier. After that, it’s more a question of whether they want to control it or not. Their cat develops much faster physically, which gives them much greater mobility at a younger age.”

“I wouldn’t look for much cooperation from the twins on that front, Elise,” Cullen chimed in. “Rhodry’s mother still has tales of his harrowing escapes as a babe. Him and Aidan, both.”

Amanda could have hugged Cullen for injecting that much needed note of humor. It made even Elise smile.

“Aidan?” Elise asked Rhodry. “You have a brother?”

“As close as, but Aidan’s a cousin by blood. We were born minutes apart and raised together. We’re brothers in every way that counts.”

“I see. I’ll want to consult with your physician here on Harp, Amanda. I assume you’ve spoken with them, so they know I’m—”

“They know you by reputation, know you’ve been Chief Medical Officer with the fleet for several years, and have read everything you’ve written. They’re excited to work with you.”

“Well, it seems I’ll be working with them, rather than the other way around. Hold on to those babies for another few weeks, if you please, so I can get up to speed.” She paused, thinking. “I’ll tell Randy I’m staying on-planet for a bit. He won’t question it. He knows how I feel about you—” Her mouth tightened on whatever she’d been about to say. “How I feel about you,” she said finally. “He has other business he needs to handle, anyway.”

Amanda leaned over and took her mother’s hand, recognizing her rambling talk for nervous energy. “It’s okay, Mom,” she said quietly. “The twins and I are healthy, and we’re going to stay that way. Women have been delivering and raising shifters for nearly as long as humans have been on Harp. And that thing I told you? About how the planet knows its own? Well, Harp loves its shifters, especially the baby ones. And we have Rhodry to take care of us, and all his cousins, too. We’re safer here than we would be anywhere else in the universe.”

Her mother drew a discreet breath and then swallowed, while squeezing Amanda’s hand hard enough to hurt. “It’s a lot to take in. The twins, of course, but also the scientific accomplishment. My God, think of the conditions they must have been working under. Genius doesn’t begin to describe it. But don’t you worry,” she hurried to say. “Those are my grandbabies in there, even if I’m not old enough to be a grandmother,” she added primly. “There is no one in this universe more important to me than them and you. No one hurts my babies. I’ll kill anyone who tries.”

Rhodry jerked a little, stunned at vehemence of Elise’s last proclamation, but Amanda wasn’t surprised. People tended to underestimate Elise. They saw the delicate beauty and never realized that it hid an iron will and a protective streak a mile wide when it came to those she loved. Rhodry took it for granted that he’d defend his family. Well, Elise did the same.

“I’ve made up the guest room,” Amanda told her mom. “You know where everything is. But if it’s all the same to you, these two wore me out this morning. I need a nap.”

“I’ll join you,” Rhodry said predictably. Amanda knew he wasn’t tired. He just wanted some alone time with her, and she’d sleep a lot better with him next to her, anyway. The twins were always quieter when he was around. The little fiends.

Rhodry stood, lifting her easily and setting her on her feet.

“I’ll see you in a bit, Mom,” she said, leaning over to kiss Elise’s cheek. “Thank you for coming.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Rest well. Cullen,” she said, switching her attention, “carry my bag into the guest room, would you?”

Amanda watched them go, with Cullen giving her a reassuring wink over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall after her mom. The guest quarters were at the opposite end of the house, in their own separate wing, so that everyone could have privacy.

She almost sagged against Rhodry once they were gone. He caught her automatically and held tight. “Hey,” he said in concern. “You okay?”

She nodded as she turned into him. “I’m so relieved that’s over with.”

“She took it better than I expected.”

Amanda chuckled. “Cullen said she’d be fine with it, and he was right. You think the Vice should be worried about how close Mom and Cullen are getting?”

Rhodry shuddered. “Don’t even think it. She’d eat my baby cousin alive, and then I’d have to explain to the family what happened to him.”

“She’s not that bad.”

He snorted. “She’s every bit that bad, acushla, and worse. I’m softening the truth because I love you.”

She laughed. “Do you? Come prove it then. The doctors say sex is good for me.”

“That makes me feel a bit used.”

“Poor baby, I’ll make it worth your while.”

“You make my life worthwhile. Do with me what you will.”