Fighting Syndrome (Stand Alone Tales Book 13) Read online

  He beamed and pulled himself to his feet, bowing gracefully.

  Ebra ruffled her son’s hair, and she asked, “Feeling stronger now?”

  “Yes, Mom. Thank you.”

  “Okay. Go play.”

  Ebra stood, and the nuns were nearby, a few had toys, and some of the younger ones were racing with the little people.

  Ebra returned to the mother superior and sat to resume their conversation. She had to feed two more children and break up one fight, but it was a good visit.

  “So, what do you see in their futures?” The mother superior smiled and offered her a biscuit.

  “The boys will be trained by the Sandmen and be pages in the Kiidar Imperium, the girls will get training from myself and Weller, and if they need it, they will be sent here. I know that my education here was invaluable and has provided me with the skills I needed to get through certain situations with my husband.”

  The mother superior chuckled. “So, he’s not dead then.”

  Ebra shook her head. “No. He is very much alive and in the orbiting ship. I have just wanted to visit you as we pass through your sector.”

  “Thank you for remembering your manners. Passing through a drake’s territory without stopping in for tea is very rude. Glad that your sense of propriety is intact.” The mother superior smiled, her crimson skin bright, and her fangs showing.

  “Well, I thought you should meet the little ones and see if any of them would run afoul of you in the future.”

  The mother superior chuckled. “Not them, not yet. Their siblings might be a little rough, but it is nothing that a few years here can’t fix.”

  Ebra exhaled in relief. “I just don’t want them to be spoiled brats.”

  “They won’t be as long as you keep teaching them like you are doing. That was a nice trick with the manifesting of the hairclip.”

  “He tries so hard he drains himself. I imagine he will constantly be flirting and offering flowers to his preferred partners when he is an adult.”

  “Or lingerie. You never know with a charmer like that, but Weller’s youngest has her heart set on him.”

  Ebra looked to the two little girls, the older one pretty and confident, the younger one sword fighting with the nuns. “Oh, that is going to be fun to watch.”

  “They are made entirely of possibilities, Ebra. Don’t forget that.” She chuckled. “Where is Weller?”

  “In the ship above. She can’t handle the acceleration for departure at her stage.”

  “Another one? What are the Altuin feeding you two?”

  They laughed together and continued their conversation until the three-year-old came up for some blood, and then, the eldest did the same. By the time Tonro was finished, it was time to leave.

  The nuns carried the children to the shuttle, and the mother superior patted them all on the head or stroked their cheeks. “You made some very pretty offspring, Ebra. Weller as well. I bet her family was shocked when she had girls.”

  Ebra snorted. There was no way that a Sandman should have generated a girl, let alone two, but contact with Amika Weller had produced two daughters that were definitely full-blooded Sandmen... women. It would make things difficult if she wanted to pursue Tonro, but if fate was on their side, she wouldn’t stand in their way.

  She had chosen her own mate when she was six; it looked like Kekka was just getting an early start.

  Author’s Note

  Whew. Another one. The next story is a little... differenty. The next three books are ménage and will intertwine, so they will be connected Stand-Alone Tales.

  Familiar with the Warlock is going to be up next and was actually completed and edited before this one was done, but this has to come out first because of reasons.

  So, if you don’t like ménage, skip the next three books, and then, I will be back to my regularly scheduled stuff.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

  In real life, she is now engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.