Chapter 10

Damien PoV

I laughed and ruffled his hair. "Nope. Sorry, buddy. They've been gone for millions of years."

Toren pouted. "But Shelly said she'll take me to the zoo and see the real dinos!"

I glanced at Shelly and smiled. "Real dinos? Their only living relatives are birds. Gonna show Toren some penguins?"

"Pin-gwins?!" Toren's eyes sparkled.

Shelly chuckled. "Yes, Toren, we'll go to the zoo and see the penguins. Maybe a few other animals too."

"Yay!"

I smiled and ruffled his hair. I was glad Shelly had made that promise to him. He would have been devastated if she had told him there were no more dinosaurs.

"How about a story?" I asked, looking around. "Let's pick a book and read it."

Shelly smiled. "Okay."

"Story!" Toren cheered, jumping up and down.

We found a children's book and began reading it. It was a tale about a little boy who loved dinosaurs. The boy dreamed of traveling back in time and meeting his favorite dinosaur. One day, he was given the chance. He rode a dinosaur, fought evil robots, and saved the day.

Toren squealed, clapping his hands. "Boy and dino!"

I laughed. "That's right, little buddy. It was a fun story, wasn't it?"

Toren nodded, before letting out a yawn.

Shelly smiled. "Looks like it's past your bedtime, little bro."

"No," Toren pouted, folding his arms.

I copied him. "Yeah, naptime is lame. Let's keep reading."

Toren giggled and hugged me. "Damien best!"

Shelly glared at me. "Damien..."

"What? I'm just trying to help."

Shelly sighed. "You're a bad influence."

"But, a fun one."

"Yeah, but you're still a bad influence. Let's put him to bed."

"Aw," Toren pouted and crossed his arms.

"Come on, little bro," Shelly said, standing up. "I'll sing you a lullaby."

"Yay! Singing!"

"Do you need me to sing too?" I asked, grinning.

Shelly shook her head. "The screeching you call singing will scare him."

"Hey, I can sing."

Shelly rolled her eyes. "If by 'sing', you mean scream."

I gasped, putting a hand to my chest. "You wound me."

Shelly chuckled. "Sorry. But, it's the truth."

"Aw, don't be like that. Come on, let me sing with you. I'm not that bad."

She sighed. "Fine. Just don't scare him."

"Promise," I said, holding up my right hand.

She snickered. "Such a clown."

"Rawr!" Toren yelled, roaring at her.

She laughed and picked him up, carrying him to their bedroom. I followed behind.

"Ready?" she asked, once they were settled in the bed.

Toren nodded.

Shelly began to hum a gentle tune. I had never heard it before. It was a soft, sweet melody. I could almost imagine it being played on an instrument. It was a beautiful song.

"When the night is long, and you feel all alone,

Just remember that the sun will rise.

And, when the darkness falls, and you feel so afraid,

Just remember that the stars will guide your way.

So, don't give up. Don't let go.

Just remember that you're not alone.

I'll be with you, wherever you may go.

And, I will hold you close.

And, I will love you so.

So, don't give up. Don't let go.

Just remember that you're not alone."

By the time the song was over, Toren had fallen asleep.

"It worked," Shelly whispered.

"That was a beautiful song," I said, smiling.

She blushed. "Thanks."

"What's it called?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "My mother used to sing it to me. She said it was a lullaby from her mother."

I sighed as I thought of my late grandaunt, it would've been nice to hear her sing. "Well, it's lovely. Your mother must have been an amazing woman."

"She was," she said softly. "She was the best."

I glanced at her. Her eyes were filled with sadness. "Wait, I just realized, I didn't get to sing. Let me sing for you. To thank you."

She laughed. "Thank me?"

I nodded. "For easing my boredom."

She chuckled. "Sure. Go ahead. But, not too loud. Don't wake him up."

I cleared my throat and began to sing. I sang an old lullaby I had learned from my grandaunt. It was a traditional lullaby, but I had added a few of my own lyrics to it. It was a song about the moon and the stars, and how they watched over the child while they slept.

Shelly struggled to keep her eyes open. I laughed and stopped singing.

"Sleepy?" I whispered.

She nodded. "Yeah. I didn't realize how tired I was. It's been a long day."

"It has," I said. "I'm going to bed too. Goodnight, Shelly."

"Goodnight," she said, yawning.

I left the room, shutting the door behind me.

Zara stood there, smiling. "You're a nice singer. And, you're surprisingly good with children. It's like you were meant to be a parent or something. I'm surprised you haven't had any kids yet."

I shrugged. "Well, I never really had the opportunity. Or, the right partner."

Zara sighed. "True. Your cousin took the only woman you ever loved."

"Hey, don't say that. It's still possible to find love. I just have to be patient."

She nodded. "True. Still, I'm impressed. You were really nice with Shelly and Toren. I think you would make an excellent father. Better than any of the others in this family."

I grinned. "Thank you, Zara. That said, shouldn't you worry more about yourself?"

Zara blushed. "I'm not ready for kids yet. I'm not even married. Besides, I have my hands full with you. You're enough work."

I laughed. "Oh, come on. I'm not that bad."

She snickered. "You're a handful, Sir. A big handful."

I grinned. "Well, I'm glad I have you to help me out. Well, time to get some rest. Night, Zara. Thanks for the help today. You did a great job."

Zara bowed. "Of course, Damien. Goodnight."

I walked back to my room, yawning. Seemed Shelly's singing also made me drowsy. I flopped down on the bed and smiled. It had been a long and eventful day, but also very fun. Tomorrow promised to be even more entertaining.