"Your gun is so cool..." His eyes sparkled, fear replaced by timid curiosity.
"Sir?!" I choked on my own saliva, coughing until tears came.
Kai was calling him sir?
I stared at Kayden in shock.
Kayden spread his hands, looking innocently aggrieved. "Without your permission," he said quietly, though his eyes were laughing. "How dare I?"
This man.
Just moments ago, he was killing vampires with lethal precision.
Now he was playing innocent?
I took a deep breath. My ribs twinged again.
Whatever.
It was time.
"Kai." I smoothed his hair, looking at him seriously. "I need to tell you something very important."
Kai blinked up at me. "What?"
"This... um, sir..." I paused, feeling oddly awkward, unsure how to begin. I looked at Kayden.
He stood there, body rigid, fingers slightly curled, like he was desperately trying to restrain something. He looked more nervous than me.
I took a deep breath. His tension somehow relaxed me slightly. "He's your daddy."
I said it quickly, precisely, decisively.
Kai's little mouth slowly opened into an "O."
"Daddy?" The disbelief in his voice made my heart ache.
I'm sorry, Kai.
Mommy was selfish for so long.
Kayden's body went stiff. He slowly crouched down, eye level with Kai.
"Yes, Kai." His voice was gentle, tinged with barely concealed panic. "I'm your daddy. I'm sorry I came so late."
Kai stared at him for a long time. Those silver eyes moved across Kayden's face—from eyes to nose to mouth—like he was trying to recognize something. Then his little face suddenly flushed red. He burrowed into my arms, peeking out at Kayden with just his eyes.
"Really... Daddy?" He asked me, voice tiny as a mosquito.
"Really." I rubbed the back of his head. "Look, you have the same eyes. Same hair too. Even the same eyebrows."
Kai stole another glance at Kayden.
Kayden smiled at him carefully, like he was afraid of scaring him.
"Daddy?" Kai finally said the word, voice tentative.
Kayden's eyes instantly reddened.
