“We certainly do.” I smiled back at her, and I leaned forward and kissed her sweat-slicked forehead. “You were amazing, Erin.”

  “Thanks, Gryff,” my girlfriend whispered.

  I brushed her hair away from her face and then kissed her again. My women were fucking amazing.

  After Arwyn and Meriden studied the baby and cleaned him up properly, Erin happily accepted him into her arms, and it was so crazy to think we’d created him together.

  Once the healers helped Erin get herself cleaned up, they turned their attention to Layla, who was almost dilated enough herself.

  “It shouldn’t be much longer,” Meriden announced.

  “Gryffie, can I talk to you?” Layla tugged on the sleeve of my jacket. “Privately?”

  “Sure,” I said, and then I looked around at Meriden and my other women. “Is it okay if we have a moment?”

  “Of course.” Arwyn nodded. “We can step away and give you all the time you need.”

  “Call us if you need anything,” Meriden instructed, and then she and my lovers, with the exception of Erin, stepped out of the infirmary.

  “What’s up?” I wondered once the double doors closed behind them.

  Layla’s hazel eyes darted over to Erin, and Erin’s pale cheeks flushed scarlet.

  “Don’t worry about me,” she assured the summoner. “I won’t listen. I’m a little preoccupied.”

  Layla simply nodded, and I took her hand.

  “So, Layla, what’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Gryffie, I’m really nervous,” Layla admitted to me quietly.

  “Layla, you’re in the best hands possible,” I promised the petite mage as I smoothed her damp hair from her face. “Arwyn, Meriden, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I know that,” Layla sighed, and she bit her lower lip. “I’m not as worried about the physical part. I know it isn’t going to be fun or anything, but that’s not my biggest concern.”

  “Then what is it?” I frowned.

  “What if… what if I’m not a good mom?” my girlfriend asked, and her hazel eyes filled to the brim with tears.

  “Layla, don’t even say that--”

  “My mom wasn’t exactly the best,” Layla went on as her lower lip began to tremble. “What if… what if I’m the same?”

  “Layla Bethel, you stop that nonsense right now.” I shook my head, and the sight of my girlfriend so upset was nearly enough to make me cry. “You are nothing like your mother. You’re kind, brilliant, funny, and not to mention one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met.”

  “Oh, stop,” Layla sniffled.

  “I love you so fucking much, just the way you are,” I assured her as I cupped her cheek in my other hand. “You act like a hard ass, but you have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. You’re going to be a wonderful mother to our children, I just know it.”

  “Oh, Gryffie,” Layla whimpered as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I love you, too.”

  We embraced, and I held Layla close as she continued to sniffle and shake.

  “Our son or daughter is so lucky to have you,” I whispered into her ear. “And I’m lucky, too. I have no idea how you’ve put up with my shit for so long.”

  “It wasn’t without its difficulties,” Layla teased me, and I let out a laugh.

  Suddenly, Layla seized up around me, and when I pulled away from her, the sick look had returned to her face.

  “Should I go and get Meriden?” I asked.

  “Yes.” The petite mage nodded. “It’s probably time.”

  After a quick forehead kiss, I went out into the hall and retrieved the rest of the group. Meriden and Arwyn confirmed Layla’s suspicions and declared it was time to do the whole thing again, but this time, I felt more self-assured and ready to handle the situation.

  The world spun around me for the next twenty minutes or so as Layla pushed. Just as Erin and Nia had, the petite summoner grasped onto my hand for the entirety of the delivery, and finally, after one final clench of her muscles, a single cry reverberated throughout the medical wing.

  “It’s a girl,” Meriden said with warm green eyes.

  A daughter.

  As they’d done with Erin, they cleaned the little one up and then passed the tiny pink infant to Layla, and the summoner’s large eyes welled over as she clutched the tiny baby to her chest. Her expression was that of pure love as she gazed down tenderly at the newborn.

  The little girl was easily one of the cutest things I’d ever seen, and as I studied mother and daughter, I realized the baby had inherited Layla’s hazel eyes and button nose.

  “She’s just as beautiful as her mother,” I murmured as I stared at my daughter in wonder. “Have you thought about names?”

  Layla nodded. “Daphne.”

  “Daphne,” I repeated, and the name felt smooth and warm as it rolled off my tongue.

  “If you don’t like it, we can do something else--” Layla said quickly, but I placed my hand on her arm before she could continue.

  “I love it,” I assured her. “It’s a beautiful name.”

  “So cute,” Nia agreed. “It’s a great name, Layla.”

  “Thanks, Nia.” Layla grinned, and as she stroked Daphne’s cheek, the infant fell fast asleep against her chest.

  “And what about you, Erin?” Arwyn asked the pilot. “Do you have any names in mind?”

  “Well, I wasn’t expecting to have a boy, so I didn’t exactly come up with any boy names.” Erin blushed, and the warm pink color made her porcelain skin glow. “But… maybe we could name him after my grandfather? He was a badass pilot back in the day, and I’m sure our son will be just as awesome when he’s grown up.”

  “That’s a great idea.” I smiled. “What was his name?”

  “Olivir Lindblum.” Erin smiled back at me. “He was named after his grandfather, too, so the name has been attached to some excellent Lindblum men.”

  “Oh, my goodness, he definitely looks like an Olivir,” Cyra cooed.

  “That’s such a cute name!” Nia gushed. “Little Ollie!”

  “My heart’s gonna explode,” Ashla agreed with a broad smile. “That is too precious.”

  “I love it, too.” I grinned.

  Olivir blinked up at me with amber eyes the same shade as his mother’s, and as he studied me, I couldn’t help but imagine the amazing young man he would grow up to be. All of my children were fortunate to have such talented, willful mothers, and I knew they were destined for greatness.

  I lightly stroked Olivir’s soft strawberry-blonde hair. He didn’t have nearly as much as Nic or Nessa, but he still had far more hair than Daphne, who was completely bald.

  “Hello, Olivir,” I greeted my son softly. “My name is Gryff. I’m your dad.”

  The newborn let out the tiniest of sighs, and the quiet noise was cute enough to earn collective sounds of delight from my women.

  “I knew you two were going to make the most precious babies,” Cyra sighed.

  “You did wonderful, Erin,” Freya complimented the mimic with a beautiful smile. “Just as I knew you would.”

  “Thanks, Freya.” Erin smiled at the hawk princess. “If it hadn’t been for all of your reassurances, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “You would have been just fine.” Freya shook her head. “Motherhood is in our blood, and in our spirits. Our bodies were created to produce life, and the one you have created is beautiful. I am very proud of you and little Layla, and happy to call you both my sister-wives.”

  “I’m going to cry.” Ashla waved her hands at her watery eyes. “Ugh, I love you all so much.”

  “We love you, too, Ashla,” Freya addressed her, and the shapeshifter took the ice mage’s hand. “You will also be a fantastic mother. I have a strong feeling you will be the next to bear our husband’s child.”

  “I should certainly hope so after all of the sex you two have been having,” Cyra teased us, and Ashla’s cheeks flushed a deep scarlet.

  “Cyra!” Arwyn gasped, but her mouth betrayed the hint of a smile.

  “What?” Cyra asked in an innocent tone, but there was a mischievous glint in her chocolate-colored eyes.

  “You guys are killing me,” I laughed.

  “Am I wrong, though?” Cyra pressed. “You two have been going at it like crazy.”

  “Downright insatiable,” Nia teased, and heat rose to my cheeks as my ashen-haired wife grinned at me.

  “Hey, please be as insatiable as you want,” Cyra encouraged us. “If it means more babies around here, I’m totally on board.”

  “Let’s just enjoy the cuties we have right now,” Erin giggled at the dark-skinned summoner as she cuddled Olivir to her chest. “They’re more than enough at the moment.”

  “Oh, absolutely,” Arwyn agreed, and the crimson-haired healer eyed the newborn with an expression of pure happiness.

  “I’ll take this conversation as my cue to leave,” Meriden announced, and the nurse’s cheeks were bright red as she avoided eye contact with us all. “Arwyn, come find me if you need anything.”

  “Thank you, Meriden.” Arwyn nodded.

  Meriden quickly left the room, and once she was gone, we all erupted into fits of laughter.

  “Hey, so now that Meriden is gone, can we get back to the conversation about dragons?” Ashla asked, and the fit of giggles died down.

  “Yeah, I’d like to know about that, too,” Nia agreed with the ice mage. “Aside from the brief mention of it earlier, we have no idea what happened when you went out to patrol the Enclave. Did Carth send one of her monsters?”

  “Something like that,” I replied slowly.

  I had a feeling they really weren’t going to enjoy this story.

  “That expression stresses me out,” Ashla said with narrowed chocolate-brown eyes. “Gryff, what happened out there? You both arrived in one piece, so I’m assuming Carth didn’t send an entire herd like we’d originally thought.”

  “It wasn’t a whole herd,” I confirmed. “She’d only sent the one monster, but that was definitely all she needed. The thing was the same size as the ones from last time, if not bigger.”

  “Wow,” Nia breathed. “That’s terrifying.”

  “And you took that on by yourselves?” Erin asked as she clutched Olivir protectively against her chest.

  “Was… Carth present?” Arwyn wondered as she studied us with a concerned expression.

  “She was,” I confirmed after a moment, and before I could get another word in, all hell broke loose.

  “Holy fucking shit, Gryff!” Layla breathed, and I could tell the summoner was fighting the urge to yell. “How are you still here? And where is she? Did Carth get away?”

  “Everyone, relax,” I said in an attempt to keep the peace, but my women were not having it.

  “Gryff, Carth showed up, and you didn’t think that was something to lead with?” Nia pressed. “Why didn’t you tell us before?

  “Hey, Meriden was the one who told us to keep talk of battle out of here.” I raised my hands up in defense. “Besides, Cyra and I handled it, and Sleet and your dad are upstairs concocting the plan to go into the Shadowscape--”

  “You’re going back into the Shadowscape?” Layla and Erin asked in unison.

  Oops.

  Chapter Three

  My women all stared at me with similar expressions of concern and shock, and I quickly tried to think of the best way to approach the conversation without making the situation worse.

  “You’re going to go after Carth?” Layla asked me again when I didn’t say anything, and her already large hazel eyes were wide with alarm.

  “That was the plan, yes,” I replied to the petite summoner, and I tried to offer her a sympathetic smile.

  “But… you just got back,” the auburn-haired mage protested.

  “I know,” I sighed. “Look, I know it isn’t ideal by any means, but I swear I wasn’t planning on leaving straight after this. Besides, Headmaster Sleet and I haven’t had a chance to hash out the details yet.”

  “But you are planning on leaving soon?” Erin asked as she bit her lower lip.

  “I don’t know yet,” I said in my most gentle tone so I wouldn’t upset the mimic any further. “Once I found out the babies were on their way, I abandoned my original thought, which was to just duck into the Shadowscape and start swinging. I didn’t want to risk missing the births of my children, and I wanted to be here for you guys.”

  “And now?” Erin wondered, and the slight crack in her voice nearly broke my heart.

  “I think before we go any further, it would be a good idea for you to explain what happened with Carth in the first place,” Arwyn advised me, and the adept healer’s tone toed the line between professor and concerned girlfriend. “I don’t want us to get upset or jump to conclusions until we’ve heard the whole story.”

  “That’s a really good idea,” Nia agreed, and my ashen-haired wife gestured at an empty bed beside Layla’s. “How about we all sit down and try to discuss everything more calmly?”

  “Okay,” I agreed, and then I stepped over to the empty bed and sat down on the comfortable white sheet-covered mattress. Ashla, Nia, Cyra, and Freya piled in around me while Arwyn gently rested on the edge of Layla’s bed.

  Once everyone was settled in, I took a deep breath, and then I brought my women up to speed on what had occurred in the field outside of Varle. I tried to give as much detail as possible, and when something wasn’t entirely clear, Cyra stepped up and filled in the blanks.

  My women seemed completely engrossed by the tale, and as soon as I got to the part of the battle when the quartzriel split into three separate creatures, Erin’s eyebrows were raised so high they nearly touched her hairline.

  “Wow,” the mimic breathed as she shook her head slowly. “I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming. One crystal dragon is a lot, but three… wow.”

  “It was definitely intense,” Cyra admitted as she twirled a long, midnight-black curl around her finger. “If it weren’t for Gryff’s Archons, we probably wouldn’t be here right now. The way they worked together to take down the first two dragons was impressive, and never once did they treat me like I was a pathetic human being. It was almost like we were… getting along.”

  The entire room fell silent after that declaration as all of my women stared at the curly-haired summoner with awestruck expressions, and Cyra’s dark face took on a red tone at the sudden attention.

  “You were… getting along with the Archons?” Nia repeated back to her. “Did we hear that correctly?”

  “I mean, we weren’t braiding each others’ hair or anything,” Cyra snorted. “But, yeah. We made a good team.”

  “At least they’re willing to work with us more than they’ve been in the past,” Arwyn observed with a raised auburn eyebrow. “That may bode well in the future.”

  “They seemed a lot more open to helping than they have been in the past,” Cyra agreed with the crimson-haired professor.

  “I wonder if Xanrith has anything to do with that,” Nia remarked, and a thoughtful expression crossed her delicate features. “She was rather kind when we met with the headmaster to discuss Carth’s return.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” I replied. “And there may be some truth in that, but honestly, the Archons were also pretty insistent on taking Carth down no matter the cost. Their cooperation seemed more revenge-driven than anything.”

  “Oh.” Nia frowned. “Yeah, that makes a lot more sense.”

  “Okay, so what happened after the two dragons were defeated?” Ashla inquired as she leaned back on the bed and propped herself up with her elbows. “I’m assuming you handled the final one, Gryff?”

  “Sure did,” I answered. “My baroquer, maripor, and roosa really did a number on it. Of course, they had some assistance from Veopa’s magic. She helped me level the playing field a bit.”

  “How so?” Freya wondered with a slight tilt of her head.

  “Wait, she’s the Archon with the shapeshifting abilities, correct?” Arwyn clarified.

  “Yep.” I nodded. “She used her magic to make my monsters the same size as the quartzriel--”

  “Whoa, that’s fucking badass!” Layla gasped, but then her lower lip jutted out into a pout. “Man, I’m so bummed out I didn’t get to see some giant monster fights!”

  Daphne began to fuss after Layla’s admittedly loud declaration, but the petite summoner immediately recognized her mistake and began to soothe the newborn. The switch from excitable jokester to protective mother was a strange thing to observe, but something about her serious expression made my heart swell.

  “It was pretty badass, but I promise you didn’t miss out on any fun,” I assured my girlfriend. “The rest of the fight was difficult, and Carth didn’t make it easy.”

  “I can only imagine,” Nia sighed. “Carth seems to be good at that.”

  I explained the final moments before the horned Archon’s retreat into the Shadowscape, and when I concluded the story with Carth’s retreat, the room fell silent again.

  “Well, now that you’ve explained it, I don’t think there are any other options,” Erin remarked thoughtfully. “With Carth weakened, going after her in the Shadowscape seems like the most logical conclusion.”

  “Definitely,” Layla agreed. “I’m sorry we interrupted your plan--”

  “Bethel, you take that back right now,” I interjected with narrowed eyes. “I wouldn’t have missed this moment for the world. We could have been in the middle of an apocalypse, and I still would have made my way here.”

  “And that’s why we love you, Gryffie.” Layla smiled at me as she snuggled Daphne closer to her.

  “But now that the babies are here, I think you should go ahead with your mission,” Erin continued where Layla left off.

  “Me, too,” Layla agreed with the orange-haired mimic.

  “Are you sure?” I asked the pair of mages. “I don’t want to leave you and our newborns alone--”

  “Gryff, the important thing was you were present for their births,” Erin interjected. “We wanted you with us for that part. But this mission is important, not only for us, but for all of Mistral. If you can defeat Carth for good, that’ll bring us one step closer to finally ending all of this.”

 

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