joining us for dinner tonight."
"Can we have sweet cake, Father? Dag likes it." Dev grinned.
"Yes, tonight we'll give Dag sweet cake." Ruffling his son's hair, he added, "After he eats his vegetables."
His sons groaned, made several gagging sounds and giggled.
Thorn chuckled. He enjoyed the time he spent with his sons. During the mornings, he supervised their lessons then later they spent the afternoons in the gymnasium. In between, they explored the starship. In the evenings, before he put them to bed they watched info-discs together.
They ran ahead of his to their quarters and entered first. He sent them to shower before he went into his bathing chamber, undressed and stepped into the small cubicle. Standing beneath the warm spray he thought about Daria.
Every night after his sons were asleep he went to her. She always waited for him in the darkened bed chamber with the sheet pulled up to her shoulders, hiding her body from him. He'd tried to pull it away from her and she'd held onto it. The first few times she'd tried that he'd made it clear that every time she did that she'd pay for it and then he'd played with her until she'd begged him for relief. Now she didn't even try to keep the covering. Instead as soon as he entered he pulled the covering away and she'd roll onto her back, raise up on one elbow. As he undressed he told her what he was going to do to her. By the time he joined her on the cool sheets she was always burning with fever and eager for his possession.
Thinking about her was arousing him so he switched the water to cold and stood beneath the hard spray. Angrily, he cursed himself, her and the fever they shared. Never again would he allow a female to make a fool of him. As soon as they reached Zarronia the Council would expect him to hand her over to them. He didn't know what to do about that. If the scientists were right they wouldn't be able to be away from each other for more than two cycles without suffering. He'd hand her over to the Council then stay the hell away from her. He'd take the chance that the scientists were wrong about how strong the bonding was at his level. He stepped out of the shower, roughly dried himself, and went into his bed chamber. While he dressed he heard Dane and Dev's voices from the kitchen while they prepared dinner. Their childish voices rang with excitement and their laughter filled the quarters. As he left his room the chime rang, signaling Dag and Ronin's arrival.
"You're right on time," he said. "The boys are preparing dinner."
"Great!" Dag replied, rubbing his stomach, gleefully. "That means we're having sweet cake for dinner."
Ronin laughed, and pounded him on the back. "Not, if I know Thorn. I'll wager you that we're have vegetables and lots of them. "
Thorn grinned. "We're having both."
Dane and Dev appeared in the dining area. Each of them carried two food trays. They walked slowly, carefully balancing the trays in their hands. When they reached the table, they slid them onto its surface and laughed. Thorn, Dag and Ronin went to help them.
Thorn picked up a tankard of ale and the fifth food tray while Dag took the glasses of juice for the boys and Ronin grabbed two more tankards of ale.
Once seated, the boys regaled their visitors with the things they'd done that cycle and their plans for the next cycle. Thorn absently listened to them while he ate letting them have this opportunity to visit with their mentors.
He knew Dag and Ronin had kept in close contact with his sons during his absence. He had yet to thank them for doing that. They'd taken his place, seeing to it that Dane and Dev always knew where he was and what he was doing. Shame overwhelmed him when he remembered how he'd kept them at a distance when they'd joined his crew. They'd always been loyal friends while he'd turned his back on not only them but his family and especially his sons.
After their birth the Council had sent him on a three annual mission while the uproar over Naline's
"Can we have sweet cake, Father? Dag likes it." Dev grinned.
"Yes, tonight we'll give Dag sweet cake." Ruffling his son's hair, he added, "After he eats his vegetables."
His sons groaned, made several gagging sounds and giggled.
Thorn chuckled. He enjoyed the time he spent with his sons. During the mornings, he supervised their lessons then later they spent the afternoons in the gymnasium. In between, they explored the starship. In the evenings, before he put them to bed they watched info-discs together.
They ran ahead of his to their quarters and entered first. He sent them to shower before he went into his bathing chamber, undressed and stepped into the small cubicle. Standing beneath the warm spray he thought about Daria.
Every night after his sons were asleep he went to her. She always waited for him in the darkened bed chamber with the sheet pulled up to her shoulders, hiding her body from him. He'd tried to pull it away from her and she'd held onto it. The first few times she'd tried that he'd made it clear that every time she did that she'd pay for it and then he'd played with her until she'd begged him for relief. Now she didn't even try to keep the covering. Instead as soon as he entered he pulled the covering away and she'd roll onto her back, raise up on one elbow. As he undressed he told her what he was going to do to her. By the time he joined her on the cool sheets she was always burning with fever and eager for his possession.
Thinking about her was arousing him so he switched the water to cold and stood beneath the hard spray. Angrily, he cursed himself, her and the fever they shared. Never again would he allow a female to make a fool of him. As soon as they reached Zarronia the Council would expect him to hand her over to them. He didn't know what to do about that. If the scientists were right they wouldn't be able to be away from each other for more than two cycles without suffering. He'd hand her over to the Council then stay the hell away from her. He'd take the chance that the scientists were wrong about how strong the bonding was at his level. He stepped out of the shower, roughly dried himself, and went into his bed chamber. While he dressed he heard Dane and Dev's voices from the kitchen while they prepared dinner. Their childish voices rang with excitement and their laughter filled the quarters. As he left his room the chime rang, signaling Dag and Ronin's arrival.
"You're right on time," he said. "The boys are preparing dinner."
"Great!" Dag replied, rubbing his stomach, gleefully. "That means we're having sweet cake for dinner."
Ronin laughed, and pounded him on the back. "Not, if I know Thorn. I'll wager you that we're have vegetables and lots of them. "
Thorn grinned. "We're having both."
Dane and Dev appeared in the dining area. Each of them carried two food trays. They walked slowly, carefully balancing the trays in their hands. When they reached the table, they slid them onto its surface and laughed. Thorn, Dag and Ronin went to help them.
Thorn picked up a tankard of ale and the fifth food tray while Dag took the glasses of juice for the boys and Ronin grabbed two more tankards of ale.
Once seated, the boys regaled their visitors with the things they'd done that cycle and their plans for the next cycle. Thorn absently listened to them while he ate letting them have this opportunity to visit with their mentors.
He knew Dag and Ronin had kept in close contact with his sons during his absence. He had yet to thank them for doing that. They'd taken his place, seeing to it that Dane and Dev always knew where he was and what he was doing. Shame overwhelmed him when he remembered how he'd kept them at a distance when they'd joined his crew. They'd always been loyal friends while he'd turned his back on not only them but his family and especially his sons.
After their birth the Council had sent him on a three annual mission while the uproar over Naline's
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