Chapter 9 #2
Something in her expression shattered like glass.
Handing Thaniel to Aidon, I tugged my shirt down and closed the distance between us in three strides.
Yanking her against my chest, I held her tightly.
"You and Jean-Marc aren't any less important to Aidon and me just because the triplets are here.
" My voice came out fiercer than I intended as I locked eyes with my son through the screen. "You know that, right?"
Her eyes went glassy, that telltale shine that meant tears were coming whether she wanted them or not. "Sometimes it doesn't feel that way."
Jean-Marc's throat worked as he swallowed hard, nodding once. "Their safety is more important, though. That's just... that's how it is."
No. No, no, no. The admission carved a hole straight through my chest. "The babies are helpless right now," I said, desperate to make them understand and fix this before it festered into something worse.
"They need constant protection because they can't do anything for themselves.
But you two?" I gripped Nina's shoulders, holding her gaze.
"You're my partners in this. I trust you with my life.
With all our lives. I love you both with my whole fucking heart. "
I cupped her face between my palms, thumbs brushing away the tears that had started to fall.
She crumpled into me, burying her face against my shoulder.
I wrapped my arms around her and held on tight, breathing in the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo.
It’s the same kind she'd used since she was twelve.
"I love you," I whispered fiercely and held Jean-Marc’s glassy eyes. "So damn much. The babies don't change that. Nothing changes that. Nothing."
Aidon's free hand moved to the back of Nina's head, his other reaching out toward the screen where Jean-Marc sat frozen.
"You two are the ones who made me want to be a father in the first place.
You think I'm gonna throw that away? You think I'm gonna love you less because we added to this family?
" His voice cracked slightly. "You made me better. You made me want to be better."
On the screen, Jean-Marc was watching us with that expression he wore when he was trying not to break. When Nina finally pulled back, I caught him swiping at his eyes with the heel of his palm. He laughed, but it came out raw and rough around the edges. "We love you, too.”
Aidon smiled at him. "The triplets are lucky as hell they get you as siblings. But you were here first. You two? You're the foundation of this family. Everything else builds on that."
Jean-Marc's jaw clenched, and for a second I thought he might lose it completely. But he nodded instead, sharp and quick. "Okay. Okay, yeah."
"After this is over," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "we're having a real conversation. You, me, Nina, and Aidon. About everything. About how you're both feeling, what you need from us. Deal?"
"Deal." His voice went soft, younger somehow. Vulnerable. "Mom? Be careful tonight."
My heart squeezed. "Always."
"Liar." But he smiled.
The kitchen door swung open, and Nana walked in carrying her shotgun. She set it against the wall and fixed me with those sharp eyes. "Well?" She pulled out a chair. "We're going to sit around having feelings, or are we actually going to plan how to kill these bastards?"
"Both," I said as I took Melaina from Mom. I was infinitely grateful she’d allowed her siblings to have this moment without demanding her snack. "We're talented multitaskers." Aidon's hand found mine, squeezing gently.
"Who's going in?" Nana asked as she kissed Nyssa’s cheek.
"Small and mobile," I explained as I sent a message to Stella, letting her know we were going tonight. “Aidon, Stella, you, and me. Layla, Murtagh, and Tseki will stay with Mom, Nina, and Selene to guard the house. Jean-Marc will get us past their security."
"Is the plan still to destroy it?" Nana asked. "We haven't found primordial fire, yet."
"Then we take it." Aidon's jaw clenched. "At a minimum, we have to get it away from them and keep it somewhere they can't access while we contact Nylah." The Relic Keeper could keep it safe and hidden from detection if we couldn’t destroy the thing.
My phone buzzed, and my best friend’s name flashed across the screen. She must have left her ringer on in case of emergency. "What time are we breaking in? Do we have time to make extra potions? I have an idea I want to run by your mom."
Despite everything, I laughed. "We go in at 11 PM when there is a window in their security system."
The next hours blurred. We said goodbye to Jean-Marc so he could get some sleep.
He promised to keep working on the security system.
I finished feeding Melaina, and then it was Nyssa’s turn.
Nina fell asleep on the island while Mom channeled her anxiety into cooking.
Nana cleaned her weapons and helped with the babies.
Aidon and I went over the plan repeatedly, looking for holes, planning contingencies. "What if it's a trap?" I asked as the sky began to lighten.
"That’s why we go in carefully." He pulled me against his chest. "We've survived worse."
"Have we?" I thought about the magical nuclear reaction. "This feels different."
He bounced Melaina and lifted a shoulder. "It is different. This time, we have a lot more at stake. And for once, we're not reacting. We're making our own move."