“I long to see my baby boy,” she said softly.


    “You absolutely will,” Dara said as Mycah snoozed on herp. “Hannah and her Sister are championing your cause. They are being quite persistent about it.”


    “It is politically correct,” Eve said in Paterian, but I caught the modern English meaning. “It will probably get them loads of attention for their selfless devotion to the freedom cause.”


    “Selfless…” Kennedy repeated softly, rolling her eyes and I saw her Sisters agree with her.


    Damien raised a brow at the girls’ tone, but I understood. Kennedy and her Sisters just did not have political ambitions. Hannah must be being quite vocal about reuniting the human women with their offspring. It was a noble thing to do, but obviously had some secondary gain for Hannah and Ra.


    I shook my head and smiled at Kennedy. My girls were day and night different. I wondered how this little girl in my belly would be and my hand drifted over my stomach.


    “They will be healthy and strong, Mama,” Dara said looking at where my hand was. “I think you will be surprised at how powerful T’vailk women are. I am sure they are d their family is close again. T’vailk women feel a powerful drive to be close to family… at least they used to.”N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    The girls agreed and started to discuss the uniqueness of this event. Hodlen and his Brothers had some thoughts about what T’vailk women would be like and shared that. None of the rest of us knew much about the history of this particr race of women. They had literally disappeared when the men went to thepounds.


    I was d they’d be strong, though. Smiling at Dara’sment I felt the movement under my hand. Suddenly all of what she’d said struck me.


    “What do you mean ‘they’?” I asked as my eyes shot wide.


    Kennedy and her Sisters looked surprised.


    “Women of the T’vailk mountains are born with their Sister or Sisters,” Dara said. “They are always born in groups of two or three…”


    “Didn’t we tell you that?” Kennedy asked furrowing her brow.


    I shook my head mutely and understood now why I was sorge. This was not a singleton pregnancy.


    Kein’s happy shout rocked the room as all the men congratted him. I had tough at the goofy look on his face. He startled Molly when he approached us and kissed me deeply. The man could not have received better news.


    The little boys barely opened an eye as the men celebrated loudly. Kein and I had been blessed by The Great Harmonious Spirit. We would have more than one child and he was thrilled. Anticipation at meeting our new female offspring rocketed to a new high.


    My men talked happily about how much they nned to enjoy this new family. No Nu-reeh to stop us from bonding and force the men away. Kein could be there as his girls got stronger. He would be the first Brother to be able to care for his female offspring.


    It wasn’t muchter when I started to feel as sleepy as the boys. Damien took that as a sign that perhaps the children and me should be in bed. I agreed with him wholeheartedly.


    Hodlen’s family helped and we stripped the little ones of their boots and daytime clothing. They whined and fussed as they were moved. The boys were cranky when their sleep was disturbed. After the boys were undressed, we wrapped their waists in sleeping shifts and settled them on the bed together. Once they were all piled under the covers, Mycah’s family fell back to their dreams and became peaceful again. The sleep tonight would hopefully finish letting them heal.


    “You really should rest, too,” Molly said softly standing and watching the boys. “I remember how tired I was at the end…”


    Molly and the other families retreated to our main room and I stayed in the sleeping chamber with my boys. After closing the drape between the two rooms, I stripped myself and put on my nighttime shift. I’d made this one myself and thought I had been very creative. It had a series of ties down the front. Once my girls were born I could tighten it over my stomach and loosen it at the top to expose one breast at a time. For now the outfit was loose over my belly and tied securely over my breasts.


    Laying down with Mycah’s family I realized how good I felt about myself. I’d gone from free to ve and survived. Then I’d gone from ve to almost free. In thest many moons I’d learned to be totally free again and now I took care of myself. Through all the changes and stress I had maintained my sanity. Reaching out I stroked the little snoring family in front of me and fell deeply asleep.


    It was the middle of the night when I woke again. The men had tied the drape between the rooms open. The fire pit had been left to burn for warmth and cast a soft glow in here. It was dim in the sleeping chamber, but I could see Rynal, Aiden’s breeder, asleep just beyond the boys, in front of me. Not surprisingly Aiden wasying by Rynal’s head with his hands wrapped in the man’s hair. Behind me I felt my family restingfortably.


    The bed was warm and I was very cozy, but my dder would not be denied. I rose as quietly as I could and tiptoed into the main room. The belt with my weapons hung near the main entrance to our living space and I quietly slipped it on. I was just putting on my boots when I heard a noise behind me and turned.


    “Why are you awake?” Mycah asked loudly. “The moons aren’t set and it isn’t time to be up, yet.”


    The young family was standing and staring at me. They were as bright and awake as I’d ever seen them. The observant, nosy little boys had heard me get up and followed.


    “I drank water before bed and now I need to go release it,” I exined in a quiet voice. “Go back to the bed with your male breeders. I’ll be back in a moment.”


    I saw them thinking and then Jonathan and Rees were putting their hands over their private parts. I’d seen that gesture on Earth. The power of suggestion was too much and now the little boys needed to use the pot, too.


    “Get your boots,” I sighed. “We’ll all go use the pot and then go back to bed.”


    I helped the little ones with their foot wear and felt Damien’s family in my mind. Assuring them all was well, I walked through our leather drape into the central area where the men congregated. The room with thecquered pots was close to our rooms. It waste and I expected we would be the only ones out here. We were not.


    Three families sat morosely around themunal fire pit in the central area. From their dress it was easy to tell they’d been Warriors at one of thepounds. They must be particrly stressed to still be up at this time of night. I knew Paterians like their routines. This wasn’t when these men should be up if they weren’t on guard duty.


    Mycah’s family followed me but started to go toward the men. They were always curious, but this seemed like a bad time. I reached down and grabbed Mycah’s hand to pull him with me.


    “Come with me, boys,” I said in amanding tone. “Leave them alone and let them talk. We are using the pots and then going back to bed.”