Roam's Valentine Wish Read online

  “Do you have any purple? Your mom likes pink and purple,” he said.

  Roam frowned. “I’m not sure what color is Spring’s favorite. I thought I’d just use a bunch of different ones. You make good hearts. They look better than mine,” he said.

  “I can make more,” he offered.

  “I made Spring cry,” Roam softly confessed.

  Vox paused in the process of cutting out more hearts in different sizes and colors. He took a deep breath and released it. It was a good thing he was good friends with Creon—and that the kids were still young. He could imagine what would happen if they were older. A silent shudder ran through him.

  I know if it were me, I’d probably start a war if someone broke Sacha or Pearl’s heart and made them cry, he mused.

  “What did you do to make her cry?” he asked.

  Roam looked down at the card in front of him. “I might have pulled her hair a few times… and farted… and shook my butt at her,” he said.

  Vox tried not to laugh. He knew it wasn’t funny to his son, but Roam sounded so remorseful and the idea of starting a war over pulled hair and boyish farts made for a humorous visual. He cleared his throat and nodded.

  “Yes, well, I imagine that might have hurt her feelings a little—the hair pulling and butt shake. I made your mom cry, too. I never wanted to do it again,” he confided.

  Roam turned his huge blue eyes to him and looked at him with wide-eyed surprise. “What did you do to make Mom cry? How did you get her to forgive you?” he asked.

  Vox sat back in his chair. “I killed her favorite jacket. Granted, I thought it was attacking her. How was I to know that horrible thing wasn’t alive? It looked like it was,” he said with a slight, amused smile.

  “But… How did you get her to forgive you?” Roam impatiently demanded.

  “She shot me,” he replied absently before he realized what he had just said. He quickly shook his head. “Not bad. Just a little and that doesn’t mean that you should let Spring shoot you. We were in a battle and your mom isn’t the greatest shot,” he said, lying a little since Riley was a very good shot when she wanted to be.

  “I don’t think I want Spring to shoot me. I thought if maybe I gave her a Valentine’s Day card and told her I was sorry… and that I like dirt now, that maybe she would forgive me,” Roam reasoned, fingering the dark red paper.

  “I think that would be very nice… and maybe not pull her hair anymore,” he suggested.

  Roam wiggled his nose. “I like touching her hair. It is soft. I just don’t want her to know I like it, which is why I pull it. Can I just not fart when I’m around her?” he asked.

  Vox chuckled. “How about not farting—much—when you are around her and don’t pull her hair very hard,” he countered.

  Roam nodded before he pushed back his chair and threw his arms around Vox’s shoulders. Vox reached out and wrapped his arms around Roam. Emotion thickened his throat when Roam pulled back and looked at him.

  “Thanks, Dad. I knew you’d know the answers. You know everything,” Roam said.

  Vox laughed and shook his head. “Just don’t tell that to your mom,” he teased. “Let’s get these cards done so they have time to dry.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Your hair is getting long,” Emma said, pulling a brush through her daughter’s long blonde hair.

  “I like it long,” Alice replied, winding a strand around her finger. “So does Bálint.”

  Emma paused in mid-stroke, her eyes going to Ha’ven’s over Alice’s head. She shook her head when she sensed her mate’s reaction. Ha’ven lowered the tablet in his hands to his lap.

  “Did Bálint tell you he likes it long?” Emma asked.

  Alice shook her head. “No, but he is always touching it. I’m glad he doesn’t do it like Roam does to Spring. Roam is always pulling on Spring’s ponytail and then running off. I’d pop Bálint if he did that!” she declared in a fierce voice.

  “Define ‘pop’,” Ha’ven said.

  Alice smiled. “Auntie Ariel taught us that word. It is different from Pop, like we call Grandpa Paul. It means to hit him upside the head. Aunt Ariel says that is how you knock sense into someone,” she explained.

  “I like the hitting upside the head. Have you thought of doing that to Bálint?” Ha’ven inquired in a hopeful tone.

  “Ha’ven,” Emma chided with a small shake of her head.

  Alice scowled at her father. “Of course not! Bálint is sweet. He is always nice to me,” she said with a toss of her head. “Ouch!”

  “Stay still. You have a knot in your hair,” Emma instructed, wiggling her fingers over the spot to untangle the snarled strands.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t spend so much time with Bálint. There are the girls…,” Ha’ven began.

  Alice gave her dad a strange look. “I don’t get to see him all that often. Besides, I spent all afternoon with the girls today. We were making Valentine’s Day cards for everyone. Well, except for Roam. None of us are going to give Roam a card because he made Spring cry,” she said.

  “That isn’t very nice,” Emma murmured.

  Alice twisted on the low stool she was sitting on to face her mom. “He wasn’t being very nice! He farted. Well, all the boys were farting, but he shook his butt at Spring and he is always teasing her when she has a little dirt on her from being in the garden or digging. Why should we give him a Valentine’s Day card when he is being mean?” she demanded.

  Emma stared back at her daughter. She could hear the outrage in Alice’s voice for her friend, but she could also hear the note of confusion. She looked at Ha’ven who was silently watching the exchange.

  “You know, I didn’t like your father very much at first,” she confessed.

  She briefly closed her eyes when she felt Ha’ven reach out to her. His familiar warmth filled her. She opened her eyes and gazed back at him.

  “You didn’t like Daddy? How could you not like Daddy? He’s awesome!” Alice exclaimed, looking back and forth between her parents with surprise.

  Emma laughed and nodded. “He thought so too at the time,” she teased before she grew serious. “I… felt lost and afraid back then. When I met your father, I didn’t want to be found. This world was very different from where I had come from.”

  She grew silent as the memories flooded her mind. They weren’t as painful now as they had been then. Ha’ven’s love, her friendships with the others, and having Alice had helped to ease the horrifying memories. Yet… there was still some pain.

  “Mom, are you alright? Your colors…,” Alice asked, lifting her hand to caress her mom’s cheek.

  Emma blinked and nodded. “Yes, sweetheart, I’m fine.”

  She smiled when Ha’ven rose and came to sit next to her on the couch. He wrapped his arm around her and she leaned against him for a moment, gathering a sense of calm. Her eyes softened when he pressed a kiss to her temple, absorbing the most painful memories.

  “My life on Earth was good, but there were also some bad things that happened. When I met your father, he pushed and challenged me. There were many times when I didn’t want or like what he was doing, but over time, I realized that he cared very much for me. Roam is very young,” Emma said.

  “And a lot like his father,” Ha’ven added absently.

  Alice’s eyes widened at that comment. Emma swore she could see a lightbulb go off in Alice’s brain. Alice nodded and a smile began to form.

  “He is a lot like Uncle Vox. Uncle Vox is always picking on Aunt Riley and she loves it. Maybe that’s Roam’s way of saying… I’ve got to go call Spring,” Alice said with growing excitement.

  Emma watched with amusement as Alice hurried across the living room and disappeared down the hallway to her bedroom. She sighed when Ha’ven hugged her and pressed another kiss to her temple. She rested her head against his shoulder.

  “Are you alright?” he murmured.

  She nodded. “Yes, thanks to you and Alice. You both fill my life w
ith so much happiness, there isn’t room for the sadness anymore,” she said.

  “I worry about her getting hurt,” he grudgingly admitted.

  Emma looked up at him, lifted her hand, and caressed his cheek. “I know. Bálint would never knowingly hurt Alice,” she replied.

  Ha’ven took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I know. It is the not knowingly part that I worry about,” he said.

  Emma sat up and twisted around, sliding one leg over Ha’ven’s lap until she was straddling him. She cupped his cheeks between her hands and kissed him. Sliding her arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss. He pulled her more tightly against his strong body.

  After several minutes, they broke their kiss. Both of them were breathing heavily. Emma rested her forehead against Ha’ven’s. She would never get tired of kissing him.

  “Do you think Alice will be coming out of her room again tonight?” he asked in a low voice.

  Emma giggled. “I seriously doubt it,” she said.

  She released a startled gasp when one second they were on the couch and the next they were in their bedroom—sans clothing. She lifted her arm and with a wave of her hand, pushed a small amount of energy toward their open bedroom door. The door closed quietly and the lock turned.

  “Now, I wonder what you have on your mind,” she playfully murmured.

  Chapter Eight

  Roam peered out of the window early the next morning. He combed his mop of hair again, moving it from one side to the other before he gave up. He had one spot that was always sticking up no matter how hard he tried to comb it down.

  His eyes lit up when he saw Grandpa Paul walking along the path. Paul Grove wasn’t his real grandpa. The human had fallen in love with Morian Reykill, and mating her had made him a dragon shifter. It hadn’t mattered to Grandpa Paul. The older man treated Roam, his sisters, and his cousin Leo just like they were his own family.

  He frowned when he saw Grandpa Paul stop and pick a flower. Curious, he pushed open the window and shifted into his tiger form. He climbed up onto the window sill.

  Don’t miss, he ordered his cat.

  I don’t miss. You the one who can’t climb! his cat snorted in response.

  His muscles tensed before he sprang for the branch a good four feet away and three feet below the window. His back paws slipped on the bark. Fortunately, his front claws held and he pulled himself up onto the branch.

  Ever since he had started growing again, it had felt like his front paws and legs were longer than his back ones. In the last few months, he’d gone from being super fast and agile to slow and clumsy. Even his tail felt funny—as if it were growing more quickly than the rest of his body.

  He carefully made his way along the branch to the trunk of the tree. The branches were fairly close together, making it easier for him to hop down from one to the other until he was almost to the bottom. Ten feet from the ground, he was forced to hang over a limb and try to shimmy down the rest of the way. He made it half way before he lost his grip.

  “I got you,” Grandpa Paul said, wrapping an arm around his stomach.

  He released a soft purr of thanks. Grandpa Paul gently placed his feet on the ground. He shifted back into his two-legged form once the older man stepped back.

  “Thanks,” he said, standing up.

  Paul chuckled. “I would have expected your cat to be a little more coordinated. Are you okay?” he asked.

  Roam nodded. “Yeah. My dad says it’s because I’m growing so fast. My cat isn’t used to all my legs being different sizes and my tail gets in the way sometimes,” he said.

  Paul nodded. “I remember those days. I think I was around fourteen when I went through it,” he reminisced.

  Roam looked at him in surprise. “This happens to humans, too?” he asked.

  “Yes, it happens to humans, as well. What brings you out so early? I suspect your parents aren’t aware that you have snuck out,” Paul reflected, bending and picking up the small bouquet he had picked.

  “Naw. Dad left earlier and Mom, Sacha, and Pearl are still asleep. Are you going to give the flowers to Grandma Morian for Valentine’s Day?” he curiously asked.

  “Yes,” Paul replied.

  “Do all girls like flowers?” he persisted.

  Paul looked at the flowers for a moment before he nodded. “Yes, I think all the women I’ve ever known like flowers. Why do you ask?” he inquired.

  “I was just wondering, that’s all,” he replied.

  “Here, why don’t you take these. I’m sure your mom and sisters would love them,” Paul said, holding out the small bouquet to him.

  Roam took the flowers and looked up. “But… what about Grandma Morian and Morah?” he asked.

  “I already gave them some,” Paul reassured him.

  Roam held the flowers up to his nose and sniffed them. They smelled good—and they were pretty. An idea slowly formed in his mind and a sense of excitement filled him.

  “I’ve got to go,” he suddenly said.

  Paul looked at him and smiled. “I’ll see you later. Happy Valentine’s Day,” he replied.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day… and thank you!” Roam called with a wave of his hand as he ran down the path.

  Alice sang as she walked along the path. The song was one her mom frequently sang. She didn’t skip a beat when Phoenix’s voice joined hers. Soon, all the girls, except for Amber and Jade, who had not shown up yet, were singing and dancing as they walked along the path. She grinned when Phoenix grabbed her hand and began swinging it back and forth.

  Alice released Phoenix’s hand when Bálint stepped into view. Her voice faded and the other girls giggled when they saw him standing awkwardly in the middle of the path. She shushed them when she saw him look down and rub his foot against the loose pebbles.

  “We’ll see you at the picnic area,” Phoenix said.

  Alice nodded and smiled. “Thanks,” she replied.

  “Hi, Bálint,” Spring greeted.

  “Hi,” Bálint muttered.

  “Hi, Bálint,” Hope and Morah giggled.

  He ignored the two giggling girls and gave Phoenix a crooked smile.

  “Hi, Bálint, you look very nice,” Phoenix murmured as she walked by.

  “Thank you,” he mumbled.

  Alice and Bálint waited as the other girls disappeared around the curve in the path. When they were gone, he cleared his throat and ran his hand down along his side.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, thrusting his card toward her.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” she repeated.

  She took the card, reached into the small bag she carried, and pulled out the one she had made for him. She also pulled out the heart-shaped cookies that she and her mom had baked. She bit her lip when she saw a couple of them had broken. She was about to put them back when Bálint’s stomach rumbled. He placed his hand on his stomach and scrunched his face.

  “I missed breakfast. My dragon says your cookies smell really, really good,” he said.

  She wiggled her fingers, trying to focus on mending the broken cookies before she handed him the clear bag. He eagerly took the bag, pulled the red satin ribbon with its pink heart tassel, and reached in for a cookie. The cookies didn’t look as good as they had earlier. The hearts were crooked and the berry-flavored frosting was missing in some places, but she didn’t think he noticed as he began stuffing them in his mouth with a moan of pleasure.

  “These… are so… good,” he mumbled.

  She giggled. “Are you sure you can even taste them?” she teased.

  “Oh, yeah. I can taste them,” Bálint assured her. He stuffed two more cookies in his mouth before he closed the bag and tucked it under his arm. “I got you a present, too.”

  A surge of excitement swept through her. She took the small, untidily wrapped gift. The red paper was wrinkled. She carefully pulled at one corner of the paper, not wanting to rip it.

  “It’s a necklace. I made it myself,” Bálint blurted o
ut.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “I hope you like it,” he nervously added.

  “Oh, Bálint, this is beautiful! I love it!” she exclaimed.

  She held the woven chain with a small golden dragon hanging from it in her hand and threw her arms around his shoulders to hug him. His arm slid around her waist. She pressed a kiss to his cheek before she stepped back.

  “I… Do you want me to put it on you?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, please,” she said, holding out the necklace to him.

  He took the necklace and she turned around. She giggled when he mumbled and awkwardly tried to slip the necklace around her neck while holding the bag of cookies. She twisted around and took the bag.

  “Thanks… I… Amber and Jade showed me how to make a mold and I had my symbiot make a small dragon that looks like my dragon. They have a lot of really cool stuff in their lab. They find all kinds of things lying around the palace. Amber said their mom takes them down to the labs where the Scientists make all kinds of neat things. I used the needles from the Century Trees to make the chain. The needles are super strong, but very flexible. My mom showed me how to weave the needles together,” he jabbered as he clumsily tried to attach the small clasp.

  “Oh, there are my parents! I can’t wait to show them what you made for me,” Alice breathed when she spotted her parents walking toward them.

  “Hello, Bálint. Happy Valentine’s Day,” Emma called.

  “Thank you. Happy Valentine’s Day,” Bálint nervously greeted.

  “Look what Bálint gave me,” Alice excitedly said.

  Ha’ven looked back and forth between Alice, Emma, and Bálint. The young boy looked very nervous. His dismay grew when he saw the brilliant sparkles dancing in Alice’s aura. Her happiness was almost tangible.

  “The necklace is beautiful, Bálint. It is such a special Valentine,” Emma said with a gentle smile.

  “I… thank you. I’m glad… Alice… uh-uh… likes it,” Bálint stuttered, his voice breaking on the last word.