Heather nodded, staring inquisitively at the new babies.
“You pick names yet?” Viol asked, gruff but curious.
Aurum and I smiled as we looked at each other.
We knew the perfect names.
Suddenly, Crimson sniffed the air—noting the same acrid whiff I did—then cried out in horror, “MY OMELETS!”
Twenty-Seven
Epilogue: Aurum
“Didour brothers ever tell us which one of us saved the other?” Saffron asked.
We sat on the floor of the living room. Mylo, Saffron and I made a wide circle with our outstretched legs with the twins and their toys in the middle. The girls spent most of their time sleeping and growing, but during their waking hours, my daughters were weaselly little monsters that loved to play, bite, and romp.
Since Kiara and Desiree were born, Saffron had been eager to get involved. He was always first in line when we needed a babysitter or an extra hand, much to Viol’s dismay.
Mylo brightened at the mention of our hatching story. “Oh, yes! I want to know, too.”
I cocked my head. “No, they never mentioned who was who. Honestly? I don’t think they could tell us apart.” I grinned at my mate. “Too badyouweren’t there that day, Mylo.”
He chuckled. “I was an infant myself, so I wouldn’t have been very helpful.”
“Bet you could still do it,” I insisted.
Mylo lit up with pride, then was distracted as Kiara yelped with boredom. He handed her a soft plastic teething ring, and our daughter nibbled on it. Her teeth were tiny, but sharp. I watched as she used them skillfully. It was those same fangs that had broken the shell and released her sister from their shared egg.
I glanced over at Saffron. After watching my twins hatch, old buried images and feelings stirred within me. The memory of our hatching should’ve been too early for me to recall, but I felt like Ididremember it. If I closed my eyes and thought about it, I’d sense the humid air, the cold rain, the warmth and safety of the eggshell—but also the fact that it was a deathtrap for my twin.
“I think... I saved you,” I murmured to Saffron.
He faced me with a thoughtful expression. I wondered if he experienced the same flashes of memory that I did.
“I think so, too,” he replied after a moment. He stared at the rug as he spoke, lost in the images. “It was dark and stifling. I couldn’t breathe. I remember being scared... And then there was a bright ray of light, and everything was okay after that.”
So hedidremember. That made me feel better.
“But it was raining that day,” I pointed out.
“True.” Saffron smiled. “Then, I guess the ray of light wasyou.”
Taken aback, I blinked in surprise. Did that mean the first thing Saffron ever saw in this world was my golden scales?
I was pulled out of my thoughts as Desiree clambered on top of my leg. Grinning, I picked up my long furry tube of a daughter. She chirped and flailed her short legs.
Like me and Saffron, she was identical to Kiara, right down to the dark markings on her face and body. But the three of us had no trouble telling them apart. That was something I’d nevertake for granted about Mylo. He wasn’t a twin, but he was part of our secret world.
Before I met my mate, I never imagined anyone could be as close to me as Saffron. Then Mylo—and fate—rocked my entire world. Hebecamemy world.
He, my twin, and my twin daughters were my inner circle. I loved the rest of my family, obviously, but there was a special quality about our little unit.
“Ow!” I yelped.
Kiara had mistaken my sock-covered toe for a teething toy. Her adorable masked face was angelic as she sank her fangs into my poor, sensitive foot.
“Sorry!” Mylo said, reaching over to gently pry her off. “I was busy watching Desiree. She was being so cute with her Uncle Saffron.”
