My men looked tired and dirty. Christof’s left temple was bound where he had been injured. Still I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around him. He hugged my shoulders tight. A hand drifted down to greet the offspring still in my belly as he smiled at me.
“We have missed you, wife,” he said softly before handing me off to Damien.
Tears were running down my face as I passed my hands over Damien’s shoulders and felt the tense muscles of his back. His face was rough with stubble and I could smell several days worth of sweat on him. Getting here safely had been a harrowing journey.
“I promised you,” he whispered in my ear as he held me tight. “We all did, but we aren’t sure…”
I backed away and looked at him. He was unsure. Over his shoulder Evan looked even more unsure. They didn’t know how I would react and they didn’t want me to panic. They’d been told stress was not good for the baby I carried, but I had to know.
The women had implants and controlled the men. They had used the implants to erase our little boys’ memories of their mountain birth. It wouldn’t do to have them remember their female breeders and a time when the mountains were a safe place.
Damien moved and I saw the sight I had waited many moons for. Little Jonathan, standing to just above my knee. My baby was dirty and his clothing scuffed, but he was unharmed. Jonathan stood with four other boys and they looked so very confused.
Instinctively, I reached for my son and he backed away, as did his Brothers. They looked nervously from Evan to Damien as though seeking reassurance. My heart broke as I drew my hand back.
“This is family,” Evan said gently. “We told you about this. This is not a slave and you can touch her. You know this human Jonathan; she is your female breeder.”
Big, blue eyes looked like they were trying hard to trust what Evan told him. He looked back at me and I saw the ambivalence he was feeling. His Brothers reached out to touch him in comfort. This was unsettling to them.
“He feels me,” I said softly, “but he doesn’t know why.”
Evan stepped past Damien and wrapped his arms around me. He spoke softly into my hair. Had Evan been human his voice would have been breaking.
“Just as he feels me, but he doesn’t know why he does. He can’t understand what we are telling him. He can’t remember. It upsets him and therefore them.”
I buried my face in Evan’s neck for a moment and breathed in his familiar scent. My body shook with silent sobs as I mourned for my boy, for our boy. All the love and care we had showed him had been callously wiped away. We didn’t even exist to our own baby.
“We exist,” Evan said tightening his hold, “he is ours to care for again. He is not lost to us.”
Kein spoke from behind me and I felt his hands on my hips.
“He will learn and he will remember,” Kein promised. “It has not been too long.”
I wiggled from Evan’s arms and threw myself into Kein’s embrace. He was right. Jonathan was home now and we would remind him. Softly, I kissed Kein before greeting Bane. The big man was gentle as he held me and I brushed my lips against his skin. I was so glad to see all of them.
Wiping my eyes I looked back over at Jonathan’s family. Evan knelt on one knee beside them and explained what a hug and a kiss were. He told the boys that was how humans greeted others they cared for.
I realized I’d never been introduced to Jonathan’s family. Aiden I recognized, he was taller than the rest and I felt sure that trend would continue. The other children I’d only seen the day Nu-reeh had sold them.
“Mycah is the lead Brother,” Damien said pointing out one of the boys.
Mycah was taller than Jonathan, but not as tall as Aiden. He had golden brown hair cut short on his head. He watched me with very wary eyes.
Niah and Rees were the other two children. Niah was darkly striped like Aiden and quite lanky, but Rees almost had a ruddy complexion. Looking at Rees’ height, I realized it was closer to Jonathan’s short stature. I imagined the second boy had some human blood in his line somewhere. It would explain the coloration and his smaller size.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled at my men and my boys. Suddenly a familiar sight caught my blurry eyes. I grabbed Bane’s left hand and looked at the small metal band on his left ring finger.
“What did you do?” I asked touching the metal.
It wasn’t shiny metal, but I saw a symbol etched into it. My symbol was on it. Kein had the same metal band on. They all did.
“We were bored in the tunnels,” Evan explained touching his. “We made these to show everyone we are yours. Some men have many mates, but that is not what we want. We only wish to mate with you. These bands tell everyone that.”
“They aren’t slave bands,” Christof said. “You thought about these; they are wedd-ing rings.”
I looked from one of them to the next and couldn’t get over the surprise. I wasn’t sure how they’d done this. Their memories told me. Men in the tunnels worked repairing metal weapons as they waited. Damien and his Brothers had asked to be taught the procedure and quietly made these with the same technology and scraps when they weren’t doing other things.
“My Brothers and I talked,” Damien shrugged, “we wish to let everyone know you are our mate, our only mate. This seemed a good way.”
Usually both parties in a marriage or mating would wear rings. I felt a little left out.
“I also only want you and your Brothers,” I told Damien firmly. If they were wearing rings, I wanted one too.
“We made you one,” Christof said sheepishly. “It is not a slave band and you can take it off if you no longer wish to be our mate.”