Page 30 of My Monster, My Choice

A few of the males laugh at the insult to me, and I huff in mock embarrassment.

“Well, it was my honor to make her happy for a few hours,” Ree teases, the fool basking at being the center of attention.

“But payback’s a bitch,” I say, clear enough to break the news to everyone who hasn’t been present to witness the development between me and Christina. “Now who’syourdaddy?”

I casually bring Christina’s hand up to kiss. Her face turns beet red from the attention, but she smiles happily.

Both Relion’s and Tera’s jaws drop.

Kenny, cuddled in my lap, giggles at their expressions, then points at their open mouths, and laughs harder.

“Holy fuck,” Relion says as if he finally realizes he was so focused on Tera he never noticed I had interest in hermaman. He is not the brightest of males. If the poor fool had more intelligence, it might not have taken him so long to catch Tera.

“Hollifuckk,” Kenny repeats, and I quickly cover a tentacle across his mouth before hismamancan chastise him.

“Don’t copy your big brother,” I say to Kenny. “He’s bad to the bone.”

Kenny laughs some more, so I bounce my boy on my lap, so grateful to hear some happiness from him after the horrific events we’ve all been through. Calbin makes his way to each dancer, checking the choke collars to see how the stones deactivate with the death of the parasite.

“I hear Henyon is arriving,” Jaire says. “Word is you’re due next to return home.”

I grunt acknowledgment, but Christina looks up. “You’re leaving?”

“Just for a short while,” I soothe my mate. “I was granted a shorter stint for this first return.”

“No!” Kenny calls out. “I don’t wanna him to go.” His little arms squeeze me tight.

“Kenny, Elex doesn’t live here—” Christina says.

“I donna care! He need to stay here, safe with me and you, mum.”

“Hey, come here, baby brother,” Tera says, scooting out of Relion’s lap and back into her own chair, holding her arms wide. Kenny crawls onto her lap, mindful of her swollen belly, and curls his head onto her shoulder. Next to her, Relion rubs his back.

“Kenny,” I say, my heart cracking. “I’m big and strong. A captain of the King’s Guard. I’m safe on my planet, I assure you.”

“If you go, somesings might change,” Kenny says. “Might be ugly girrrls on your planet. I want you and my mum to stay together.”

What goes through this little male’s mind? “Do you think I’m that much of a catch that other females are waiting on my planet then?”

“Uh huh. You is very hansome.”

“I promise to always come back to you and yourmaman.”

“If we send back a message that you’re wooing your mate, maybe we can put it off for a few more lunar cycles,” Jaire whispers to me. “But then you may not get the shorter stint.”

“Yesss,” Kenny says, perking up. “Let’s do that.”

“Hey! No listening to the grownups when they whisper,” Jaire says sternly, and then winks.

Little Kenny looks up at his sister. “Terr, you think I’ma be a grrreat uncle?”

“The best,” she promises.

“Uncle Kenneth Garrett. I lika it.”

“I do too, little love,” she whispers, rocking her brother.

I think the problem isn’t as much as Kenny worries over me as it was that he missed hiskishling. Maybe still the fear over seeing the president dragged off by the vicious—and ugly—Leondratsins.

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