"I had to come," he said as his gaze swept between the sleeping bundles. "To welcome my sisters into the world."
G.o.d, my heart. I swiped at the tears and moved to stand at his side. "Dorian, meet Brielle Sophia and Elliana Katerina."
"Which is which?"
I pointed to the one on the left. "That"s Brielle." I paused, my brow furrowing for a brief moment, then pointed to the other. "That"s the baby of the family, Elliana."
He chuckled quietly. "Are you sure? They look exactly the same."
"I"m their mother! Of course I"m sure." I gnawed on my lip as he looked sideways at me. I sighed, my shoulders dropping. "Okay, so we have to color code their blankets to tell them apart. The only thing different between the two is Elliana has a little birthmark on her hip. Otherwise, yes, they look exactly the same. But trust me, they"re not. When they"re not sleeping, they"re like night and day."
My body automatically tensed when he reached a finger out to stroke each of their tiny faces. My son or not, he still exuded Daemoni energy, and my motherly protective instincts p.r.i.c.ked. I couldn"t help myself from monitoring his thoughts, although they remained pure, authentic. The babies slept through his touch, and I let go of my breath when he pulled away.
"I brought them a present," he said as he stepped backwards, onto the screened-in lanai. He produced a tiny white puppy in his hand when he returned. She jumped into my arms and slid her blue tongue over my cheek.
"Sasha," I whispered, and then I looked at Dorian and shook my head. "No, Dorian. She"s yours."
"She"s not. She"s already been ordered to protect them. They"re her masters now."
"But-"
"Mom." He sighed and then lifted his hand to my jaw. I couldn"t help but lean into it. "I don"t need protection. From anybody. I"m the most powerful creature on this Earth. You don"t need to worry about me anymore."
I pressed my hands on his chest and pushed him outside. I slid the doors closed so we wouldn"t wake the babies, but I felt Vanessa"s eyes on us from inside the room.
"I do worry!" I snapped at him. "You have no idea how much your dad and I worry. What are you doing, Dorian? Why?"
"I"m taking care of my people, Mom. Because they"re my people."
"But they"re not! We are your people. We are your family! What are they doing to you?"
He shook his head, his eyes soft as he gazed at me. "Nothing. They"re doing nothing to me. I"m the one in charge. I lead them."
I blinked. I breathed. "Well then, lead them to the Amadis. They can be saved, Dorian. So can you!"
The gold in his eyes darkened with sadness. "No, they can"t. Not all of them. It"s too late for many. But somebody has to lead them. Somebody has to keep them in line."
I pressed my hand to my chest. "But why you? It doesn"t have to be you. You don"t belong there!"
His large hands encircled my small wrists, stilling me. He looked into my eyes, trying to drive home his reasoning. "It can only be me, Mom. If not me, then it would be Victor or Edmund. Is that what you want?"
I stared at him, unable to breathe.
"Do you want either of those two leading your adversaries who want to end you? Those who want to kill your daughters?" He released my wrists and frowned. "That"s what they want to do, Mom. That"s why it must be me. I can control them."
My throat worked to swallow what felt like a dirty sock that had suddenly lodged in it. My heart sank as his truth settled into me, into my bones. My bottom lip trembled as I fought against it, not wanting to accept it.
I wrapped my arms around him, tried to flood him with love. "I"m so sorry, Dorian. So sorry it"s you."
"I wish ..." He pulled away from me, his expression still full of sadness. "It doesn"t matter what I wish. This is how it is." His gaze shifted, looked through the screen and the water beyond the half-gray and half-green brush. He shook his head. "I have to go now."
My eyes widened. I didn"t want to let go! "Don"t you want to see your father?"
He sighed as he looked back at me. "I can"t stay any longer."
He leaned in and tapped his lips to my forehead, but before I could respond, even to say goodbye, he disappeared with a pop. I caught a brief glimpse of him on the lawn before he shot into the air.
"Love you, Mom. Always." The words whispered in my mind.
Love you, little man. No matter what.
And then he was gone for good. I wrapped my arms around myself in a hug as tears silently rolled down my cheeks.
"You know there"s still hope for him," said a tiny voice from behind me.
"Yeah, I know," I said with a sigh as that same hope settled back into me.
Then I realized I didn"t recognize that voice. I spun around. An unnaturally cute, young girl, early teens perhaps, with bright pink hair and clothes to match stood next to the ba.s.sinet.
I threw the sliding gla.s.s door open. Where was Vanessa?
"Who are you?" I demanded. She had no mind signature.
"I"m Pinky. Stacey"s me mum." And that explained why. She was a faerie. "They"re so cute. I love babies. Mum sent me to see if you need help. I can watch over them, or ..." Her eyes glinted as she looked out at the patio where Dorian had been moments ago, and a smile played on her lips. At the same time, her cheeks turned a rosy pink to match her top. "Or I can watch over Dorian. You can make him my mission."
I sensed the crush on him, which would partially explain her motivation, but I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes. "In exchange for what?"
She giggled, a musical sound, as her eyes crinkled. "You"ve already paid up, Alexis. The fae folk are the ones in debt. We owe you."
I blinked several times, and then I nodded. They did owe us for freeing them. And that could be quite convenient.
"Yes," I hurried to say. "Keep a close eye on him. Make sure he stays good ... as good as he can be."
She let out a little peep of excitement. "Thank you! I promise to watch him closely, every minute of the day and night."
With a quick peck on my cheek, she disappeared. I smiled, but then I blew out a sigh. Poor Dorian. What had I done to him?
"You"re okay?" Vanessa asked from the doorway when I padded over to the bed.
I threw my arms up and let my hands smack down against my thighs. "I don"t know. But I will be. Some day. For now, I guess I"m as good as I"m going to get."
Since the babies slept, I took advantage of the peace and lay down. My body rarely had time to regenerate in the last three days, constantly feeding and changing diapers between the two of them. Sasha came in and curled up on the bed next to me. I sank my fingers into her soft fur and drifted off.
When I awoke to little whimpers and fusses, Tristan was leaned over the ba.s.sinet, picking up one of our bundles-Brielle, I thought, by the sounds of her. And I knew without a doubt it was my husband this time. He looked up at me and pressed a finger to his lips before he snuck away with the crier. He"d check her diaper, but she probably wanted to eat. I"d barely lay back on the bed when Elliana awoke with a loud cry. Yep, that was definitely Elli.
I picked her up and walked outside, where Tristan sat on the patio chair holding a quiet Brielle. Her tiny fists waved in the air as he leaned his face down to snuggle against her neck. d.a.m.n. My ovaries exploded for the millionth time. How was I so lucky?
I sat down in the chair across from him, rested my ankles on his thighs and pulled the crying Elliana to my breast. She latched on hungrily. When she was done, we traded babies, and the whole time, we talked about Dorian"s visit.
"I wish you could have seen him," I said. "He"s changed so much already. And I guess not all for the bad."
Tristan gave me a guilty smile. "I have seen him."
I straightened up. "What? When?"
"A while ago, when I came here to see if we could make this place safe for you and the babies. He stopped by, but he"d made me promise not to tell you."
I frowned. "Why?"
"He wanted to surprise you." He paused as he rearranged Brielle to burp her. "And I think he might have needed more time. He"s the most powerful being in this world, possibly more than you and me combined, and the most courageous soul I know, Lex. But I"m telling you, he was scared to death to see his mom again."
My frown deepened as I considered this. And then I laughed as a sense of relief washed over me. "He"s going to be okay, isn"t he?"
"I think so. We will always hope. We may not like it, but he"s serving his purpose. Doing what he needs to do. All we can do is love him unconditionally and be there for him when he needs us."
I nodded as my heart swelled with the love I had for all of my children. Then I chuckled again. "I guess Mom and Rina had been right all along about him. The Angels had always known."
"Which is how we know Dorian is serving G.o.d"s will. We just have to have faith that his soul will survive the tests he"s being given." He paused as he gazed out at the sunset. "I fully believe he will. He"s strong and brave. He"ll lead them the way they need to be led while the world restores itself."
I watched the sun hovering over the distant edge of the water, casting gorgeous pink and orange strokes over the clouds and the sea"s surface. And I remembered what Tristan had once told me about his love of sunsets-how they marked the close of another day that had never been promised, how they meant somewhere else in the world a new day was dawning. I smiled inside, appreciating his words more than ever.
He lifted my hand and pulled me up, out of the chair. He guided me onto the free side of his lap. With Brielle in his other arm and Elliana in mine, I leaned against his shoulder.
"This is our future," he murmured. "Our beautiful little family. They"ll grow up one day, too, and fly the coop, you know."
A calming and warm sensation of peace settled over me as I melted against him, knowing that future would come, but seeing the hope in it. Hope that I"d believed in my heart not too long ago had been completely lost. Yet here we were, the future literally in our hands.
I smiled, tilted my head back, and kissed his cheek. "And then it will be just us in our empty nest. You and me together, forever."
"And always. Don"t forget always."
"Never," I whispered as he leaned down and pressed his mouth against mine.
Epilogue.
I jolted awake at the scream of my baby. No, make that both babies, crying like I"d never heard them before. Tristan sat up next to me, both of us blinking against the light of early morning, before he bolted out of bed and blurred to my side, where the ba.s.sinet sat. Both Brielle and Elliana kicked their little legs and waved their tiny fists, their faces red, almost purple as they screamed.
"What"s wrong with them?" I s.n.a.t.c.hed Brielle up, and Tristan picked up Elliana, but both babies continued to wail, as though something caused them intense pain.
I tried to feed them, but neither had any interest. When we lay them down to change their diapers, they only screamed harder. Their voices quickly grew hoa.r.s.e as they coughed intermittently between howls. They had no tears, but I did.
"I don"t know what to do," I cried as I looked at Tristan, begging that he knew, but he shook his head.
We sat on the bed, up against the headboard, trying to soothe them. Sasha bounced around frantically, also disturbed by their cries.
"Do you think it"s colic?" I asked. Even if it was, I had no idea how to make them feel better. I hated this part of parenthood-the part where you wished like h.e.l.l that you could take their pain away and make it your own to relieve their suffering.
"Maybe it"s gas." Tristan turned Elliana over to lay on her stomach over his forearm. She immediately stopped crying as she inhaled ragged breaths and shuddered as they came out. He patted his hand on her back to burp her, but she broke into screams again. His hand froze in midair, and he let her lay there, her arms and legs dangling over his thick forearm.
I lay Brielle on her belly over my leg in a similar position, and her cries diminished into hiccups. Tristan and I looked at each other, bewildered. My heart had finally settled down when they both began screaming again, even louder than before. Their little backs quivered and arched. Their fists beat at the air. I thought I heard the sound of paper crinkling and ripping between their sobs.
Then at the exact same time, feathers sprang out of their shoulder blades.
I practically jumped out of my skin. "Oh my gosh! They have wings!"
Instantly, they both quieted, and then even cooed.
As the lavender-colored wings began to uncurl, a laugh popped out of my mouth. Relief flooded me as the girls squeaked and sighed, happy again. We turned them over and held them out in front of us, both of our mouths gaping. Their wings opened behind their backs with a wingspan of about a foot.
They both gave us a smile. Their first real smiles.
"What does it mean?" I wondered. "How ...?"
Tristan studied the babies, as perplexed as I was. "No. Idea."
"It means the world has changed."
The familiar voice came from outside, on the lanai. With Brielle still in my hands, I sprang from the bed and ran for the sliding door. I swished it open and grinned at the sight in front of me.
"Mom! You came!"
She smiled back at me and wrapped her arms around me, with Brielle between us. When the baby squirmed, she pulled back and took her from me. The love and joy in her eyes as she studied her granddaughter made my heart balloon.
Tristan cleared his throat from behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder at him. Oh. Oops. He wore nothing but boxer briefs under the sheet. I rushed over to retrieve Elliana from him, then ushered Mom outside.
"Mom, meet Brielle and Elliana. Baby girls, meet your Mimi."
"Brielle and Elliana," Mom echoed softly as she held them both.
I grimaced and squirmed. "I know the Angels gave me the name Gabriella. I did hear the whisper in my mind. But they only gave me the one name ... and it was ... I don"t know ... we wanted to make it ours, too. For both of them. Did you know Heather and Charlotte had the same middle name? Ann? And the girls" middle names are for you and Rina, which is tradition. I mean, for you anyway, but we didn"t know ...."
I babbled away, sounding like Blossom. Mom never tore her eyes from the girls when she finally interrupted me. "Their names are approved, Alexis."
I blew out a breath of relief.
"The Angels are very pleased." Rina"s voice came from behind me, and I spun around to hug her. "Sorry I was delayed. Let me see."
She pushed past me and reached out for Elliana. I thought for a moment Mom was going to fight her with the look she gave her own mother, but she must have realized there were plenty of babies to go around.
"I"m so glad you both came to meet them," I said, clapping my hands together under my chin. "They"re beautiful, aren"t they?"