Chapter 2
I awoke to the throbbing headache of memories sorting themselves out in the worst type of mental Tetris.
It seemed Gladiatrix didn’t find any luck with the latest facility I’d located, which meant I needed to find another trail of Theodore or his mother.
Their presence had become harder to pinpoint as the months passed, and fewer of my manifestations came back with results.
That said, I had a more difficult battle ahead of me this morning.
Ben had slipped into our room again, unable to sleep by himself, and wedged himself between Milo and me around midnight.
Now, he lay on top of me, sprawled out and crushing my bladder.
When Milo made it clear he wanted to keep Ben and raise him, ensuring the kid didn’t slip through the cracks after enduring so many horrors, I agreed to help.
In order to officially foster Ben together, we had to prove we were a serious couple, which meant moving in together.
Since Milo had the bigger place—an entire damn penthouse—I sold my house and moved in here.
Ben wasn’t the only one currently crushing me.
Milo had also nestled in closely because he loved to cuddle and hog the bed.
He’d cocooned himself in the blankets and pressed himself right against me, nearly rolling me off the side of the bed.
If that wasn’t enough, Charlie had curled up into a tight ball of orange fluff and slept on my neck.
Oxygen be damned when he needed his cuddles and affection.
“Meow,” Carlie cried, which could only mean I was late when it came to providing her breakfast.
I sighed, showing her the mountain of clingy men in my life that kept me trapped in bed. Carlie didn’t care. She strutted across the bed and gently nudged my foot with her head. A warning that a bite would soon follow if I didn’t move.
With a delicate wave, I coiled telekinesis around Milo, Ben, and Charlie.
Carefully lifting them, I twisted my wrist ever so to guide them to the other side of the king-size mattress.
I set Milo down first, then placed Ben beside him and planted Charlie in between Ben’s arms. As expected, Ben held him close, and Charlie nuzzled right up for the sleepy attention.
A piercing pain shot through my foot, and I nearly yelped, waking everyone up.
“Dammit, cat,” I quietly hissed, which merely provoked a judgmental glare from Carlie, whose tail swished back and forth, thumping hard on the bed as she awaited her meal.
I got up, poured food in her bowl—skipped Charlie’s bowl because I’d be damned if Carlie ate it all while he slept—then made my way through my morning routine.
Bathroom, shower, balcony for a smoke. Except, I’d stopped doing that.
I stood close to the balcony door, muscle memories and cravings still strongly intact even after six and a half weeks without a cigarette.
It didn’t take living together for long before Milo’s worries and Ben’s badgering had worn me down.
I turned away and returned to the kitchen to cook breakfast. Well, if microwaving the breakfast sandwich Milo had meal-prepped counted as cooking.
Seriously, he’d make all kinds of dishes, from full-course meals to easy on-the-go snacks.
He even made a bunch of those non-crust peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Ben to take to school in his lunchbox.
Milo had suburban dad hat down to a T, where I was still trying to figure out my place in the world.
Since my telepathy had grown, I’d decided to use this new gift to track down the Celestial Coven.
Not that I’d been very successful. And technically, I worked at Cerberus Guild again, but mostly just to appease the red tape that required me to be an official guild member enchanter in order for the Global Guild to acquiesce to my services as a freelance investigator in their case.
Not that they wanted my help or used my services a lot.
Most of my days were spent floundering between one project or another.
It was almost October, and I hadn’t started the new school year yet.
There was an emptiness that came with not returning to Gemini Academy.
I’d kept my magic close to my students’ minds over the summer to ensure their safety, but when the end of August rolled around and I hadn’t returned to work, I closed off my mind to them.
I wasn’t ready for their reactions, their feelings—if they had any about my absence—but now that we’d entered October, they’d officially begin their internships.
I truly hoped Chanelle found them all something perfect.
I’d pestered her damn near enough to guarantee it.
“Morning, my grumpy little storm cloud.” Milo wrapped an arm around my stomach and pulled me in for a hug from behind.
“You could just say good morning like a normal person.”
“Where’s the fun in that, my pouty prince?”
I sulked, which only made him giggle and squeeze me tighter. With his free hand, he moved it up my side until he reached my shoulders.
All these months later, he still tended to brush his fingers against the nape of my neck before kissing me there. I supposed he’d grown accustomed to my long hair and hadn’t adjusted to the new cut. I liked it, though. Less maintenance, which was never my strongest trait.
“You nervous about today?”
“Why would I be nervous?” I shook loose and went to pack Ben’s lunch. It mostly consisted of assembling the various snacks and such Milo had prepped in advance.
Admittedly, I was a bit anxious about today.
The internships were officially starting up.
I’d see my students again. Everything they worked for at the academy led them to their internship, and depending on who they landed with, it could make or break their chances in the industry.
Not only that, but I wasn’t with them these past few weeks and wasn’t able to make any last-minute preparations.
Wasn’t able to ensure they’d stayed strong and done everything possible to improve their odds. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t—
“What’s for breakfast?” Ben asked, pulling me from my concerns and back to the morning routine where my mind needed to stay grounded.
He was still in his pajamas as he trudged through the kitchen to the small eat-in table we often used for snacks and quick meals, unlike the dining room, where we tried to maintain regular dinners. Well, twice a week, for sure. Our schedules were a bit hectic here.
I ran my fingers through Ben’s messy blue hair, fixing it some.
Since harnessing his magic nonstop for days on end, his blue warding glow seemed to have forever seeped into his hair follicles.
I didn’t really have an answer for it. Neither did his pediatrician when we took him for his checkups, but she suggested it was nothing to worry about.
“Did you brush your teeth, mister?”
“No.” Ben shook his head. “They’re all gonna fall out, anyway.”
“Yeah, but you need good habits,” I explained. “For when your grown-up teeth come in.”
“No, I’ll just get dentures like my nanna had. Seems easier.”
Milo chuckled.
“Tell him to brush his goddamn teeth,” I thought at Milo, linking our minds.
“You still gotta brush ‘em, lil dude,” Milo explained with a reluctant sigh as I continued badgering him with my thoughts. “Even if you want dentures, you need good gum health. And also, if you don’t brush your teeth, your tongue could get moldy and fall out.”
Ben gasped. “Will it turn blue? Like the moldy cheese? Maybe it can match my hair.”
“No,” Milo said, struggling not to smile. “It’d probably be black mold.”
“Cool!”
“Not cool,” I corrected, giving Milo another glance.
“And Dorian won’t let you eat dessert if you don’t brush your teeth.”
“Oh, that’s all the way at dinner. I can brush them then.”
“You know he’s got a long, grumpy memory. Might not wanna risk it.”
Ben huffed, then stomped toward the bathroom, announcing every step of his morning routine.
“Taking off the cap,” he shouted. “Squeezing toothpaste. Turning on the water.”
“Why must you always make me the villain?”
“Because I’m not built for being the mean parent.”
“And I am?” I glowered.
“I mean, if the scowl fits.” Milo gestured to my frowning face, which he’d envisioned in his thoughts, giving me a much angrier expression and horns.
“Asshole.”
“Language.” Milo nodded as Ben made his way back to the kitchen table.
I huffed, buried my craving for a cigarette, and joined them for breakfast. As much as I couldn’t stand being around either of them most of the time, I couldn’t imagine my life without Milo and Ben.
“Meow.” Charlie headbutted my leg and chirped until I reached down and pet him.
I couldn’t imagine life without my kitty cats either.
Despite the looming threat of unknowns roaming this world, I was quite content with my life and how it’d turned out.