“It was no hardship. We don’t know who our father is,” Dima stated. “And our mother was a crazy bitch who tried to kill us.”
“Several times,” Dorian added. “It happens a lot on Helix.”
Lyrica didn’t know how to respond to that horrible reality.
“I’m taking my mate’s last name,” Harris announced from across the table. “I am officially Harris Cloudspear now. Wow, that sounds pretty damn cool.”
“You honor me,” Alden murmured, sharing a look of love with his mate as they linked hands. He cleared his throat, then said, “As rulers of the Southern Isle, the Snowden name has a long history that must be preserved.”
She squeezed Gabriel’s hand and reached for him through their bond. “Don’t listen to him. We don’t have to decide this right now if—”
He leaned over and brushed his lips over hers. “As much as I hate admitting I agree with Alden about anything, he’s right. This is important to you, so I’m happy to claim your name as my own. I’ll still be a Titan, but I will also be a Snowden.”
“Titan Snowden. I like it.”
“So do I.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Does that make us royalty now, too?” Vaughn asked hopefully.
Koric laughed. “Keep dreaming, son.”
Vaughn grinned at his father, then focused back on his brother. “Have you done any tests yet?”
Gabriel frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Dude, you’ve suddenly sprouted wings, and you’re as big as a cargo freighter. How fast can you fly? Can you lift a space cruiser with your bare hands? Are you afraid you might crush Lyrica if you rolled onto her while you’re—”
“Vaughn,” Poppy chided, reaching around her mate to smack her younger brother on the back of his head.
“What?” The youngest Titan did his best to look innocent as he rubbed the sore spot. “I was going to say while they were sleeping.”
“Sure, you were,” his sister said dryly.
Vaughn rolled his eyes. “You know you were wondering the same thing.”
Dima chuckled. “Yeah, but we didn’t say it out loud.”
“Gabriel does worry, so we—”
“That’s enough of that,” he growled, placing his hand over Lyrica’s mouth. “We don’t need to share info about our sex life with them.”
“I was just trying to assure them you are always thinking of my safety, even when we are making love…or sleeping.”
“You were just trying to drive me crazy.”
“That, too.” He jerked in surprise when she licked his palm. “Is it working?”
“Do that again, and I will put that tongue to a different use.”
“Promises, promises.”
He growled and removed his hand, kissing her hard. The rest of the table ignored them as the conversation continued.
Harris stroked his chin. “We haven’t tested our abilities, but doing some tests isn’t a bad idea.”
“True,” Alden agreed. “We haven’t gotten a chance to fight or train in these new forms yet. And since we now have increased speed and strength, it would be useful to evaluate our abilities.”
“We could help with that.” Dima rubbed his hands together. “We’ve never seen what a Xenon can do, and I bet you’ve never fought a Helios in shifted form before.”
“I’d like to join in, but all of you would definitely kick my ass. Ivan can help, though.” Vaughn gestured toward his friend. “He’s a half human, half Krytos hybrid who can shift into battle form.”
“I like sparring,” Ivan said, speaking the first words since he had arrived. The young male’s voice was so deep, the rumble of sound seemed to shake all of the glasses on the table.
Alden smiled, and his face lit up with anticipation. “I’ve never trained with a Krytos or a Helios before. This sounds like great fun.”
“No fighting near my flowers,” Hazel warned, wagging a finger at them.
“Of course, not.” Alden bowed his head to her. “We would never bring harm to your lovely garden.”
Hazel beamed at him, then winked over at Harris. “I really like your mate.”
“So do I.”
“We could use the south field out back since we haven’t replanted it yet,” Dima suggested.
“Good idea. We won’t have to worry about destroying anything out there.” Dorian glanced over at Gabriel. “What has the reaction been like from your officers? If you intimidated them before, they must be absolutely terrified of you now.”
“I haven’t been in the office the last few days, so I don’t know how everyone will react.”
For days, Gabriel and Lyrica had spent most of their time locked away in the bedroom together. They ventured out into the common areas to order meals through the food console or to retrieve the other items they’d had delivered. But other than Harris and Alden, they hadn’t really seen anyone else. Their visit to his parents’ house was the first time they had stepped foot out of their suite.
“You’re a good influence on him, Lyrica,” Hazel commended. “I can’t remember the last time Gabriel took any time away from work.”
“According to Nina, the rumors are spreading,” Harris told them. “Our officers heard about what happened to Gabe in the docking bay and are prepared to flee in fear when he returns.”
“No one has seen you since you’ve transformed either, mate,” Alden pointed out as he lifted his wine glass.
“You’re right.” Harris snickered. “That should make things interesting when we go back to work.”
“Are you going back to work?” Poppy asked. “I mean, if Lyrica is ruler of an island back on Xenthian, shouldn’t you both be there? Or are you going to split your time between both worlds?”
“That should go over real well with the regents,” Dima said sarcastically. “A few of those assholes already had a problem with you being a hybrid when
