Chapter Five

Jane settled at the

hotel and stroked Terro's back. The night he had been conceived had

been a riot of broken images, but it had been exhausting and

delightful.

The moment that

she woke up with the strange man next to her, she had wished to be

somewhere else and was across the city in her own hotel room.

Andreux Tenec

was the name she had been missing. When she saw his face again, the

rest of the memories had snapped into place. All the gentle touches

and soft moments had been lost in the frenzy of her memories.

Terro's golden

mask on his face now made perfect sense. His father's mask was

distinct, and it was no wonder that everyone who saw Terro knew his

origins.

The soft knock

on her door told her that he was there. She got to her feet and

walked to answer it. She opened the door and pressed a finger to

her lips. "He's napping."

Andreux nodded

and lifted a huge bouquet of flowers to her. "I think if I grovel

enough, I might be able to convince you it wasn't on purpose."

"He's a

delightful accident, and I had friends who knew what to do so that

he made it here without too much trouble."

She thanked him

and took the flowers, snagging a crystal vase from the ether and

filling it with water. She tucked them into the receptacle and

smiled. "Very pretty."

He was

standing, and she finally said, "Can I get you something to eat or

drink?"

"No. I was

going to ask you to go out with me, but can I see the video that

was mentioned?"

She looked at

him and nodded. "They pulled snippets together, but the labour and

delivery videos are there. Nora and Luna really pulled me

through."

She gestured

for him to take the larger seat, but he settled on the couch

instead. She cast the video to the television, and he leaned

forward to watch every minute of it.

It started with

a picture of the stick. The two blue lines were unmistakable.

She had done a

voiceover that explained the situation. "Coming back from a

conference with a bit of swag that I don't remember

acquiring."

Andreux

chuckled.

They saw her

selfies outside of clinics. The first internal scans of the tiny

bubble that would be their son.

At the end of

the first trimester, she had issues. This is where the book club

entered the video, and from then on, it was women giving her

energy, even if some of it was stolen from Elite.

"What are they

doing?"

She said

gently, "Your job. Giving me extra energy to keep growing the

little guy without him taking all I had."

"Ah. I am sorry

I wasn't there."

"Don't worry. I

will bring the ladies here, and you can pay them and their families

back with a few good meals."

He smiled. "You

are planning to stay?"

"I work for

Serin, so yes."

"How soon can I

propose?"

She blinked and

laughed as the images progressed to her being near-term.

"Now we get to

the labour and delivery." She felt something against her hand, and

his fingers sought her out, squeezing her hand gently as a few

minutes of every hour were captured from her checking in to her

standing and rocking on Luna with Nora rubbing her back.

A contact from

her other side heralded Terro's arrival, and she sniff-checked him

before letting him climb on her lap. So, they all sat connected as

they watched her moaning in pain before gritting her teeth while

Nora encouraged and Luna caught.

Tenec shifted

as he saw her holding their son with his little mask from the day

he came into the world.

"Oh. You look

so tired."

She chuckled.

"I was, but the rest of the draining part could be shared with

others, and I had plenty of friends to help. Orla is amazing with

him."

The rest of the

videos were the baby shower, holidays, and first birthday

party.

Terro crawled

over to Tenec and sat on his lap. He sighed and curled against his

father. Tenec looked to Jane. "Does he do this a lot?"

"He's very

scent-driven right now. He recognized you." She smiled.

Her son looked

so small against his father. The video continued to play.

"So, you made

it without me."

Jane nodded. "I

did, but I didn't think the mask was a birthmark. That would have

made it so much easier."

He smiled. "It

runs in the family. We keep to the islands for a reason. Here, we

are just part of the background. Out there, we are freaks."

"My boy is not

a freak. He's unique, charming, cheerful, and mine."

"And mine." He

stroked Terro's head. "I can't believe I have a son."

"A tiny terror,

but everyone loves him so far." She smiled. "So, you remembered

more than I did?"

Tenec nodded.

"Yes, but I had no idea how to find you."

"My looks are

rather generic, and there was no record of me leaving the

hotel."

He grimaced.

"And there was no image of you coming into the hotel. I was

blocking every angle. We checked."

"We?"

"My security

team. I couldn't remember every detail, but brown hair and brown

eyes is a difficult demographic to sort."

She smiled. "It

is. Blending in has always been easy. Having Terro with me makes me

stand out. It might be all the yelling and chasing."

"So, do you

want to become mates?"

She glanced at

him. "I am content on my own if you don't want to. Terro and I have

a rhythm, and I guess visitation can be worked out."

"You will have

to move to the islands. Will that be a problem?"

She smiled.

"The move is already underway. I was going to be staying with

Serin, but then, Deno manifested, and now, I am going to hang out

here until I can sort lodgings. I work from home most of the time,

so my laptop is set up, and I have edited a lot of work

already."

"You are a

video editor?"

"Yeah. Very

glad about it when he came along. I was doing commercial cuts for

video games when he happened." She stroked Terro's cheek.

"Did you

mind?"

"Once I figured

out that you and I happened to sync up by chance, I couldn't be mad

and just dealt with the fading marks and widening midsection."

"I marked you?"

He blinked.

Jane blushed.

"I was covered in hickeys from my earlobes to the back of my knees.

There were a few marks around my hips and waist. Luna explained

exactly how those marks were made, and then, she laughed at my

expression."

His expression

indicated he had caught on. "I would apologize, but I would very

much like to try that again."

She chuckled.

"Not with Terro around. Children. Nature's birth control."

He looked down

at Terro, and the toddler stretched. "I see your point."

"All of his

usual babysitters who are in the islands are newly mated, and I

don't want to disrupt them for this sort of thing."

He looked at

her for a moment. "My parents live near me in the Blackridge chain.

Would you care to go visit so they can meet their grandson?"

"Oh. Shoot. Um.

I guess so? Wait, do they know about me?"

"Yes. I told

them last night. They were very interested in you."

"Positively?"

"Positively.

They mentioned the gold digger aspect, but then I told them that

you had no idea who I was and certainly hadn't come to me during

your pregnancy or afterward."

"Yeah, I

couldn't find you, and then, he was here, and it didn't really

matter." She looked at their son as he looked between them and made

his fascinated noise.

"What is

that?"

"When he just

goes ‘ooooo'? He's fascinated and thinks it's neat. To be honest,

he does the same thing with airplanes."

Tenec grinned.

"I will take it. Shall we go now?"

"Sure."

He stood up.

"Step in and hold tight."

"Holding tight

is your job," she muttered. His arm wrapped around her, and she

held him across Terro and the other arm around his back.

The world spun

around her and then settled. He kept her close to him, and she felt

the pressure of his lips on her temple. Terro squirmed, and they

backed away.

"Andreux! Are

these they?" The woman's voice was excited. There was a heaviness

in her accent that seemed familiar.

Andreux opened

his arms, and Jane stepped away. Terro launched at her, and she

wore her sleepy boy around her neck.

The woman had

gold hair and bright blue eyes, looking to be in her mid-fifties.

She paused and waited for Tenec to answer her, but when Terro

looked at her, she gasped.

"Oh, baby. Come

to Grandmama."

Terro turned

and buried his face in Jane's shoulder. "He's just waking up from a

nap. He will be running around like a loon in just a few minutes. I

will introduce you then."

Andreux said,

"Mother, this is Jane. Jane, this is Monique. My mother has been

very excited about Terro. I believe seeing him has eased her

mind."

"Right. Is

there a yard or a beach for him to run?"

Andreux nodded.

"My mother's gardens are this way. It's enclosed."

Monique heard

them and nodded, walking along a path and opening a large wooden

door in a stone wall. Terro saw the bright colours and flowers, and

he squirmed down and began to run along the crushed gravel,

giggling madly.

Jane sighed.

When he paused to squat, she waited until the behaviour was

finished for a minute and then waved her hand, and he paused and

then ran away giggling again.

Andreux asked,

"What did you do?"

"Changed his

diaper on the run. I didn't think to grab the bag, but my

adaptation as a sea witch lets me take what I need. In this case, I

take it from the hotel room, and the diaper is in a disposal system

designed by nature"

"So, you move

things."

"Yes. I don't

create out of nothing. I transport. I have very fine control."

Terro thudded

into her and grinned up with his baby teeth gleaming. "Mommy,

run?"

"Oh, shoot."

She glanced at Andreux and Monique. "He wants to play tag with me,

but I don't want it misconstrued as flirting."

Monique smiled.

"I am sure my son has self-control. He has gotten a child off you,

and his interest is slaked."

Andreux

snorted. "Mom, you don't know what you are talking about."

Terro was

pushing hard. Jane picked up the edge of her skirt and darted into

the gardens with a giggle following her. Jane skidded on the gravel

and looked at her little one barreling toward her. She darted down

another path and then switched back around and around until she was

lost with Terro's footsteps silent. "Mama?"

"Yes,

baby."

"Mama

gone!"

"No, honey, I

am still here."

She heard

Andreux. "We will find her, Terro."

Crunching

footfalls began, and as they got closer, the urge to run was

becoming hard to suppress.

She took a few

steps, and Andreux's voice was stern. "Jane, Terro is really

upset."

She stayed put,

and when they rounded the corner, it was all flailing arms and legs

while he made his dad set him down. The gravel flew as he lunged at

her legs, sobbing and sniffling. "Aw, honey. I am fine, you are

fine."

He stopped

crying and wiped his nose on her dress. "Yeah, thanks for marking

your territory, bud."

He looked at

her, blinked, and then beamed. "Caught!"

"You cheated.

You cried so Daddy would come and help."

Terro scrunched

his shoulders and giggled.

Andreux

blinked. "He played me?"

"Oh, yeah.

Other alphas have fallen for it, too. Somewhere in him is the

manipulation gene. So, your mom or your dad?" She eased Terro to

the ground.

He blinked.

"Oh, Mom. Definitely."

She smiled.

"Mystery solved."

Terro looked

around. "Mommy, run."

"No more. We

are going to talk with your grandmama and then maybe your

grandfather, and then, we can head back to the hotel."

"Or maybe not."

Andreux smiled.

"I will call

for a ride back to Wonder."

"How? You left

your phone behind."

She looked at

him and gestured to the snot mark that Terro had left. It

disappeared.

Andreux put his

arm around her and led her out of the maze, with Terro running away

and coming back to them.

Monique had

food and drink on a wide table on a stone patio. "Please come and

have something while we wait for Eonic."

Andreux held a

chair for Jane, and she kept a distance between herself and the

table. As soon as she settled, Terro climbed onto her lap, and she

looked at Monique. "May I have something?"

Terro looked at

her. "Pweeze?"

Monique smiled.

"Of course, little one."

Jane brought

out some wet ones and cleaned her son's hands and then her own. She

offered a clean wipe to Andreux, and he cleaned his hands with a

bemused expression.

"Trust me, this

little dude is a disease vector and likes to feed adults."

She began the

procedure of putting fruit in front of him and kept him busy while

she got some tarts and broke them into pieces he could manage.

Monique smiled

as she watched him eat and laughed when he pulled Jane's mouth open

and put some grapes inside. It started her meal.

One hour later,

she was eating and watching Terro stuff food in Andreux's

mouth.

Monique asked,

"He is two?"

"He is. Just a

few weeks ago. We had a big party."

"Why haven't

you contacted my son?" The deep voice came from the dark figure

with the tell-tale marks on his face.

"I didn't know

who he was. I was in a flash heat, he had a flash rut, and we were

both at the same event. I woke up and returned home, not having

collected any information from him."

"But you

collected a child."

"I got some

sperm. It was my efforts that turned that into a child. I had

friends who helped me through the pregnancy, and now, I have a son.

Well, we have a son. As soon as I got him to the islands, everyone

knew who his father was for some reason."

Terro's

grandfather grinned. "He is a stunning little lad."

Monique said

softly, "Could he have siblings?"

Andreux

frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. One is the usual with

alpha-beta pairings."

"Oh, I can have

as many as I want. The OB confirmed that I suffered no damage and

am in great shape for it. No issue there." She looked at them all

blandly. "But I have been a single parent once, and I don't think I

can manage Terro and another on my own, so it will be a possibility

I won't exercise."

Andreux

finished chewing on the meat-fruit-cookie mix that had just been

wedged in his jaws. "What if you had help?"

"Well, I am

used to working, and being kept or a gold digger has no

appeal."

His parents

flinched.

"So, maybe if I

have another heat and happen to have your number, I could call you

if you aren't busy? But this time, wear protection."

Eonic asked,

"You don't want our son?"

"I didn't

realize he was up for grabs. Sure. Wrap him up and put a bow on

him."

Eonic darkened.

"You are mocking us."

"No, I just

require more than ‘you make cute kids' as a come-on line." She

calmly cleaned Terro's hands, and he wiggled down and ran off to

the garden again. The door was still open, and he giggled as he ran

inside.

Andreux smiled.

"I am trying."

"With Terro, it

is going to be impossible." She smiled.

"Mama!

Run!"

She got to her

feet. "Please excuse me. My master's voice summons me."

She turned and

headed to the garden to play tag with her son.

* * * *

Andreux looked at his

parents. "So, any tips on how to court a woman who has already had

your child, but you just learned his and her names yesterday?"

His father

cocked his head. "It looks like you need babysitters."

"Yes, but Orla

is newly mated, and she is his favourite person."

"Who is

Orla?"

"She's mated to

Ligo and a doctor from Emerald named Iro." Andreux sighed. "Their

sounds are getting further, so I had better rescue Jane again." He

headed for the garden.

His mother

blinked. "Avenar must be thrilled. Oh, dear. I should pop in to say

hello. Avenar is obsessed with her son."

Eonic snorted.

"Not like anyone else I know."

"Oh, hush. I

like Jane. She's strong."

"Really? You

can tell that?"

"She had and

raised a son to this stage without her mate. She had to be strong.

I had you, and Andreux was still a handful and exhausting."

She looked

toward the garden, where the shrieks and giggles were still coming.

"A grandson. I thought Andreux was going to sit behind his

computers forever."

Eonic smiled.

"Obviously, the trade show was a good move for him."

"Oh. That was

it. Wasn't it? Right. He came back so strange and hostile."

"And sad. He

was sad."

Monique smiled

at him. "He isn't sad anymore, but now, he needs to get some

privacy."

"Do you think

that Terro will trust us to watch him?"

"We will have

to arrange things with Jane. Since Andreux's house is nearby, we

may be considered suitable temporary guardians."

There was a

wail from the gardens. Andreux carried Terro out, and Jane smiled

and walked behind, saying, "Put him on the table."

Andreux sat

Terro down, and his knee had scuffed fabric and blood on it. He

frowned. "I can transport him to a medical centre."

Jane kissed her

son's forehead and crooned, "You can't run in two directions at the

same time."

He sniffed, and

his face was heartbreaking. "Ouch, Mama."

She nodded and

moved her fingers over the wound. A brightness occurred at her

fingertips, and the skin glowed and knit together. The trousers

were cleaned up and repaired the same way. Jane looked at Andreux.

"That I do myself."

He stared and

smiled. "Wow, Terro. Your mom is really good."

Jane kissed the

spot where the injury had been, and her son wrapped his arms around

her neck, placing a big smacking kiss on her cheek. "Tank,

Mama."

"You are

welcome, Terro."

Monique stared.

"You are a healer?"

"Among other

things. Mostly a video editor and account specialist."

Monique looked

at the sniffling face of her grandson. He hid his face in her neck,

but then, he peeped out at Monique and grinned. Jane chuckled. "You

remember Grandmama."

"Gamama!" He

reached out and lunged.

Monique caught

him and held the warm, little, squirming mass. "Grandmama."

Terro smiled.

"Gamama."

Eonic laughed.

"Hello, I am Grandpa."

Terro cocked

his head. "Gampa?"

"Absolutely,

little Terro." He held his hand toward Terro, and the little one

raised his hand.

Jane smiled.

"He is very into the high five."

Eonic changed

the angle, and the tiny hand collided with his, followed by a riot

of giggles. The repetitive slapping made Eonic laugh.

Jane smiled.

"It's his favourite adult interaction."

Andreux

chuckled. "He's still going."

Eonic grinned

and pulled his hands away, holding his out in an offer to take the

child.

Terro lunged

over.

Jane grinned.

"Now that is his second favourite thing. Alpha climbing."

Terro was

sitting on Eonic's head and shrieking with excitement.

Monique smiled.

"Andreux used to do the same thing. Less volume though."

"Oh, he gets

his volume from me." Jane smiled.

Eonic kept his

hands bracketing the little one and grinned.

Monique

watched, and Jane suddenly shifted her stance, and Terro came

launching at her. Jane caught him, and Eonic gasped.

"I am sorry. I

didn't know he was going to..."

Andreux said,

"He phased through your hands. You couldn't have held him if you

wanted to."

Terro yawned

and cuddled against Jane. "That was a bit of a surprise at eighteen

months. He's going to need a nap. That always takes it out of

him."

Andreux smiled.

"We can go to my place and discuss things a little more."

Jane smiled.

"Great. It was nice to meet you two."

As they walked

away and Andreux put his arm around Jane and Terro, Monique looked

to her mate. "I think he might be able to convince her to

stay."

Eonic put his

arm around her. "If she doesn't stay for attraction, she might stay

for his computer setup. Finally, a reason for all of that

equipment."

Monique

chuckled and then sighed. "Terro is amazing. Interesting name,

though."

"We will have a

chance to ask. I am certain of that." He smiled. "We have a

grandson."

Their hug was

long, and then, they headed into the house and began to plan for a

future that suddenly had a lot more in it than a son they were

proud of and friends for poker night.