Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Majda singing sweet lullabies to him from her homeland that reminded Elena so much of Marguerite.
Jean-Baptiste sitting with Nix in the night, describing his experiences in the Amazon jungle, where he’d been born and come of age. “I will take you there one day,” he promised his great-grandson. “It is a wonder to be experienced.”
As well, Elena’s friendship with Hannah had grown immeasurably in the time they’d spent together in the Refuge. To be a first-time mother with another first-time mother, both of them learning as they went, it created an unbreakable bond between two very different women.
Then there was Izar swinging by just to keep her company, and to tell Nix stories of the wild things he’d done as a child—with his brothers as accomplices. “You’re a one-being, and so is Aanisa. You should join forces.”
Nasien also returned to the Refuge two months after the birth, complete with an intricately illustrated book of fae tales for children, which he read aloud to the baby while Izar lounged nearby. The two were physically identical—but strikingly unique in their personalities. Of the three, Nasien was the most measured and tempered, the child who’d thought through their wild plans to make them foolproof.
Then Misha managed to work it so he had time off from the Tower while both his brothers were home, and suddenly, she had all three of them offering to prowl around with Nix in their arms. If Izar was the wildest and Nasien the calm within the wild, then Misha was pure mischief.
He kissed Elena on the cheek, the silver of his hair brushing her skin, and said, “I’ve decided I should be in your Guard. You need a tech specialist.”
Elena’s lips twitched. “I thought you declared that you were planning to be part of the Seven?”
A very feline sound deep in his throat. “I was a cub. What do cubs know? The Seven are at the forefront—but I’m part cat. I like to prowl in the background. Your Guard fits better. Ash and Janvier already walk in the gray, and Sameon has the front-facing end covered, with Izzy as his backup. I’ll slide right into that gap in between.”
He was right. Her Guard had always functioned more under the radar than the Seven—while working hand-in-hand with Raphael’s team. She also knew that Misha was brilliant at what he did; as mentioned by Jason and Vivek both, he was unique in his approach, his mind built a different way—but that just meant he outthought people without trying.
“He’s perfect,” was the response from the current membership of her Guard when she floated the idea of Misha joining them.
So it was done, a man she’d adored since he was a child becoming part of the protective force around her and Nixie.
What she didn’t expect was for Misha to point out that she’d also unofficially appointed his brothers to the role. “We work as a pack.” Misha nuzzled her as he’d done since he was a cub, so affectionate and playful that you’d never guess at the lethal predator under the skin. “Nasi and Izar are shadow members of your Guard now.’
Such loyalty. Such heart.
Elena felt overwhelmed in the best way.
Familial ties and the bonds of friendship, love coming from every direction, she’d never wish away the past year.
She was, however, grateful to return home to the Tower. The healers were happy enough for Phoenix to be there, under Nisia’s eagle eye. He’d come through the delicate newborn stage with flying colors—though the mortal cells in his body continued to confound Keir.
These days, her baby had the sounds of New York as background music, and was already used to being in different sets of familiar arms.
Sivya and Montgomery had threatened mutiny when Raphael and Elena discussed hiring a nanny of sorts—a trusted individual who’d step in to cover the times when both Elena and Raphael had to be at their duties and Majda and Jean-Baptiste weren’t available. Perhaps a young Refuge healer who wanted to spend time in the city but wasn’t yet ready for full duties.
“You already have too much on your plate,” Raphael had argued with the two.
To a stoic stubbornness.
Which was why their baby spent time in the kitchen being spoiled and petted by Sivya and her staff, or being carried around in a baby pouch by Montgomery. Nix loved his babysitters, and though he was still very small and nowhere near as active as a human one-year-old, he smiled at the merest hint of their voices.
As for his great-grandparents, he saw them at least twice a week.
The times when she and Raphael needed someone to watch him for an hour or two while they were at the Tower, it was—surprisingly—Greta who volunteered first. “I’m always here,” she said in her dry way. “Also, the infant rarely cries, so you can park him on my desk in his bassinet and I will make sure he is alive on your return.”