Despite the exhaustion of caring for a newborn while still managing all my other chores, there had been quiet, precious moments when I’d held her and felt a profound, aching love. In those moments, I’d allowed myself to imagine having a child of my own someday, one born of love rather than manipulation and deceit.
A child with Zoodle’s mischief, Koko’s empathy, and Simmy’s quiet strength,my heart whispered.
But my husbands were right. I was just nineteen, and we hadn’t been married long. We were still learning about each other, still healing, still adjusting. Children would come later, when we were ready.
“You’re right,” I admitted. “It’s too soon.”
“You want kids someday, though, right?” Zane’s expression turned tender, something I rarely saw from him. “Little mini-mes running around causing chaos?”
“Night’s teeth!” Koa muttered. “Mini Zanes. Dark take me.”
“They’d be half Seri, too,” Casimir pointed out.
“Not sure even being half an angel can balance out being half a devil,” Koa scoffed.
“I want babies someday.” I smiled, warmth spreading through my chest. “I was just wondering who they’ll resemble the most.”
“All we can do is fill you up and let the wheel of fate determine which flavor we get. Irish, Scandinavian, or Hawaiian.” Zane pointed at himself, then Casimir, then Koa.
“I’m more curious about what they’ll inherit beyond appearances,” Casimir admitted.
“You mean like Zane’s singing, Koa’s tech genius, and your battle planning?” I teased.
“Well, yes, that, too, but I was thinking about magical abilities. Vampiric genes may be dominant in dhampirs, but we still carry our mothers’ DNA that could pass to our children.”
“Do dhampirs pass on any of the vampire genetics?”
“No. Not even recessively—”
“What if our kids are eternal?” Zane interrupted with a cackle. “Bat’s bones! Would the world even survive that?”
“What do you mean,eternal?” I tilted my head in confusion.
“Swan maidens and Valkyries are immortal like vampires,” Casimir answered. “Well, unless something kills them, like the sickness that took your mom. It devastated many supernatural communities, but avian species were hit especially hard. Bird shifters and swan maidens were nearly eradicated.”
He continued talking, but I could only focus on one thing: I could have immortal children. Immortal like Papa-in-Law and Sebastian.
At least they would be there to make sure everyone was okay after we were gone,I told myself, then a different thought struck me.How sad it must be, to watch your children age and die. I’m glad Papa has Sebastian.
“It will be interesting to see if our genetic contributions will blend or stay distinct,” Casimir said, drawing me out of my thoughts.
“Cruor!” Zane laughed. “A Punnett square would implode trying to map all of our bloodlines. Leaving aside the immortality thing, can you imagine what kind of magical mash-up our kid could be? We might have a wolf shifter, a witch, a Valkyrie, or a swan maiden. Haha! Knowing how fate likes to roll, we’ll probably end up with just a plain oldHomo sapiens, right, Ko—”
I wasn’t prepared for Koa to spin and punch Zane right in the mouth. Gasping in shock, I scuttled away from them, and my nose was suddenly squashed in Casimir’s shirt as he put himself between me and them.
“You think I don’tknowI’m half-human? You think I haven’talwaysknown I’m—”
“Koa,” Casimir began, but I grabbed his wrist and squeezed it.
When he looked down at me, I shook my head. Whatever caused this pain, Koa had buried it for far too long and so deeply that his brothers hadn’t even known it was there. Let him lance the wound and drain the poison.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about it,brother!” Koa yelled. “I’ll abstain when she ovulates. Wouldn’t want my stupidhumanDNA to taintyourchildren!”
Zane, for once, didn’t joke. Instead, he scrubbed a hand down his face and muttered, “Damn it, Koa. It was just a shitty joke. Youreallythink we see you that way?”
Koa let out a bitter laugh.
“Don’t you?” His voice cracked at the end, rough with something deeper than anger.
