“She’s one year old, what do you expect?”
“I expect her to be more interesting! Like opening a portal to the dragons again!”
Luna, as if responding to being called boring, chooses this moment to grab a handful of pasta from her father’s plate and launch it across the table. It lands directly in Romulus’s hair.
“See?” Raven says triumphantly. “Boring!”
While Romulus sputters and Remus laughs, Phoenix leans close to me.
“We are never having children,” she whispers.
“Agreed,” I whisper back.
“I mean it. Never.”
“I believe you.”
“Good.”
But she’s smiling when she says it, and her hand is still in mine.
Abaddon clears his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “Before we get too deep into the meal, I think we should take a moment to acknowledge why we’re all here.”
“Because Hannah threatened to stop cooking for you if you didn’t invite everyone?” Remus suggests.
Hannah throws a roll at his head. He catches it with a grin.
“We’re here,” Abaddon continues, ignoring his brother, “because Layden and Phoenix did something none of us thought possible. They ended the threat of our Creator-Father permanently.”
The mood at the table shifts. Even Raven goes quiet.
“I know we’ve celebrated before,” Abaddon continues. “We had that initial gathering right after it happened. But I wanted to do this properly. To really mark the occasion.” He stands, raising his wine glass. “For over two thousand years, we lived in fear of our father returning. Every time we thought he was gone, he came back. Stronger. Angrier. More determined to control us.”
Kharon nods grimly. “We tried everything. Burning his body to ash. Scattering the ashes across oceans. Burying them in consecrated earth. Sending him back to the angelic realm. Nothing worked.”
“But you two,” Abaddon looks at us, and there’s something in his eyes I’ve never seen before.Pride. “You found a way.”
Phoenix shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She’s never been good with praise. Suddenly it’s a little difficult swallowing. Because neither have I. But finally having my big brother’s approval? I didn’t think I could be happier, but, well. There life goes, healing things I didn’t even know were left a little sore.
The conversation gradually shifts to lighter topics. Remus and Romulus start arguing again, this time about whether Rome or Venice is the better Italian city. Lauren tells stories about her latest baking experiments, including a disastrous attempt at croissants that apparently ended with her kitchen covered in butter.
Raven, who has been relatively well-behaved for at least ten minutes, decides that’s enough sitting still for one day. She launches into the air and starts doing aerial acrobatics over the table.
“Raven, careful!” Hannah warns.
“I’m being careful!” Raven insists, right before executing a flip that brings her dangerously close to the tiramisu.
“That’s it,” Abaddon says. “You’re grounded.”
“You can’t ground me, I have wings!”
“Watch me.”
But he’s smiling when he says it, and Raven knows it. She lands on his shoulder and wraps her little arms around his neck.
“Daddy, I love you,” she says sweetly.
“You’re still in trouble,” Abaddon tells her, but his voice has gone soft.
