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Mireva, who's been quietly gathering her supplies, pauses by the bed. "Good names. Strong names." She places a hand brieflyon each child's head. "These two will forge their own paths in this world."
After Mireva and Jackie leave us alone, promising to return soon to check on us, I find myself unable to take my eyes off the twins. Liora snuggles against me, serene and watchful, while Kaelin squirms in Vael's arms, already making her presence known with tiny, indignant noises.
"Here, let me..." Vael carefully transfers Kaelin into my other arm so I'm holding both girls. He slides off the bed, and for a panicked moment, I think he's leaving. Instead, he kneels beside us, one large hand spanning both tiny bodies.
"Look what you've done," he says again, voice thick with wonder.
"I never thought I'd feel this way," I admit, the confession breaking free before I can stop it. "I didn't want to be a mother."
"And now?" His eyes search mine.
I look down at our daughters. "Now I can't imagine anything else." The truth of it shakes me to my core. "They're... they're a part of me. Of us."
Vael rises just enough to press his forehead against mine, his horns carefully angled away. "I told myself this was about legacy, about duty." His voice drops to a whisper. "I was wrong."
He stands abruptly and paces to the window, his broad shoulders tense against the backdrop of Aerasak's crimson sky. When he turns back, his face is transformed by a tenderness I've never seen before.
"I'm going to build them a nursery," he announces suddenly. "Right through there." He points to the wall adjacent to my bedroom. "With a connecting door, so you—we—can reach them easily." His hands gesture animatedly. "And they'll need toys, and... what else do babies need?"
I can't help the smile that spreads across my face. This is the same demon who once told me with cold certainty that his onlyinterest was in producing an heir. "They need time, Vael. They were just born."
He runs a hand through his tousled black hair. "I want them to have everything. Everything I never had."
And I can see through the panic that he already loves our girls as much as I do.
That cracks another wall around my heart, but I'm too drained right now to care.
19
VAEL
I'm changing Kaelin's wrappings when I sense my mother's presence approaching the house. The distinctive prickle at the back of my neck has always announced her arrival since I was a child—a survival instinct I developed early. My hands still over my daughter's tiny body, her red-amber eyes blinking up at me with curious innocence.
"Your grandmother's here," I tell her, my voice automatically softening in a way that would shock anyone who knows me as Aerasak's most ruthless bounty hunter. "Try not to spit up on her expensive clothes."
Kaelin gurgles something that sounds suspiciously like agreement, tiny fists punching the air. Even at a few days old, she's already showing more spirit than most full-grown demons. I finish securing her fresh wrappings and lift her carefully against my chest, her weight almost nothing in my hands.
Trinity appears in the doorway, Liora nestled against her shoulder. Dark circles shadow her eyes, her brown hair falling loose around her face. Despite the exhaustion etched in every line of her body, she's never looked more beautiful to me.
"I heard a carriage," she says, voice raspy with fatigue.
"My mother." I can't keep the tension from my voice. "I'll handle this. You should rest."
Trinity's spine straightens immediately, her green eyes narrowing. "I'm fine."
"You've slept maybe four hours total since they were born." I step closer, careful of the precious bundle against my chest. "She's here to see the twins, not interrogate you."
"Shouldn't I be present when your mother meets our daughters?" The stubborn set of her jaw would be infuriating if I didn't admire it so damn much.
Before I can answer, the front door opens and closes with authoritative precision. No knocking, of course. Kaelesha Rennick has never believed in announcing herself when entering her son's home.
"Vaelrix?" My mother's voice carries through the house. "Where are my granddaughters?"
Trinity's eyes widen slightly. "She sounds..."
"Excited," I finish, equally surprised. "Go lie down. I swear I'll wake you if she starts plotting world domination."
A small smile tugs at her lips. "Fine. One hour." She transfers Liora carefully to my free arm, our fingers brushing in the exchange. "But if I hear anything suspicious?—"