HORNS (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 67

Chapter Sixty Seven

I ended up doing as Tiffany suggested and ordered pizza for lunch, making sure to get two boxes to sate our hearty appetites. I made sure that the second one was half veggie for Luka with meat lovers for the twins. I noticed that Echo seemed rather disgruntled and annoyed by the sudden swarm of company and even moreso at all the little fingers suddenly poking at him, but he responded amicably enough when the kids asked him why he was furry.

Aerin, on the other hand, was going absolutely fan-girl crazy over Luka, who seemed to puff up with pride and enjoy the attention as he was circled, poked, gasped over, and laughed about excitedly from someone who was obviously blown away by his appearance and his existence.

Aerin may have been turning eighty two in like a week, but his fascination with new supernatural creatures was something I would never get used to. His mind was constantly being blown since he'd never even seen another being in the underground until five years ago.

"Unka Fuzzy!" Rosie complained, tugging on my ears. "Apple sauce!"

"Okay, Baby Girl," I sighed, booping her nose with my own and digging around in her diaper bag for said apple sauce. Tiffany kept the baby's food in a little red zip-up cooler so she wouldn't have to eat warm snacks. After grabbing a small spoon and a cup of sauce, I sat her on my lap right there on the floor beside the couches and began to feed her. She, of course, was thrilled.

I heard the telltale musical number 'Under Da Sea' coming from the television and smiled, listening to the chatter of the twins as their focus shifted to Luka. He let out a weird sound and giggled wildly when Kim stubbornly instructed him to lie down on the floor. I raised an eyebrow and swiveled my right ear to listen better, but my thoughts were interrupted when someone touched my shoulder. I glanced back to see Aerin smiling at me through a curtain of sheer white. His blue eyes softened as he looked at me.

"How are you enjoying the bachelor life?" he asked, sliding around me so he could sit down on the floor. He folded his legs, hair pooling in his lap. "You've seemed out of it since we got here."

"Kinda," I admitted, feeding Rosie the last bite of her apple sauce. "I have a lot on my mind."

"I know how that feels," Aerin sighed, planting his hands on the carpet to brace his weight as he leaned back, head going limp as he stared at the ceiling. "I've been super worried about Richard and Diana. Cassidy's arms have already healed up and everyone else is fine, but we got lucky."

"How?" I asked, because I didn't understand that. "Hundreds of them attacked, right? How the hell did you guys manage to survive?"

"It was only thanks to the dragons that we got out of there alive," Aerin told me, lowering his eyes to stare at me. "Tiffany, Woody, and the kids were at their cottage up in the mountains with Louise and Leo when the attack happened. You, Jun, and Jak were here. The rest of us were back home, including your packmates... but see, the freaky thing is, they came after us."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they tore through the windows and came through walls but completely ignored a lot of people in our home until they found us, huddled together in Richard's room," he whispered, lowering his voice anxiously. "They only attacked us at first. If it hadn't been for Huang, who not only ripped half of them to pieces with his teeth and claws but also smashed the wall in to curl around us, we'd have all died. Its the second time someone came at Bash with a knife and the second time I jumped in to stop it. This time I had some supernatural strength on my side so I got off with a few small cuts, but it could have been so much worse..."

"How's Diana?" I asked, worried.

"She's hurting like crazy," he mumbled sadly. "She can't move around much, but she's taken up knitting to pass the time. You know how she and Cassidy are when it comes to designing clothes."