Gino placed the last plate into the dishwasher, closed the door, turned the machine on before leaving the kitchen and making his way into his room.
Once there, Gino's eyes wandered to the two occupants in his room; walking up to it, he gently placed a small kiss on the both of them; at his gentle touch, the egg that Gino delivered wiggled side to side for a few seconds before coming still once more.
"That's right, I love you so much. Hurry up and hatch already the both of you so I can hold you in my arms," chuckled Gino.
As Gino was about to get up from his spot beside the crib, the door of his bedroom opened; Doris leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest; turning his head, Gino looked at his grandma and smiled before he spoke.
"Grandma, how was your date? Did you have a good time?"
"What could two old people do to have a good time these days?"
"What do you mean, didn't you go out for dinner, take a nice stroll around town looking at the scenery as you both hold hands? You know things like that."
"Ugh, those kinds of things, I will leave it to the younger generation; what about you? How was your night."
"It was quiet; I didn't do much."
"And how are you holding up? Are you alright?"Gino looked at her without replying as tears gathered in his eyes; not wanting to show weakness in front of his hatchlings, Gino walked out of the room, followed by Doris, who let a small sigh before turning to follow her grandson.
Doris entered the living room and saw Gino sitting on the sofa with his legs curled from underneath him.
"Gino baby, it will be alright; I don't think he meant to hurt you," said Doris, coming to sit beside Gino while gently rubbing his back
Gino did not respond to his grandma, letting his tears flow out before accepting the tissue his grandma gave him; wiping his eyes and nose, Gino put his leg down and turned to face his grandma before speaking.
"I know, Grandma; he didn't say those things to mean it; he was feeling helpless as the man that he trusted, the man that is a brother to him, was lying motionless on the ground. If the roles were reversed, I would lash out at Valerio too. I feel useless, Grandma. I wish I were strong enough to protect myself and our child. I wish I were strong, like Valerio. I feel more like a burden than a fated mate to him."
"Gino, honey, don't say things like that. If Valerio were here, he would be upset if he discovered how much you look down on yourself. Valerio loves you, for better or worse; if you and him have faith in one another, I'm sure everything will turn out alright."
"Mm", replied Gino, leaning on his grandma's shoulders like he used to when he was a small child.When he was younger, other children would tease and bully him once they knew he did not have parents. Every time he got bullied, he would come home crying to Grandma. It had taken Doris a good amount of talking to settle and calm Gino; it was easy to know when she had succeeded as he would lean on her shoulder and fall asleep from all the crying he had done.
After leaving the supermarket, Gino headed to the nearby lake, knowing that his grandma would not need the ingredients to cook dinner for another hour. Standing at the lake's pier, Gino looked into the crystal clear lake water, seeing his reflection staring back at him.
Sitting down on the edge of the pier, Gino turned his head to see a few young teenagers jumping into the cold water. Gino watched as one of the teenagers splashed water at his friends, resulting in them cussing at him. One friend tried to grab him, but he dodged and swam further into the lake.
A smile broke out on Gino's face as he continued to watch the younger teenagers play in the water.
After sitting for some time, Gino got up from his spot and stretched his arms before grabbing the bag beside him; walking along the lakeside, Gino came to a much quieter part of the lake. Enormous trees grew all around, providing a nice shady and private spot away from onlookers.
Gino stood enjoying the nice breeze on his face when his body suddenly twirled around, making him drop the bag he was holding and hitting a tree truck. Gino opened his eyes and was about to shout at whoever it was that had caused him a minor heart attack.
Gino looked up; the words he wanted to spew out of his mouth moments ago had been stuck in his throat, making him swallow his saliva."You..."
"I'm sorry."
Gino put his head down, not knowing what to say; a few seconds later, his face was lifted, and warm lips descended on his soft lips.
Valerio deepened the kiss as he pushed Gino further into the large tree truck, giving him no room to escape.
Once Gino's face flushed red, Valerio broke the kiss and spoke after gently giving Gino a gentle peck on his abused red lips.
"I'm sorry I have caused you pain."
"You yelled at me."
"I'm sorry."
"You even pushed me away; it scared me. I thought that deep down, you found me a nuisance.."
"I'm truly, deeply sorry; I swear that if there ever comes a day that I lay my hands on you again, thunder will strike me where I stand," said Valerio, his palm out mid-air, looking at the sky.
"No need to go to such great lengths for me, I believe you", answered Gino, grabbing Valerio's hand that was still up in the air.
Valerio looked down at Gino and kissed his forehead, bringing the more petite man into his embrace and hugging him.
The couple stayed in each other embrace under the privacy of the large trees around them for a few more minutes before Valerio pulled Gino away from him and spoke.
"Baby, listen, I need to keep you safe, and I can't do that if you are not by my side; let us head back; the sooner, the better."
"Are we still being attacked?"
"Yes. Those hunters were able to find our villa with Cherry's help. She was the only other person that knew about that place."
"But Cherry is..."
"Dead. Yes, I know she was the one who gave Nick the layout of the villa when they collaborated to take me down. The attack this time is to finish what they started."
"But with Cherry and Nick gone, who is behind the attack this time.."
"It's the son of the head hunter that I clashed with all those years ago; he is the one taking charge of everything. He is finishing what Nick had started all those years ago.
Realisation dawned on Gino.
"Tony, he is the one behind this."
"Yes, during the attack at the villa, he managed to escape with heavy injuries; the last couple of weeks, I have been trying to pinpoint his location but with no luck. I need to get you and our baby to safety before anything else happens."
"Valerio, wait; if I'm there, it will make things harder for you.."
"I don't understand.."
"Just hear me out; Tony will know that I am where you are; it would make it easier for him to get to you, knowing that the one thing that could kill you is within his reach."
"No, I am not leaving you unprotected.."
"But I will be protected. I have your dragon gem, our babies, and most importantly, he would not think I will be at a different place; he would assume that I'm with you."
Valerio did not speak for long, making Gino look up at him. A faraway look could be seen in Valerio's stoic expression.
"Valerio"
"Mn"
"Are you alright?"
With a heavy sigh, Valerio answered.
"I will listen to your request on the condition that I have you guarded around the clock and that you listen to my every command. Only then will we have a deal."
"Mhm"
"Alright, let's go", replied Valerio, grabbing a hold of Gino's hands and leading him towards Doris' house.