Free [Psy-Changeling 10.7] Naya's Most Important Visitors by Nalini Singh Page B

her arms. “Let me cuddle Naya for a second. I think my monsters want a hug from you.”
    Sascha passed Naya to the caring arms of the woman who’d helped her and Lucas’s precious baby be born. Her lap was immediately filled with little boy. Smiling, she cuddled them close. The moment lasted half a minute before they scrambled off to run outside to play in the trees.
    When they ran back in five minutes later, while Sascha was sipping the hot chocolate Tammy had poured her in lieu of coffee, Naya cradled in the crook of Lucas’s arm, both were in leopard cub form.
    “Boys.” Nate’s tone made them freeze, Roman with one paw raised off the wooden floor, Julian with his tail arched. “Did you take off your clothes before you shifted?”
    Identical guilty looks, their eyes a stunning green-gold in this form.
    Groaning, Tamsyn said, “There go two pairs of brand new jeans.” She scowled but it held no heat. “I ought to dress you both in potato sacks.”
    Apparently realizing they weren’t in too much trouble today, the cubs ran over to jump up on the sofa and nuzzle their mom in apology. Tamsyn kissed their furry faces, while Nate shook his head, amused affection in his eyes. “You’ll have to go through this, too,” he said to Lucas and Sascha. “They’re so good about learning other things, but the clothes keep catching them out.”
    Sascha grinned at Lucas. “I can’t wait to see Naya shift.”
    “Me too.” Lucas’s grin was as deep as her own. “I have a feeling she’ll be a panther, too.”
    Having had a play-fight with their father in the interim, the twins ran over to jump up on the arms of the chair where Lucas sat. Perching carefully on either side, they sniffed at Naya, patted her with their paws—claws carefully sheathed—then jumped back down to curl up beside their parents.
    Where Julian shifted in wild sparks of color, his face a scowl. “She’s  still  sleeping!”
    “I’m afraid she’ll sleep a lot for a while,” Sascha told him, the love she felt for these two boys who’d shown her joy before she’d ever imagined she might have a right to it, an ache in her heart. “You’ll have to be patient.”
    Cuddled up against Tamsyn, Julian looked at his brother. Roman made a small growling sound. Julian growled back, then turned to Sascha, conversation apparently completed. But before he could tell her what had been decided, Naya opened her mouth on what sounded like a tiny,  tiny  baby growl.
    Instantly on alert, Roman ran over to jump on the chair arm again while Julian shifted before joining his brother. Where two pairs of green-gold leopard eyes looked into one pair of bright green, the moment frozen in time. Then Julian patted at Naya’s fisted hand with a careful paw. The baby reached out, clutched at him.
    Julian huffed in laughter as Roman nuzzled the baby’s face. Naya sneezed, making Julian laugh so hard he fell off the chair arm, while his brother jerked back...then touched her with his paw. This time, the baby got a bit of his fur in her tiny grip. He could’ve easily pulled away, but he didn’t, curling up against Lucas instead.
    Scrambling up to his former position, Julian licked at the baby’s other hand. Instead of being frightened, Naya’s lips curved in a baby smile. Linked as she was to their child on the mental plane, Sascha could feel her contentment, her sense of safety. Naya knew she was with Pack.
    Tamsyn shook her head. “Watch out,” she warned. “Your Naya is going to be led off the straight and narrow as soon as she can crawl.”
    Nate took his mate’s hand, brought it to his mouth and pretended to bite. “Careful what you say about my cubs.”
    Leaning into his embrace, Tamsyn said, “Where do you think our children got it from, Nathan Ryder? Hmm?”
    Nate squeezed her. “In that case, Naya won’t need any help. Luc pulled some pretty spectacular stunts of his own as a kid.” A raised eyebrow. “Didn’t I once have to fish you naked out