Like the men I’d taken just a few things, enough to take the edge off of my hunger. My serving was quite small.


    “They’re right, Ciara,” Rose intoned from several bodies behind us, “we’ve missed too many meals thesest days. It isn’t good to starve yourself. The little one will suffer, especially this close to her birth.”


    I took a normal share and felt embarrassed doing so. The rest of the adults in the hall were obviously rationing. I could have kicked myself for getting pregnant. It really wasn’t a great time for it.


    Damien’s opinion on the matter was gruff. The pregnancy had not been nned as it should have been, but an alien invasion was not a foreseeable circumstance. There was no way any of us could have known this attack would happen. There was no reason for shame. My men agreed and I felt my embarrassment fade. We had done this but it wasn’t like we had done it intentionally.


    The next thought almost made meugh.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Next time we’d n the pregnancy and get permission first. If this was Kein’s child, Bane wanted one next. As soon as I was healthy enough for it anyway.


    I looked at my family around me and saw the thoughts in their eyes. They liked their big family. Seeing Hannah and Kennedy made them puff with pride. Aryn and his Brothers made them happy. Jonathan and his Brothers were their joy. More family with the woman they loved would make them very satisfied men.


    “Not until I’m healthy enough and these guys have to be older,” I said grabbing Bane’s chin and meeting his eyes. I couldn’t quite withhold the smile.


    The big man beamed at me in return. Next time the child was his, he was ecstatic. He’d wait as long as I wanted.


    A group of men finished at their table just as we left the line. They cleared their tes and wished us a good meal. Damien reciprocated for us and we settled down to eat.


    Mycah’s family was quiet at first. They watched everything and everyone in the hall, looking this way and that way. The curiosity seemed to be building in them and then Jonathan couldn’t take it anymore.


    “Why are there only two humans eating in here? Why is my female breeder human? Where do humanse from? Why does she look different? Why don’t you call her ‘it’? Why were we at thepound and not here?” burst out of his mouth suddenly and he looked quite ashamed.


    Mycah looked at Jonathan harshly, but Christof spoke gently. Apparently, little boys were discouraged from asking questions. The lead Brother was tasked with controlling his family and not letting them “lose control”, as the Child Keepers in thepound had called it. Christof wouldn’t let that sort of training prevail.


    “Questions and curiosity are important here,” he told the boys gently. “You should be able to learn about everything around you.”


    The boys turned to look back and forth between Evan and Damien. They felt a connection to Evan, but Damien was the lead Brother. This was an important decision as far as they were concerned. Christof’s opinion had to be confirmed by Damien.


    “Christof is right,” Damien said solemnly. “Learn about everything.”


    Evan nodded in agreement and seconded Damien’s opinion, questions were healthy.


    With that out of the way Christof exined as simply as he could about humans and where we came from. I was hesitant for him to exin very to them, but he didn’t falter. Damien’s family had bought me as a ve and then realized that was evil. I’d been freed and decided to stay with the family on my own.


    Once Christof was done speaking the boys seemed to be mulling over it all. They sat and ate in silence and we did the same. My men ate slowly savoring the little food on their tes and thepany of our children. A little hunger was a very eptable price to pay to have the family together.


    After the meal we walked through the crowds and made our way back to the ce we stayed. The boys followed Damien and me obediently and the rest of the family walked behind them. Our young charges were watching everything and everyone around us. It relieved me that our rooms were off the main thoroughfare. I’d worry less about the little ones wandering off to explore. I knew they were curious children.


    Men passed us heading for the transport storage area. They were armed and looked ready to fight.


    “Night patrols,” Damien exined, “we have young ones to watch at night. We will take day patrols. Those men are watching freed adults.”


    We turned off the main hall and walked into theplex of rooms where we stayed. It was usually quiet here with just a few men lounging around the central fire pit in front of all the rooms. Today it was crowded with men. Almost everyone had at least one family that were sharing their lodgings with them. They all became silent as they watched us enter.


    “There are no ves here,” Mund announced loudly to the assembled crowd. “Damien’s mate is with him and his Brothers by choice. We respect her and she respects us. This is a free female creature.”


    The men from the mountains and the men from thepounds seemed confused.


    Damien took the lead and spoke to the men. He talked about innate rights to freedom and how wrong very was. The authoritative voice settled the crowd and they listened intently. When he wanted to, Damien could be quitemanding. I wondered to myself how long it would be before he wanted to be an Administrator.


    Chairs were spaced around and lowered myself into one. Mycah’s little family looked at the men and then looked at me. I saw their gazes dart all over the ce. They were curious.


    “Those are our rooms,” I pointed them out. “You can go in there and look around. As long as you stay by us, you can look around out here, also.”


    Five heads turned to Evan in synchrony. Damien was busy talking and they needed to know if what I’d said was true.


    “Mama is family and you can listen to her,” Evan said firmly. “Go look around, but stay close.”


    The boys were gone in a sh to inspect our dwelling. As Damien talked, I sat with Christof and we watched the boys reemerge from our rooms. Mycah’s family started to check out themunity room. They found a pile of small rocks along the far wall and began to y with them.


    “What are they doing?” I asked quietly as they sat the rocks in very specific ces on the floor or cracked them together in the air.


    Kein walked over to stand by the boys and he knew exactly what they were doing. They were making sounds as they moved the rocks around. He recognized the noises they made. The boys were remembering the battle and recreating what they’d seen. They were ying it out with the rocks