Rodu dropped his hand. “What kind of a compromise is that?”
“The only kind the Lyran Leader of the Guardians of Earth can make.” Nyomi rose to her knees. “Do not make me grovel. I’m a warrior, and if your Creator is right, a warrior in charge will be needed soon. I promise I will fight at the side of the blades until there is no hope left. If you want me in your life as much as I want you in mine, this declaration must be enough.”
Rodu thought about it for a few moments and then pulled Nyomi’s face to his. “Ally or enemy—I love you. I prefer to consider you an ally.”
Nyomi trilled in relief. “I would prefer that too.”
22
The cubs stared at their mother until they eventually exhausted themselves and slept. They’d reverted to human babies at nearly the same time—very large and well-developed ones instead of normal two-week old ones. Marta had estimated they’d aged five Earth months since she’d taken them out of incubation.
Axel wrapped them in the medical blankets Marta provided to carry them back to his quarters. Neither baby moved as he dressed them in Lyran infant clothing and tucked them next to each other in their dual sleep container.
His mother was right. Short of putting a cage with a lock over it, there was no way of keeping them in it. He wasn’t even sure a locked cage would hold them. He’d warned their daily caretaker and the guards of their shifting ability. That would at least help them keep watch. Or it should help. He was no longer sure of that either.
Axel sat heavily on the bed he’d once shared with his mate and stared at his sleeping children. Panther cubs born in jungles on Earth were functional within a month. His progeny seemed determined to pass up their planetary inspirations.
Where did the idea to shift at all come from? They had witnessed no one shift. He’d watched his mother and mimicked her when he was about two Earth years old. His children had done it without normal prompting.
And why had they both chosen panthers for their forms—even the spotted one the girl picked? Was she trying to be a leopard and didn’t quite grasp the subtleties?
Axel had no idea. He could be a lion, a tiger, or even an incredibly huge, mutant-like house cat if he chose. He’d just always liked the way his inner beast looked as a sleek, black jungle cat.
Sugar had liked the way he looked as well. She still called him Bad Panther—a moniker he couldn’t seem to shake. Not that he cared. He didn’t. He only cared that Sugar would forgive him. The need for them to find a compromise was clawing at his insides.
His first loyalty was to his people but weren’t his mate and his children his people? There had to be some loophole to that damn annihilation protocol. Hoping that it never came in his or Sugar’s lifetimes didn’t seem like a solution she’d accept from him.
Axel fell backward on the bed to stare at the ceiling as he wondered if he would have to raise the two extraordinary creatures he and Sugar had created all alone. And if so—how in the world was he going to do it?
Rising, he asked the guards to summon the caretaker if the children woke up.
He needed to talk to his mate—tonight. Even if she was in the middle of regenerating.
Axel slid a chair over to the cylinder, but he didn’t sit. Instead, he stared down at the woman inside the machine. “You told me you didn’t want to ever be in one of these, but there was no choice. You’ll at least be happy to hear nothing gross is happening to your body. Marta flushed out the poison then gave you something to boost cell renewal. Regeneration was the best way to douse you long enough in the proper light needed to activate the treatment. She said you’d only gain back a year or two.”
He leaned one arm on the top as he continued. “What Father described only happens when he waits until he is over a hundred years old to start the process. At that point, his cells are overwhelmed by all the regeneration work needed, so it takes a long time. However, under no circumstances does the regeneration cylinder function as a death machine.”
Beneath the glass, Sugar’s expression remained serene. Marta and Gina had talked her into some minor enhancements while he’d been absent from her initially. Her eyelashes were now black and lush. Her skin was as taut and as flawless as a twenty-year-old’s. Yet none of that was the draw for him. What he missed was Sugar’s vitality and her love of life.
Sugar Jennings was the consummate lover, partner, and companion. She made him laugh and develop a sense of humor. She’d made him learn to get along with the idiotic boy who was like her son. She’d carried their children with a grace and a love that echoed what he saw in his parents.
Lyran protocols had threatened the very planet they all lived on. How could he be mad that someone with Sugar’s integrity had left him to fight a war she thought him capable of starting?
“I’m sorry you felt leaving me was the only way to deal with what you learned. I’m also sorry that I kept so much a secret from you. When you wake, I will apologize again. Tonight I just needed to tell you that I still love you with all my hybrid heart. Come back to me, Mate. Come back and work things out with me. You will never find me more willing to compromise than I am at this moment.”
The glass top of the cylinder divided under his leaning arm and pushed it off. The various pieces slid down into the sides.
Axel inspected the cylinder and wondered if he needed to contact Marta. Had he accidentally pushed something? He hadn’t been sleeping well. He didn’t make such mistakes usually, but sleep deprivation was taking a toll.
Axel stepped away and watched Sugar draw in a deep breath of ordinary air. When her eyes opened, he glanced down into them… and frowned in recognition.
“Protector?”
“Yes,” the being within Sugar answered.
“Does she live as well?”
“She lives, Axel of Rodu, Guardian of Host Sugar. I came forward to talk to you.”
Axel frowned again. “Talk to me?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
Mewling at his feet had Axel looking down. Two prancing and yowling cubs rubbed against his ankles. Sighing, Axel stooped and scooped them up. “Why are you two not in bed? You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
They snuggled against him and glared at the being speaking through Sugar while she studied them with curious eyes.
Axel hugged them closer.
“These are the babies Host Sugar carried?”
“Yes, this is our son and daughter,” Axel said, holding them each out. “They keep shifting into cubs and coming to see her.”
“Host Sugar is a mother.”
Axel nodded. “Yes—and I am a father.”
“Sugar says that Bad Panther is Dad Panther now.”
Axel sighed at the moniker. Parts of the real Sugar constantly leaked through her blade’s speech. “Is there a point to this conversation? The children want their mother and I want her too.”
“Host Sugar grieved you each day—wept each day. Protector duty was accomplished, but her heart remained here. She vowed never to tell you this, but I wanted you to know.”
Axel thought about how to respond. He could not regret that leaving had emotionally cost Sugar. He enjoyed knowing he and the children mattered that much.
“Thank you for telling me. Gina and I were tracking all the blade hosts. We intended to come after them if they didn’t return on their own. Lyran treachery was not something we suspected would happen so quickly. We will not underestimate our people again.”
“No lasting harm was done to her. Sugar and I are one.”
“Is Sugar okay now?”
“Yes. She asked me to stop the machine. I made her sleep so I could talk to you first.”
“Thanks for telling me she missed us. It’s nice to know she loves us as much as we love her.”
“Sugar loves with her whole self—no part excepted.”
The cubs started yowling loudly. Axel lifted them to his face. “Will you please stop that?”
Protector Sugar sat
up and touched a cub with each hand. “They are magnificent, Axel of Rodu. I approve of them.”
Axel laughed loudly at the blade’s announcement, which set the cubs yowling again. “Bring their mother back soon. Please. All this yowling is intolerable.”
“As you wish,” the blade said.
Her body slumped forward and then a groaning Sugar grabbed her mid-section as she sat up straighter. She blinked as Axel’s face came into focus. “Axel? Where am I?”
“I’d rather not say. Just know you are fine,” Axel replied, gently setting the children in her lap. “Here. Hold my new—pets. Do you like them?”
“Pets?” Sugar said, looking down at her lap. “What did you do? Get a panther cub for each of the babies?”
“Something like that,” Axel said with a smile, hugging her as much as the cylinder would allow. He was happy she was back.
The cubs walked up her body and yowled in her face. Sugar laughed and tweaked each of their noses. When they swatted at her fingers, she turned to Axel. “They’re adorable. I can see why you had to have them.”
“Can we keep them?” Axel asked, grinning when the cubs went still as they waited for her answer.
“I’m surprised you’re asking my opinion. If you want pets, you don’t have to ask my permission, Axel.”
“Well, you’re back now and should have a say,” Axel said as he waved at the cubs. “Answer the question. Should I give them to someone else?”
“Give them to someone else? Are you kidding?” Sugar sputtered in shock. “No. We’re not giving them away. Look at their adorable faces.”
Sugar let them climb all over her lap. Eventually, both curled into balls and started purring.
“They purr like you when you’re sleeping. The kids will love these cubs as soon they get big enough to play with them.”
“Well, about that…” Axel began.
Sugar reached out a hand. “Before you say anything else, I need to tell you something. I’m sorry I left but my reasons were good ones.”
“I know,” Axel answered. “You’re back and that’s all that matters.”
Sugar looked at where she was and sighed. “Did you put me in the death machine?”
“No. Marta did it before I got here,” Axel informed her, attempting to keep up with the conversation. All he wanted to do was hold her and be grateful she lived. “It was the fastest way to get the poison out. It’s only been for a day. Nothing gross happened.”
He stopped the next question with his hand over her mouth.
“Let me enjoy your return. I’m an exhausted father. I’m glad the others returned too. I’m sorry Lyrans were involved in the attack.”
“Me too. Ditto on all of what you said,” Sugar said around his fingers.
“Good… and before you ask, I accept nothing has changed. However, I do not accept that there is no resolution. Your Creator is quite adamant that we can find solutions that save everyone regardless of what happens. The logic in her reasoning is sound.”
Sugar snorted and slipped Axel’s finger off her lips. “Logic—yeah, like I give a rat’s ass about Lyran logic. Annihilation of an entire planet of people will never be logical to me. I’m glad Reva merged with the Creator. She apparently has more clout with aliens than I do.”
“What is clout? I don’t know if she had that, but she made a good argument.”
Sugar forgot her ire with Axel as she petted the now snoozing cubs. “I swear these are the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Have you named them yet?”
“My mate named them before she left.”
“Seriously, Axel. Who named them? I hope they don’t have stupid names like Fluffy or Muffin. People give their cats bizarre names sometimes.”
Axel crossed his arms. “I am being as serious as it is possible to be. You named the cubs. Well, technically, I named the black one. His name is Kha. The spotted one is Athena just like you wanted.”
Sugar’s mouth fell open and then she glared. “Axel! How could you? I can’t believe you named these cubs after our babies.”
“I did no such thing,” Axel denied.
A yawning Marta came into the room and lifted an eyebrow at the two of them arguing.
“The blade brought her out?” she asked.
Axel nodded. “Yes, it wanted to…” he stopped and changed his mind about what to reveal. Loyalty to his mate would come first from now on. “The blade said Sugar asked to stop the machine as soon as it healed her of the poison.”
“Because I’m fine and don’t need to become any younger,” Sugar declared to Marta.
“Okay. I’ll download your data tomorrow and make sure I concur with your blade’s timing.”
“I appreciate you, Marta of Rodu. You are a great healer.”
“Ironically, the only blade host I haven’t had to heal lately has been my father.” Marta trilled at her joke. “So? What do you think of them?” she asked, pointing at Sugar’s lap.
“About the cubs?” Sugar looked down. “They’re absolutely adorable.”
“You should see them in their human forms. They look old enough to crawl already. They’re growing like Lyrans.”
“Human forms?” Sugar’s question drifted off as she stared down. Her panicked gaze returned to Axel’s. “Are you saying these are my children? That the babies already shift into panther cubs and run around all over?”
“Yes, to the first question. The answer to the second is only since their mother returned to the palace,” Axel said.
“Oh my God, Axel… we have baby panthers,” Sugar exclaimed. She lifted the large sleeping black cub. He would be huge when he grew up. “Hello, Ata Khalid. Look at how big you are already.” The soundly sleeping cub hung limply in her hand and it made her laugh. “Prince Kha sleeps like you do. I bet his sister has to work hard to wake him up when she wants to go exploring.”
Axel grunted in agreement. “I suspect the same, but I’ve yet to catch them interacting or shifting. They are stealthy.”
“Here, Axel. Take your son,” Sugar said, passing the limp black cub to him. “Don’t wake him though. Kha’s snoozing.”
Marta snapped her fingers in front of her brother. “Give Prince Kha to me. I’ll take him back to your quarters and placate the guards when they find the children went missing again without their knowledge. Mother is right about the cage. If you don’t do something, no one will sleep in the palace until these two are grown.”
Sugar blinked surreally at the information. It was a lot to take in. She looked at Axel, who lifted a shoulder. “Cage?”
“Mother suggested putting their bed in a cage with a lock.”
“Would that work to keep them in our room?” Sugar laughed when Axel shrugged and sighed. Dad Panther was obviously tired.
She picked up her lightly sleeping daughter and inspected her. “What’s with the spots, Axel? They make it easy to tell the difference between the twins, but the spots look weirdly wrong somehow.”
“I think she’s trying to be a leopard.”
“Ata Athena is two weeks old. How can she know what a leopard is?”
“How do they know what shifting is?”
“Good point,” Sugar said and laughed as her daughter starting stretching, clawing, and hissing. “Ssssh… it’s okay. I’m sorry I was talking so loud. You should have stayed in your bed, Little Miss Crabby Cub.”
“Do you still approve of them, Sugar?”
Sugar smiled as she clutched her daughter to her chest. “Oh, yes. They’re amazing just like their father.”
“And they are as unpredictable as their mother,” Axel said, scooping his mate into his arms. “Let’s get you out of here. I’ve been in this room far too much lately.”
“I love you, Axel,” Sugar whispered, tucking her daughter safely between them as Axel carried them both.
“I love you as well, Mate of My Heart. Welcome home.”
“This place definitely feels like home,” Sugar admitted and tucked her face into Axel’s shoulder
before sleep claimed her again. “Do you promise we’ll work things out?”
“Yes. I promise,” Axel said.
Feeling a profound relief to have most of the wrongs set right, Axel carried his mate and child to their quarters. He’d have the cage for the children built tomorrow.
Then he and Sugar would finally begin the life they were meant to have.
Epilogue
The four blades and Gina were assembled in her lab. Despite the first three blade hosts all wincing in pain, Gina added the Creator Blade frequency. The pyramidal shape spun rapidly and soon the projection was beaming out once more.
Reva the Creator walked over to the projection and listened to it. When it looped and began again, she looked at Sugar. “I downloaded the base language into you when you rescued me. Did you understand what she said?”
Sugar shrugged. “Not much, but I understood some words. When Gina played it before, I knew the woman leaving the message was upset. I think it has something to do with genetics.”
Reva the Creator nodded. “She said that documentation about the original genetic experiments on Earth had been stolen and used without permission. She said that unsanctioned creatures now roamed the planet in quantities too large to constrain. Those who considered themselves in power ordered a meteor collision to correct the situation. The woman in the message was distraught about what would happen to the beings she’d spent her life creating.”
“Meteor collision?” Sugar stiffened as she figured it out. “The Ice Age—the Ice Age that destroyed the dinosaurs.”
The Creator nodded. “It was not a natural event.”
Sugar climbed onto a stool in Gina’s lab. The children were keeping her and Axel awake all night. Sleep was becoming a rarity for her. Not even the artifact could prop up her energy enough. “So the Lyrans aren’t the only aliens who had annihilation protocols concerning Earth.”
Dad Panther (Alien Guardians of Earth Book 3) Page 16