I should have known nothing about me was a secret on this world. I had three messages on the pad. Kennedy sent love and congrattions and so did Hannah. They’d heard of the sessful birth while they traveled. A boy with Evan’s talent made a strong family. Jonathan was already quite celebrated.


    The third message was under Kennedy’s ount, but it was not from my girls.


    Damien and his Brothers crowded around the pad to read the message. Tyle and his Brothers had escaped. Bane’ssonwas living free beyond the mountains.


    The young men thanked Damien and his Brothers for the education they had been given. Living outside thepound was very difficult. It would have been harder if they had known less.


    “Men approached us,” Tyle wrote, “as we were on one of our first solo patrols. They told us Hannah had sent them. We remembered what you had told us and we went with them willingly. They made it looked like we had fought them, though. The men ruined our transport from thepound, so it appeared we had battled.”


    My men were shocked how close to thepound the bandits came. Young Warriors were never sent very far. Tyle exined how the bandits used a series of underground tunnels to reach them. They had transports built that ran in the hidden spaces. The transports that ran underground were different from the ones above. Tyle told us they ran on something called ore. It was a harrowing ride to freedom deep beneath the surface of the.


    Aryn sent his thanks to Bane and stated he wished to see him again. He told us his family missed the instruction from Damien’s family. The boys had never met men that treated them as Damien and his Brother’s did. Aryn looked forward to being together with us again.


    Jonathan started to fuss after we’d read the message through for at least the fifth time. Evan handed me the tiny bundle and stroked his back.


    “We will save you, too,” he promised the baby. “You will not die this way.”


    Jonathan grew quickly sequestered in our mountain home. The first lunar cycle was the worst, because he had no order to his sleep and wake cycles. He slept a great deal in the day and wanted to be awake at night.


    To be honest, I got the feeling Jonathan liked to be around Evan. He was always more lively and animated when his male breeder held him. My little boy knew exactly who he belonged to.


    Despite understanding Jonathan, his schedule was still frustrating. My family’s devotion was something I was unfailingly grateful for. The men had no issue taking turns at night to rock and hold the infant. When I’d had all I could take and needed to rest, they took over his care.


    The men became good at recognizing Jonathan’s sounds. They would cajole and rock him pacing the area by the pool. When the noises meant hunger, they’d bring him to me straightaway.


    Evan never had an issue with caring for Jonathan. If the boy kept him up all night, he didn’t really care. He’d do whatever was necessary to keep his little one happy and well. We all noted Evan’s devotion and the bond that seemed to form between he and hisson. In my heart I loathed the day Jonathan would be taken from us.


    Rose and Fuji helped to entertain the infant and keep him happy during the day, once he finally was more awake then. His happiness was Nu-reeh’s most important goal. When he screamed more often than not she appeared to ensure he was treated well. I felt I was under amicroscope.


    The scrutiny worried me at first, but I soon rxed. Nu-reeh had no desire to bring me any harm. I fed Jonathan from my body and was his sole source of nourishment. I was as important as the young boy she already imed, at least while he needed me.


    My health and well being were still a priority. She watched what I ate and what I did every day. The men still came and watched me swim every day. It was much like when I waspregnant.


    Also like during thepregnancy, my contact with my daughters was limited after Jonathan’s birth. The girls had to ask permission to see us and Jonathan could not go out into the mines. My girls visited in our area for specified amounts of time. I knew Nu-reeh monitored us.


    Nu-reeh had given the girls instructions. Jonathan could touch them if he wanted, but they were never toy a hand on him. He was virtual royalty in our little world.


    Jonathan crawled over the girls and tasted their fur. When they satIndian stylehe liked to settle in the warmth of theirps and sleep. My littlesonadored his birth sisters and squealed with joy whenever they came to visit.


    Not surprisingly, my girls were still at it. When they physically came to see me, they couldn’t say much. The messages on the pad I got from them told me what they were doing to help the freedom effort.


    As they traveled around they did different jobs, usually reconnaissance, for the rebel leaders. Hannah was also involved in rescues from thepounds. Just from the way she told me stories I knew she protected the men fiercely.


    I didn’t know exactly how human children grew, but I knew about Paterians. Much like his sisters Jonathan started to try to walk after his first moon. By that time, he finally wanted to sleep when the men did and wanted to wake when the moons sat. It was relieving to sleep at night, but walking brought new challenges to us.


    Nu-reeh kept him well dressed as his needs changed. The day he started to stand she had little pants sent for him. As soon as the clothing got tight on his growing body, the right size was sent. She was very attentive to his needs.


    Those strange big eyes began to look slightly more normal as he grew. His face seemed to grow around them. The long blonde hair framed his face, making him look almost angelic. He was a markedly handsome little man.


    There were issues, though, and things I would never have considered I could screw up. Inadvertently I slowed his ability to speak. I sang to him and spoke around him inEnglish. I didn’t do it to be rebellious, I was just used to Hannah and Kennedy, who knew bothnguages.


    For instance, when I knitted Jonathan was enthralled by the movement of the needles. He’d watch them carefully for a time and then reach out to grab them. What usually happened after that was a tug of war as half a morning’s worth of knitting fell apart.


    “Gimme,” I’d say inEnglish,ughing at his antics, “mine, not yours.”


    Jonathan learned the words from me quickly. When he started to babble it was a blend. Some of the words were Paterian and someEnglish. Only Rose and I could truly understand the strange mixture of words and phrases that he started to use.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Nu-reeh was displeased at hisnguage, but gruffly informed me it would be fixed at the Child Keepers. I swallowed the tears I wanted to shed and merely thanked her. Hannah and Kennedy would free my baby boy. One day he could speak anynguage he wished.


    By the time the child had passed three moons, he could have been termed a devil. He was curious and strong. Evan brought him toys and he dismantled them. He threw his blocks and bent his puzzle pieces. His favorite trick was to drop things into the pool and watch them sink. Shiny stones the men brought him to y with were perfect for that. All in all, I could barely keep up with him.


    Evan feared for the boy around the water and taught him to swim. It wasn’t so much a lesson as a way to alleviate our fears. As it turned out, Jonathan had no fear of water and swimming in it came naturally to him. As soon as he was allowed to swim he’d swim down to the bottom and collect the things he’d thrown into the pool. Of course all he did was toss them back in to retrieve again. He’d y that game all day if I allowed him.