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"There's my little warrior," I call, setting down my travel bag. Kaelin's red-amber eyes light up, flecks of green shimmering as she squeals louder.
Trinity looks up from where she's feeding Liora, her hair pulled back in a messy knot, dark circles under her eyes. She's never looked more beautiful.
"Look who decided to grace us with his presence," she teases, but the relief in her eyes is unmistakable. Three days on Galmoleth felt like an eternity away from them.
I cross the kitchen in three strides, bending to press my lips to hers. She tastes like sweetberries and home.
"Miss me?" I murmur against her mouth.
"Not even a little," she lies, her fingers curling into my shirt. "The peace and quiet was divine."
Liora chooses that moment to smack at the bottle in Trinity’s hand, splashing milk on her cheek. I laugh, wiping it away with my thumb.
"Peace and quiet, huh?"
"You're back early!" Jackie bustles in from the pantry, a basket of fresh quillnash balanced on her hip. "Good thing too—your mate's been driving me crazy asking when you'd return."
"I have not!" Trinity protests, but the flush creeping up her neck tells another story.
Jackie rolls her eyes, setting down the basket. "Every five minutes—'Do you think he's on his way? Should we have heard something by now?'" Her imitation of Trinity's voice is eerily accurate.
"Traitor," Trinity mutters.
I slide my arm around her waist, pulling her against my side. "I'm touched by your concern," I tease, enjoying the way she pretends to scowl even as she leans into me.
"Donna's out back harvesting dreamroot for tea," Jackie says, already turning her attention to slicing the quillnash. "She swears it'll help the twins sleep through the night."
"Nothing will help these two sleep through the night," Trinity sighs, but there's no real complaint in her voice.
I lean down to press a kiss to Liora's dark hair. She blinks up at me with those gold eyes, her little mouth forming an 'O' of surprise before she offers me a gummy smile. Something in my chest cracks open every time she looks at me like that—like I'm her entire world.
"How'd it go?" Trinity asks quietly as I move to extract Kaelin from where she’s lying. The more vocal twin immediately grabs for my horns, her favorite handhold.
"Careful, little demon," I warn, wincing as she yanks. "You're stronger than you know."
Trinity waits, her green eyes searching my face. She's asking about more than my journey—she wants to know about the women, the ones like her who were taken from Protheka.
I settle Kaelin against my chest, where she immediately begins exploring the fasteners of my leather jerkin. "It's done. All of them—every last woman in those dungeons—has been relocated."
Trinity's eyes widen, her fingers stilling on the cloth she'd been using to wipe Liora's face. "All of them? Already?"
I nod, unable to hide my satisfaction. "Asmodeus may be a royal pain in my ass, but he moves quickly when motivated. Half have chosen to stay on Galmoleth with decent living quarters and paid positions. The rest have been brought to Aerasak to start fresh."
The back door swings open, bringing with it a waft of sweet-smelling herbs and Donna's cheerful voice. "Look who I found skulking around your back garden!"
My mother steps through the door behind Jackie's wife, looking distinctly uncomfortable with her arms full of colorful wildflowers. Donna, petite and bright-eyed with her half-nymph heritage giving her skin a faint green undertone, beams like she's accomplished something miraculous.
"Your mother was admiring my herb garden," she announces, completely unfazed by the fearsome demoness's scowl. "I thought she might like to see the twins while she's here."
"Mother," I say, surprised. She rarely visits unannounced. "What brings you by?"
Murris's gaze fixes on the twins, something softening in her usually severe expression. "Can't a grandmother visit without an interrogation?"
"A normal grandmother, perhaps," Trinity says with a raised eyebrow. "You, however, usually have an agenda."
Instead of bristling at my mate's directness, my mother actually smirks. "I've decided I like you, human," she says, then thrusts the flowers toward Trinity. "These are for the girls' room. The silver ones ward off night terrors."
Trinity accepts them with a bemused expression. "Thank you."