Crap. He knows I’m here.
“Piper?” He calls.
I try to ignore it, turning my awkward smile away from him.
The two tiny Mothmen crash into the human woman’s legs, giving her intense hugs, before they turn and race into the playground area.
It’s Ant’s family. It has to be.
The two females greet each other warmly with a kiss.
His sister and her mate and two babies. A niece and a nephew maybe?
I can’t stop staring. I’m such a jealous idiot. I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t be here. This is none of my business. I have to get out of here.
“Piper. Wait,” Ant calls as I turn to leave.
I pretend I don’t hear him, hurrying back the way I came. I freeze in place as his shadow passes over my head, and then he lands nearly silently in front of me.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
“Nothing!” I say brightly. “Just going for a walk.”
His antennae twist to the side, amused. “Were you following me?”
“I came to speak with you about leaving Cryptech.” I roll my shoulders back, trying to appear more confident.
His mouth twists into half of a grin. “You followed me here, from my house,” he reiterates.
“I saw you with that woman and—” I pause, and roll my eyes. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t wrapped up in another Tiffany situation.”
“You followed me to make sure I was safe.”
I’m a little annoyed with how pleased he looks.
“Fine. Yes,” I snap. “Are you happy? I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“Would you like to meet my sister?” he asks much more quietly. I glance back at the couple and the two tiny mothlings.
“Your sister? And the human woman is her mate?” There’s an uncomfortable pit of shame in my stomach. The woman I’ve been intensely jealous of for the past ten minutes is basically his sister-in-law. “I didn’t know they had kids.”
“They flew down a few days ago for the adoption. They are staying in town for the rest of the month, until the kids are big enough to make the flight themselves.”
“Adoption?” I ask, almost dumbfounded. They are so sweet together, and the kids are adorable. Tiny red eyes, fuzzy brown bodies, and little wings that don’t quite work yet. The cutest things I have seen in some time. “I thought Mothmen abandoned their young?”
“Maisie and her mate adopted them as eggs. The twins were left under an abandoned rail bridge. Maisie and Janelle wanted a family. Now, they don’t have to grow up alone. The way I did.”
My stomach twists. A family.
“They just hatched a few days ago.”
“A few days ago!” I can’t help laughing. “They are so big.”
“They’ll be large enough to fend for themselves soon. Mothmen have a shorter childhood, but a longer adolescence. We reach maturity roughly the same age that humans do.”
“Oof. They’ll be teenagers for two whole decades?” I ask with a smile.
“Something like that.” He laughs. “It’s just a different development cycle than humans.”
