“I need to know, Ethan. They’re my people.”
Sighing, he stared at the babies. He ran a finger over the girl’s head. “Carlos barely lived. How he managed to survive what happened to him, I have no idea. Jenna and Roark are fine. They had a lot of injuries, but with Vampire healing, they’re okay.”
“Brian?” I asked.
Ethan looked away. “He’s fine. He was in a coma up until yesterday.”
Relief filled me. “I’m so glad they’re okay.” When Ethan didn’t say anything else, I furrowed my brows. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Maggie–”
“Please tell me she’s okay.” I felt tears welling.
Patting my hand, Ethan smiled. “She’s okay now, but she suffered a lot of injuries. The scars are going to be bad, Sophie.”
“We can use magic to make it better,” I told him.
“Sophie, it was demon magic. There’s no repairing that.”
I let the tears fall. It was too exhausting to constantly be brave in the face of danger. When all was said and done, I just wanted to let go. Just let the tears wash away the pain. At least I had Ethan and the babies. They were okay. I didn’t know what I would have done if I were the only one who lived.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“That poopy diaper is yours,” I said, shaking my head.
Ethan screwed up his face. “I changed the last one. I think I’m losing on the deal of ours.”
I shrugged. “Still not feeling well enough to do more than one a day. Hand cramps... You know how those are.” I shook my head and grimaced, rubbing my hand as if I were in the middle of one.
Chuckling, Ethan picked up Roxy. We named Drake’s son Dylan. So far, there hadn’t be a problem with magic between them, but I felt it pulsing just beneath the surface. It was strong.
Just as we planned, we bound Dylan’s magic. He cried for an entire week afterward. I felt bad, like I took a little piece of him away. We did the same thing to Roxy, but she seemed less upset about it.
“Oh, you bound his powers!”
Both Ethan and I turned to see Merlin standing in the doorway of the living room. We decided to live on the Witch campus for a time because we weren’t sure about the new house as of yet. Maybe we just needed some time away from it. I hoped that was all it took, considering Ethan spent a lot of money on it.
“We had to. The prophecy,” I said.
Merlin nodded, then rolled his eyes. “You should let him choose his own path. Your grandmother may think she knows everything, but–”
“I do know everything, just like I know I can kick your ass.” Mary appeared behind Merlin, making him yelp.
“You’re a Witch!” He glared at her, then moved a few feet away.
Mary walked over. Diaper changed, Ethan laid Roxy next to Dylan again so Mary could see them. “They are so adorable. You will be strong magic users, won’t you? Yes, you will. Yes, you will!” She clapped her hands and blew raspberries at them. The babies just lay there, not reacting. I didn’t expect anything else out of them.
Sitting next to me, Mary placed a hand on my thigh. I felt the need to move away because I still didn’t know her that well, but I sat where I was, forcing out a smile. She sighed happily. “Where is Taco? How is he liking the kids?”
Frowning, I looked around for him. He was still upset at himself for not being able to save me from Desmos. I told him it wasn’t his fault, but he refused to accept that. However, that didn’t stop him from tearing into food. A few nights ago, the little asshat managed to get into the fridge and eat the cheese I had left in there for dinner.
“He’s okay with them. He doesn’t spend a lot of time in the same room. When they have a poopy diaper, he gets really pissed off and leaves the room for an hour.” I rolled my eyes.
Mary laughed, tossing back her blonde hair. “He wants to be the baby. Poor little man. He is used to getting all the attention. Now he has to share it.”
“That’s his problem?” Ethan asked, surprised. “I wouldn’t think it’d bother him that much. He seems to want his independence and hates when we bother him.”
“He’s an old man, but he likes the attention. Don’t let him fool you.” Mary turned to Merlin, who held Dylan.
I played with the necklace around my neck, thinking about how it no longer connected me to the Ancestors. But it still held a lot of power. I sensed some of their magic still inside. I was relieved to know I could rely on it if I ever needed the extra boost. I also had the object Ethan had allowed Mikey to use when tracking Drake. Knowing my life, things could become complicated in a moment’s notice.
Mikey ran into the living room, scaring the shit out of all of us. “Sophie! We need you at the office.”
I looked over at the babies and frowned. Working was going to be hard when it came to these two. I sighed, debating on what to do. We hadn’t interviewed anybody for the nanny position yet.
Mary waved me and Ethan off. “You two go take care of business. Merlin and I have this.”
Merlin raised his eyebrows. “We do?”
Nodding, Mary picked up Roxy. “We sure do. You get the next poopy diaper, though. I don’t do those.”
Shaking my head, I grabbed Ethan’s hand and we disappeared, reappearing in my office. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Mikey acted as if it were a big emergency. It left me confused and somewhat suspicious.
I looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Nobody was there. Not even Mikey showed up. Ethan stood next to me, a huge grin on his face. Suddenly, he pushed me up against the wall, crushing his lips to
