Chapter 153: Kidnap (1)
The pheromone’s fading effect suddenly flared up again. Gara gave a smug little smile and almost like a challenge to Madha.
The tall man leaned in once more, brushing quick kisses across Gara’s face before ending with a soft, lingering sip of the beautiful man’s lips in his arms.
A shiver ran through Gara. His hand lifted, about to touch Madha’s face but stopped midway.
His babies! He suddenly remembered them, especially little Ava, who was probably still crying in the room.
"The children," Gara murmured, snapping Madha back to his senses.
Reluctantly, Madha released him, though his eyes lingered with unspoken longing. "I’ll go cool off with a cold bath first, then I’ll help you watch over them."
Gara nodded. He figured Madha would be a while. He didn’t just need a bath, but... other things, too.
He slipped back into the bedroom, only to be greeted by Ava’s cries once again.
Without hesitation, Gara scooped up his youngest. Then he glanced at Rea’s three children. "Keep an eye on them, alright? If anything happens, tell my mother. If she’s busy, come find me."
The three little white squirrel-kin nodded all at once.
Leaving the room, Gara found the front room empty, except for the shards of a broken jar still scattered beside the table.
Strangely enough, there were five adults living in this house, yet somehow there were still gaps. Even something as simple as sweeping up glass.
But Gara couldn’t take care of it yet either. He’d do it later, after he returned.
For now, the most important thing was keeping Ava from crying.
She was the most sensitive of his children when it came to absorbing nature’s energy from the trees. Oddly enough, she also showed the least signs of being a druid.
Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead just beside her tiny horns, Gara whispered, "You really are Daddy’s little treasure."
He quickened his pace as he stepped outside, heading toward the thicker trees. Once among the greenery, he activated his Woodland Camouflage.
Ava’s cries still echoed faintly, but their bodies were hidden from sight. The farther they went, the softer her crying became.
Finally, Gara stopped at the spot where they usually brought the triplets, a good distance from the village, though not deep enough into the mountains to be dangerous.
Still cloaked in camouflage, Gara stiffened at the sound of low growls. Wild beasts.
Luckily, Ava had quieted down. So he stayed still, watching.
A pack of wolves emerged, noses to the ground and the air, sniffing intently.
Gara’s chest tightened in sudden panic.
Della’s pheromones. They must still be clinging to his body.
How foolish. He hadn’t washed, and now he’d brought Ava out like this, putting her life in danger.
But his panic only lasted a moment. Five wolves were no real threat to him.
Shifting Ava in one arm, Gara raised his free hand and made a cutting motion. Five Water Slashes shot forward, each striking the throat of a wolf.
In a single strike, they fell. Their hides were far thinner than the bull he’d taken down before.
Once certain Ava was done absorbing the wood energy, Gara wasted no time. He hurried back home, wary of more wolves lurking nearby.
When he stepped into the room again, Wina had returned. She was holding Arion, who was awake but clearly unsettled.
"Mom, I’m going to wash up first. After that, I’ll take Arion and Aldwin," Gara said quickly before rushing back out.
Meanwhile, Arion began to sniffle, the kind of sound that meant he was seconds away from crying.
The little one—nearly two months old—wasn’t even soothed anymore by Pandy’s soft white fur. The squirrel’s gentle touch had always lulled him to sleep before, but not this time.
A moment later, the bedroom door opened. It wasn’t Gara who stepped in, but Madha, his hair still damp.
"Is Arion crying, Auntie?" Madha asked, glancing at the restless baby.
"Madha, come with me to the back. I think Gara will be a while in the bath," Wina said.
Madha nodded. After checking that the other two babies weren’t crying and leaving Becky and Taly to watch them, he followed Wina outside with Arion in her arms.
Just as they stepped out, a voice called from the front of the house.
They turned to see one of the guards standing there. "There’s a package for Sir Gara."
"A package for Gara? That must be the one he’s been waiting for from Hilda." Wina’s eyes lit up as she remembered the cloak Gara had mentioned.
"This package came from town, and the courier can’t leave until it’s handed over. One of you will have to take it," the guard explained.
"I’ll go," Madha volunteered. It wasn’t right for Wina to go while holding Arion. "Wait for me, Auntie. I’ll be back soon."
With that, he left with the guard. Wina turned to reenter the house, but Arion’s soft sniffles turned into a low cry.
"Oh no. If I let this go on, he’ll start wailing. The last thing we need is the whole village hearing him," she muttered.
So instead, Wina hurried toward the mountain path, with Pandy scampering at her side. She had walked this trail many times before with one of the triplets in her arms.
Never once had they encountered wild beasts. And with druid blood running through the children, it kept wild beasts from approaching them.
At least, that’s what she believed.
Confident in that thought, Wina picked up her pace through the thick trees. Arion stopped crying but still squirmed in discomfort. She decided to stop there, unwilling to go any farther.
Only seconds passed before Pandy suddenly leapt onto her shoulder, squeaking sharply.
Wina frowned. She couldn’t tell if the squirrel was excited... or panicked.
Not knowing what it meant, she decided to turn back.
But she only managed a single step before something heavy struck her head. A clump of earth hurled from above. Her body crumpled instantly.
Arion didn’t fall to the ground with her. Instead, a floating mound of soil caught him midair and lifted him gently.
From between the trees, a tall, muscular man emerged. He reached down and took the baby wrapped in blankets.
Pandy squeaked in alarm and lunged at the man’s leg, but the stranger swatted him away with another strike of earth.
The tiny squirrel’s body was sent tumbling, hitting the trunk of a tree.
...