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Chapter 17

Seventeen

After some of the fastest suitcase packing of our lives, and a shopping spree at two different kids' stores, we made it to the train station with five minutes to spare.

Lily had a few bouts of crying throughout the night, so we didn't get much sleep, which did not help with our attitudes.

She had shifted into her snake form, refusing to shift back, but thankfully allowed Branson to put her inside of his sweatshirt like a makeshift baby sling. She was coiled up inside while his arms were tucked up beneath her.

"You think she'll shift when she gets hungry?" I whispered to Caleb.

"I think she'll shift when she hears Papa Dan. He's got a super comforting alpha presence that children and women are drawn to. Used to make my dads so irritated when I would run to Papa Dan instead of them for comfort."

I could imagine the exact scowls the four of them would wear, especially Deryn to have his father chosen by his son over him.

Dragging my suitcase as well as Lily's behind me, we boarded the train. Apparently, we had rented out the entire train for our trip since there were so many of us going.

"There you are!" Jolie exclaimed. "Cutting it close don't you …" She stopped talking, her smile slipped to a frown, and she rushed over, cupping my face. "What's wrong? You've got bags under your eyes."

I glanced towards Branson and whispered, "Rough night."

She looked around and asked, "Where's she?"

Pointing at the bulge in Branson's sweater, I said, "Shifted."

Nodding, she said, "Once we start going, she should come out. It's not an easy thing to deal with when you're so young." She took Lily's suitcase and led the way through the train to the car that had our sleeping quarters so we could stow the suitcases.

Once that was done, we went to a car that had all glass walls and roof, allowing for the sun to come in and for you to see the sights as we traveled.

Leona looked up from her phone when we entered and smiled. "Hello. We were starting to worry you might not make it."

"Us, too," I said and chuckled as we hugged.

"Hello, Rubyhare," Kara greeted.

I made the rounds, hugging everyone before I sat on an open row that faced Dan and Ezio. "How come you're coming?" I asked Ezio.

"Perks of the job," he said. "I get to be bodyguard for His Majesty here as well as additional guard for you and the little cub."

"Where is my great granddaughter?" Dan boomed.

Lily's snake head popped out of the neck of Branson's sweater, right next to his face. Her little tongue flicked out, tasting the air, and looking around at everyone there.

"Hello, pretty girl," Dan crooned. He held his arms out. "Want to come sit with us and watch the scenery?"

She tried to slither out of the sweater, but Branson stopped her, lifted the bottom, and she slid out the much larger side there.

"Look at those shiny and beautiful scales," Kara crooned as Lily slithered across the train car towards Dan. "You truly are a beautiful elfling."

Lily stopped in front of Dan and after a pause, shifted into her human form. Dan patted the space between him and Ezio. "Don't worry, Ezio here is a friend. He's a protector that will help keep you safe. You understand?"

Lily nodded, glanced at Ezio, and climbed up onto the bench. Dan patted her head and she smiled up at him.

"I understand what your dads felt now," I whispered to Caleb, who finally joined us and sat beside me.

Caleb put his arm around my shoulders while chuckling.

"Are we ready to leave?" a man in a tuxedo asked as he entered the car, bowing his head.

"Yes, everyone is here now. Thank you," Kara answered.

He bowed and went back out of the car. Almost immediately, the train started moving.

Lily squeaked, but Dan patted her head and she relaxed as he pointed out the window. "Wave to the people, cub."

"People?" I asked, turning to see several cameras and reporters filming.

Caleb squeezed my shoulder, and we all raised our arms, smiling and waving at the cameras. "Don't worry so much, Emmy. I picked out the guards from each of the races myself to ensure the best would be protecting our clan. I also talked to all of our members and explained the situation. Kieran promised to work with the guards to ensure everyone's safety."

Exhaling harshly, I said, "I'm worrying too much, I know, but I can't help it."

Dan was whispering to Lily and when he laughed, she laughed, too. It must have been nice to have a grandfather like him growing up. Once again, I was jealous of Caleb and his upbringing. And now, not only were my birth parents dead, but my adoptive parents were dead as well, one at my hand.

"My queen, you're sad again. What thoughts are you lost in?" Caleb whispered into my ear, nuzzling his nose against my earlobe.

"Jealous of you and your support," I whispered, turned and rubbed the side of my face against his, chasing the tears away.

He made a humming sound in the back of his throat and kissed my cheek.

"Em! Em!" Lily called to get my attention. When I turned to her, she pointed out the window. "Fields!"

I looked out the window at the grassy fields, nodded, and smiled at the excited child. "Yes, grass fields."

"Those are best for mice," she said with a nod. "So many tasty mices."

"Mice, not mices," Caleb corrected her.

She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Right. Mice."

Covering my mouth, I tried to hide my laughter at the adorable, annoyed face she made. Clearly, that was a word her parents had corrected her on repeatedly.

"Did you go to school yet?" Dan asked her.

She shook her head. "Too young, but …" She paused, sniffled, and continued in a rough voice, "… was starting next year."

"We'll enroll you in the best school," Dan said and glanced at Ezio before looking at her again. "Do you want to go to a school of mixed kids or just one race?"

Lily pondered that a moment before looking at me. "Em?"

No matter what school she went to, she would deal with teasing and bullying due to being a hybrid and a snake.

"Maybe private tutors at first?" I suggested.

"Private toots?" she asked.

This time, I couldn't hide my laughter, and I ended up laughing so hard I clutched my stomach.

"Sorry, Lily, not toots. Tutors. A teacher who comes to your house to teach you," I said around my laughter as I wiped my tears.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and then frowned. "So, no kids to play with?"

"You'll have kids from our clan to play with," Caleb informed her. Turning to me, he said, "Maybe we should see if we could set up a temporary school with tutors for the kids?"

Dan sighed. "We have a school already."

"Yes, but you know there will be teasing and bullying," I said quickly.

He narrowed his eyes at me and opened his mouth, but it was Ezio who replied.

"What if I escorted her each day?"

We all stared at Ezio.

"You want to escort her to school each day?"

He looked down at Lily, who was looking up at him. "Would you like to go to a school of wolf shifters? I would take you each day and if anyone is mean, you can tell me and I'll growl at them."

Her eyes lit up, and she nodded so fast I worried she might give herself whiplash. "Wolves are nice! And soft."

"Yes, our wolf fur is very soft," Caleb agreed with a nod. He looked at me. "Until we get more members and can establish a school of our own, it's not a bad idea. Ezio is one of the strongest wolves in the clan and I trust him with my life, so I would trust him with Lily's as well."

"Can I think about it more?" I asked softly, feeling that protective urge kicking in more intensely.

Caleb kissed my cheek again. "Of course. We don't need to rush the decision."

"Cows!" Lily exclaimed.

We all turned to see the cattle in a fenced-in pasture, eating grass. Why was it that people always pointed them out when driving or passing by? It was like it was a requirement!

"Rubyhare," Katar called, "come here, please."

Caleb squeezed me before dropping his arm. I kept a hand on the benches as I made my way to them, not wanting to fall. Silverowl and Fox sat across from their parents, and there wasn't an obvious open spot, so I hovered, standing, next to their benches that faced each other.

"You called?"

Kara tsked and Fox quickly scooted over, shoving Silverowl into the corner of the bench so there was room for me.

Trying to hide my smirk, I sat down beside Fox to face them.

"We were doing some digging and research after Silverowl reached out to us," Katar said softly. "We have found only one recorded instance of a snake shifter in elven history."

I perked up. "You did?"

"It is not a good account," Kara said and shook her head. "The previous rulers were terrified of the hybrids."

"Because we're stronger than purebloods?" I asked.

Both of them, as well as Fox and Silverowl, tensed.

After a moment, Kara ran a hand down her face, rubbing her eyes that had crow's feet now, betraying her age. "Yes. We don't feel that way, but it's terrifying to know there is a race that is stronger than you."

"You mean like the humans felt when they discovered werewolves, mages, dragons, and elves existed?" I asked with an arched brow and crossed my arms.

"Hey! Don't get sassy with us," Fox said and poked my side. "We are allies here."

Dropping my arms, I smiled. "Sorry, it's been … rough for me lately."

"She doesn't have an elven name," Silverowl said. "We would like to give her one."

My eyes widened, and I glanced over my shoulder at Lily, talking animatedly with Ezio about something.

"An elven name?"

"Yes, we have all been talking, collaborating, to come up with a suitable name for her. Since you are adopting her, we want her to have all of the benefits of a child who would have been born to you," Kara answered.

"Everything is happening so quickly," I whispered. "It's terrifying and amazing at the same time."

Kara reached across and patted my hand. "I know, child. I know. We are here to support you in every aspect of your rule."

"Can you send me the list of names?" I requested.

They all nodded.

"We are each sending one," Silverowl said and smiled softly. "We couldn't come to a consensus, so we thought it best to leave up to you as her adopted parent."

"Does it still have to come from one of you as a pureblooded elf?" I asked, feeling slightly irritated at that.

"Unfortunately, yes," Katar said. "We will work on some new legislature to change that, but in the meantime, you know we will assist you in whatever you need."

Smiling, I said, "I really do appreciate how accepting and wonderful you all are. I'm so glad Caleb was able to grow up in a family as amazing as this."

Fox suddenly hugged me, squeezing tight. "I wish we could erase all of your negative past, Rubyhare. If we could, we would."

I patted his arm and let myself relax in his hold. "Thank you, Fox. That means a lot to me."

"We've heard rumors that snake shifters need extra warmth," Kara said. "You should look into winter clothing even in the warmer months for her."

Nodding, I said, "Thank you. That's good to know."

"I'll send you the snake research I did yesterday," Silverowl said, and typed on his phone. "They have some unique needs that other shifters likely don't share."

My eyes widened. Was I a bad adopted mother for not doing that myself?

"Thanks," I said softly.

Kara reached across and grabbed my hands. "Becoming a mother is terrifying, but becoming one so suddenly when you aren't prepared is a whole other level. We are here for you, Rubyhare."

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