“No, you idiot!” Zane looked like he wanted to reach for Koa, but wasn’t sure if he should. “We love you. Seri loves you. We’re talking aboutgenes, notworth. But I get it. You don’t hear that, do you?”
Koa clenched his fists, jaw tight.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” Zane hesitated, then glanced at me. “Seri, you wanna tell this fool what he actually brings to the table? Because clearly,wehaven’t done a good enough job in twenty-two years.”
Dropping Casimir’s wrist, I ducked around him and moved to stand right in front of Koa, the tips of our shoes touching. His eyes shone with unshed tears, and my heart ached for him.
“Seri, I don’t have any magic beyond normal dhampir traits. I’ve tried to compensate for being the weak link by studying magical theory until I see the symbols burning behind my eyelids when I close them for the night. I’ve tried to fill the gap I leave by integrating technology with magic, but the truth is, I have nothing special to pass to a kid. I mean, what aboutmewould you want your child to have?”
I cupped Koa’s face between my hands, guiding his stormy gaze to mine. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, his body wound so tightly, I could feel the tremors beneath my fingertips.
“You,” I whispered. “Youare what I would want our child to have, Koko.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, eyes searching mine as if looking for the lie.
“I don’t care if our child has magic or not. I care that they haveyou. Your heart. Your unshakable loyalty. Your brilliance. Your compassion.”
His brows knit together, his lips parting slightly, as if the words physically hurt to hear, and I traced my thumbs over his cheekbones, my voice growing softer.
“You see the world like none of us do. You take what exists and find new ways to make it better. You’re the bridge between magic and technology, between what was and what could be. That’s not compensating. That’sextraordinary.”
“Beloved…”
“If we have a child one day, I hope they have your kindness. Your patience. Your relentless drive to make things right.” I squished his cheeks between my palms. “Because Iseeyou, Koko. I seeyou.”
For a long moment, he just breathed, staring at me like he was trying to memorize the way I looked when I said those words. Then his hands covered mine, warm and strong, and he turned his face just enough to kiss my palm.
“Serafina,” he breathed.
“I mean it. Every word.”
“Damn.” He exhaled shakily and let out a soft, self-conscious laugh. “I wasn’t planning on trauma-dumping tonight.”
“Yeah, well, you sure picked a hell of a way to do it,” Zane smirked, rubbing his jaw.
Koa rolled his eyes, but his shoulders relaxed. He pulled my hands away from his face and kissed each of my knuckles, then turned toward the dresser by the window.
“I need carbs.”
“What?” Casimir blinked.
“Carbs,” Koa repeated, rifling through the top drawer. “You expect me to go from existential crisis to raw-dogging emotions without a buffer? Nope. Absolutely not. I require a snack.”
I bit back a smile as he pulled out a package of cookies, ripped it open, and shoved one into his mouth whole.
“Right,” Zane snorted. “So sugar therapy first, and then we finish discussingProject: Keep Seri’s Womb Vacant Until Further Notice?”
As Casimir sputtered and I giggled, Koa held up a finger as he chewed.
“Sure,” he said after swallowing, “but only if you never say that again.”
“Deal. I’ll call itOperation: No Oopsy Babies.”
“That sounds like oopsy daisy!” I laughed, which made Zane grin, a real grin, too, and Koa held out the package for me to take a cookie. “These need milk.”
Casimir sighed, rubbing his temples.
“Um, not to be a nudge—”
