CHAPTER 26

 

I was anxious, dancing from foot to foot. I knew he’d be gone for at least six weeks for this hunt. Six long weeks, but we were going on nine, and I was starting to get antsy.

Tokre came upon me huddled under the crazypants tree above Zhuii’s den, Joanie’s borrowed binoculars around my neck.

Zhuii okay, Tokre swore. Be back.

I worry, I signed back. “I’m allowed to. I’m his wife.”

Yes, he agreed, taking up sentry beside me.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out what was left of the bread I’d sent him off with for lunch, breaking off a piece to hand to me to eat or dunk into the fat mug of tea warming my hands.

Huddled in my mating pelts, the rich colors of Zhuii’s tapestry blanket pelt sticking out, I had to sniffle back those pesky pregnancies sniffles.

“Miss him,” I muttered, taking the bread from him, and the kiss he offered, gratefully.

“Love you.”

Love you, too.

We stayed like that, huddled, cuddling, until Noyel came in for the night.

I’d been having nightmares lately. Sleep eluded me this night. It was in the wee hours of the morning when I heard it, half awake, groggy, the sound of the front door opening. This time I wasn’t dreaming.

Slapping at Tokre and Noyel, popping up, I was up and scrambling down the hall before either could let out a grumble.

“Zhuii? Zhuii?! Is that you?” Skidding into the main chamber, our living room, I came in just as Zhuii was closing the door.

He was blued out, in Zhubeast mode. Not a good sign, I thought with a pang.

“Zhuii,” I whispered, panicked when I saw a swath of material slung over one shoulder.

It was when he turned, a wide smile on his face and a chubby bundle in his arms that my heart skipped a beat.

“Like Zhuii,” my beast mate stated proudly.

The tiny little Zhubeast hybrid in his arms curled closer to its newfound protector, wide, deep lavender eyes watching us assessingly.

“Four,” Zhuii boasted, counting four tiny little chubby arms with little black claws for fingertips. The little one’s fur was pale blue, with deep streaks of cobalt and cerulean mixed in.

When I just stood there and stared, his smile slipped. “She no family, like Zhuii. Zhuii think… Zhuii want…”

“She?” I whispered. She was precious, beyond precious, a perfect miniature little beast. She was absent of horns, her tiny little tail with a fluffy white tuft on the end curled around Zhuii’s arm, strangling his forearm as she held onto him for dear life. “Hello, little one. I’m Rosa-ah, uhm, Lindy.”

The thumb of her upper right hand was tucked into her mouth, the fingers of her left buried in the fur of Zhuii’s chest. Her lower right hand lifted when Zhuii grunted something at her, and she tossed me a shy little wave.

“See?” Zhuii told her, gazing down at her lovingly. He switched from beast-speak to English, and even signing at the wee little beastie. “This my Lindy-mine. Her nice.”

Zhuii’s happy purr started up, his hum garbling into a sweet beast song that reminded me of some kind of lullaby.

The little beast in his arms rocked from side to side, her little chest humming along with him.

“Can she stay here with us?” I whispered.

Zhuii grinned as his eyes met mine. “Family,” the big beast purred.

Tokre and Noyel came stumbling in then, bumping into each other, scrubbing at their eyes.

“Zhuii,” Noyel greeted happily. When he went to slap Zhuii on the back, the cutest little growl I’d ever heard warned him off. “Oh. Whoop. Well,” Noyel squinted down at the tiny being, “hello. Who do we have here, Zhuii?”

“Zhuii no know what to call her,” my Zhubeast admitted, “Zhuii be calling her Kehko.”

The second Tokre saw his mother’s name being signed, he moved closer. His nostrils flared and he blinked. Kehko? he signed.

“If Tokre no like name, Zhuii teach her ‘nother one.”

Keep it. Tokre likes it. Tokre peered down at the tiny bundle. When she just stared up at him he knelt down in front of her. Without a word, he held his hands out to her and waited. Without hesitation she took his hands, using all four arms to crawl to his chest. Tokre grinned, wrapping his arm around her, cuddling her close. His humming purr thrummed to life and he asked, We keep her?

When I nodded, he grinned wider. The tiny beast gazed up at him wonderingly, her fingers dangling from her open mouth, setting her little humming purr going to match his.

Kehko. Our little Kehko. Tokre gave her a little bounce. Cute.

“She is,” Noyel agreed.

Kehko kept glancing at my belly, then my chest, my face. I got the impression she was taking my measure.

“Kehko,” Zhuii told the little one, who looked to him, “Lindy-mine, Noyel, Tokre, and Zhuii want to be Kehko family.” He gestured at each of us as he pointed everyone out. “Kehko stay with us?”

Kehko glanced between all of us and slowly nodded. Easily climbing down Tokre, she walked right up to me, staring up at me curiously.

Four pudgy hands lifted and she motioned, little hands lifting up, opening and closing. Up.

Kneeling, I carefully picked her up, one hand under her little bum, the other at her back. Small upper hands wove around my neck, where she held on tight, her little lower arms and legs wrapping around my middle. Her lower left hand lifted, popping her thumb into her mouth, and she rested her little head on my chest. “Linny Mama,” she mumbled, wiggling down until her ear was pressed to my chest. Her little hands began to kneed, her tiny toes gently caressing my belly. “Kehko’s,” she told everyone. “Kehko mama.” A tiny hand reached down to give my belly a soft pat. “Kehko chuchbuhs.”

Zhuii walked up, wrapping his arms around us. Kehko lifted her lower arm, her eyes slowly starting to close, motioning Zhuii to quit squishing her. “Seep,” she whispered, out like a light within minutes.

Zhuii placed a kiss to the top of her head, then mine, tucking a small blanket from his sling around her small form.

“Oh. Oh…” I was dying inside, my heart melting and reforming, melting and reforming until I thought it might explode with happiness. “Oh, Zhuii.” My hands clutched the tiny little being in my arms. “Oh, Zhuii…”

Zhuii jerked his chin at the newest member of our little clan. “Kehko special.”

“Zhu…” my voice caught, “just met her and I love her already.”

“Wow,” Noyel murmured, still trying to clear the sleep from his eyes, and now, maybe something else as they looked a bit glossy, “not that Noyel’s complaining, but, wow, that happened fast.”

When Zhuii dragged his gaze from us to Noyel, the healer smiled widely, throwing his arms out to announce, “Congratulations, we’re parents! Uh, early!”

Tokre a daddy, my beast-husband signed. Then, glancing down at our babies to be. Again!

I laughed silently, trying not to wake the little beast baby passed out, lulled to sleep by my heartbeat’s lullaby.

Kehko Rose, I thought, has a nice ring to it.

“Now,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to Kehko’s fluffy down. “Now our family is complete.”