A Cold Wind Blows (Forgotten series, #3)

Chapter 11: Part 2

"Yer back!" Graham grabbed me around the waist as I deposited the bags on the counter. "I'm hungry! What's for lunch?"

"Your incessant questions irritate me." I removed his arms from around me and moved him away only to have Caden grab onto my pant leg. "Go away, child." I gave him a look that only served to have him bury his face into my hip. I tried to shake him off as I started pulling various things from the bag.

"What do you have?" Graham grabbed the counter as I pulled a bag of oatmeal and apples from one of the bags. There seemed to be the main food staples in the bags.

"I don't know, child. It is why I am looking through it." He asked far too many questions as he observed. If he simply kept his moth shut as he watched, his questions would answer themselves.

"Where did you get it?" He looked up at me and I fought back a scowl of irritation. I had no time to cater to his mindless questions.

"Child!" There was a chorus of 'yes's and I growled low in my throat at the sounds. "Eldest child." I needed to be more specific when addressing the children if I wanted to get the right one.

"Yes?" Lander came into the kitchen and I gestured to Caden, who had stuck his hand into my pocket, refusing to let me go. He was simply a hindrance at the current moment in time.

"Remove your sibling from my leg and remove the annoying one from my vicinity." I pointed at Graham who puffed out his chest.

"I am not annoying!" He pressed his hands on his hips and gave me a dirty look. I looked at him and gave him a low growl of warning that he ignored. "I'm helpful!" He puffed out his cheeks slightly in anger and I fought back the urge to tell him he looked like a chipmunk.

"Graham, leave her alone." Lander gave his brother a look and the younger boy grumbled as he stomped off in a rather dramatic huff. Lander grabbed Caden and attempted to pry him off my pants. The young boy gave a sharp cry of protest that hurt my ears. Children were so loud. "Caden, come on! Let go!" He was tugging on the small boy but all it did was cause him to latch onto me tighter.

"No! I wanna stay!" He grabbed me with both hands and I looked down at him.

"If you let me go I will make you and your brothers the special oatmeal recipe my mother used to make for me." The words were clipped with agitation but he stopped and looked up at me.

"P'omise?" His chin quivered and I shook my head.

"I do not promise but if you listen to your brother and play quietly. I will do as I have stated." I turned away and small hands let go of my pants as I removed the rest of the groceries. There were mainly the staples, nothing fancy except for the apples and some lettuce and four chocolate bars that I knew were for the boys. "Eldest child, I will leave you to putting this away. I am going outside." I turned away from the counter to watch a naked Eli run around the living room where Lander was attempting to corral him to put pants on him.

I took two steps and grabbed the boy around his waist, lifting him in the air. He squirmed but a low rumble in my chest had him stilling, giggling as he kicked out his legs.

"Ewi nekked!" He thought the statement was hilarious and laughed uproariously as I reached out for the pants Lander was clutching tightly in his hands.

"Youngest child needs clothes." It was too cold for him to be running around nude. He shook his head, his laughter fading to giggles. Lander handed me the pants and I adjusted Eli in my arm, holding him to my chest with one arm as I held the pants with the other.

"Ewi." He looked up at me as I attempted to pull the pants onto his legs. He simply kicked them off.

"Eli." I enunciated the 'L' in his name carefully. Poor speech needed to be corrected early. He looked up at me with wide eyes.