“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I can only say so much. Things can change with their knowledge. Dominic told me Kyan would kill him one day, and that he would destroy himself after that. He told me that when Kyan was two. Killing his father would, in turn, kill Kyan.” Lucas whispers.
“But Dominic died,” I whisper. Goosebumps rise on my arms when I say that out loud.
“Things can change. Kat’s death and rebirth altered that, altered things. If Kyan killed him, Dominic knew it would be Kyan’s downfall when he had a new vision. So, Dominic dabbled back into his family’s magic, searching for the reasoning behind why it changed, trying to alter it and find another way. He realized the only way to save Kyan was to save someone else.”
“I am not following,” Andrei says.
“Are you saying he knew he would die by taking a bullet for Marabella?” I try to understand.
“That’s exactly what I am saying. As I said, I can’t risk saying much, but I assure you Jonah and Kyan will remain together. Dominic told me pieces, what he could before he signed Kyan over into my care the week before he died,” Lucas explains. A shiver runs up my spine.
“I should go check on the kids,” I tell Andrei, who nods.
I need to get out of here. That entire conversation is turning strange. Walking into the living room, I see the boys watching something on the tablet. Eziah is sitting next to Jonah, and Marabella holds onto Kyan’s leg, trying to get his attention as she pulls on his pants leg.
“Go away, annoy Jonah,” he tells her, pushing her hands off his leg.
Jonah’s brows furrow and I watch as he reaches down, grabs Marabella, and places her on his lap so she can watch next to her brother. “Why are you being mean to her?” Jonah asks.
“I wasn’t. She was touching me,” Kyan answers, looking at Jonah.
I, like Jonah, appear confused. Kyan spent the entire time playing with Marabella the day he was here. His behavior had definitely changed.
“Who wants to watch a movie?” I ask, walking into the room.
“Jurassic Park?” Jonah asks.
Right about now, I could kill Andrei for letting him watch that movie. Jonah loved it until night came, and he was convinced a T-Rex would come to eat him from his bed.
“It gives you nightmares,” I tell him.
“But Kyan is staying. I won’t have nightmares with him in the room, please, momma,” Jonah asks, and I look toward the babies, who clearly shouldn’t watch it.
“How about you watch it after Kat gets the kids? It’s a little too scary for them,” I tell him.
He looks at Eziah and Marabella, then he quickly nods his head. “Alright, you pick,” Jonah says, and I find a cartoon to put on.
“I’ll go make popcorn, and hopefully, those two will take a nap.” I tell the boys.
Kat said they usually nap around this time. As I walk out of the living room and into the hall, I notice Lucas approaching me.
“Andrei said Zane is heading into the city tomorrow. I will send him back with some clothes for Kyan. Andrei said he could borrow some of Zane’s mates’ siblings for tonight?” Lucas looks at Andrei over his shoulder. Andrei nods at him.
“If you need me to come get him, just call, and I will head straight here,” Lucas says, glancing over my shoulder at the boys on the couch.
“He will be fine,” I tell Lucas, who seems nervous about leaving him here.
“But if he isn’t, just ring, and I will be here as quick as possible,” he says, stepping past me and into the living room.
“Kyan, I’m leaving now.” Kyan looks up and nods to his uncle.
“I love you, buddy,” Lucas tells him.
“I love you too, you know that,” Kyan says, and Lucas sighs.
Lucas leaves, and the day goes by slowly before eventually, it turns into night, and I have just finished tucking the two boys in bed.
Kat rang earlier and said they are still stuck in court at quarter to five. I told her to stay the night in the city and that the kids are fine here.
Ducking into my room, I walk into the closet and grab some pajamas before changing into them. I am sleeping in the living room because that’s where we set up the portable cot for Marabella and Eziah. Besides, Andrei’s snoring would wake them if they were in the room with us.
Tugging my shirt and pants off, I pull on the tank top and pull the pants up.
I can’t help but stop as I get to my thighs. The sight of them always shocks me. I’m not sure how it is possible. My skin is now smooth, and the burns and scars of my past are just a distant memory.
The shock of seeing my skin after the war made me think I was dead.
Andrei spent an hour convincing me I was alive and that I wasn’t stuck in some purgatory. I couldn’t believe it, but when Kat healed me, she somehow healed all my old injuries, and now my skin is perfect and smooth.
I really should have a shower, but I am exhausted, and Andrei is already passed out in bed. I just want to sink into the couch and sleep. Walking down the steps, I walk into the living room, climb onto the couch next to the cot, and pull the blanket up. It doesn’t take long before I fall asleep. The four kids have kept us on our toes today.
It takes me a few minutes to register the sound of crying, and I sit upright. Marabella is crying, and I can hear her waking Eziah.
I grab her out, rock her while yawning, and walk to the kitchen to make her bottle. She finally falls back to sleep, and I lay back down only to jolt back awake. I swear my eyes feel like they only just shut. I lost count after the first handful of times. She never sleeps.
The kid did not sleep. I start again, make the bottle, change her butt, everything. The next time she starts crying, I nearly start crying with her, crying over my broken sleep. No wonder Kat feels like a zombie, no wonder she has a severe coffee addiction.
I feel like death as I try to force myself up. I mentally curse Andrei, who I can hear snoring upstairs, and even flip the ceiling off with my rude finger because he is getting some sleep.
“He can’t see you,” Kyan’s voice says, making me nearly jump out of my skin. He picks up Marabella out of the porta-cot.
“What are you doing up?” I ask. He looks over at me.
“She won’t stop crying, she could wake the dead,” he says, walking over to the two-seater with her.
“You should go back to bed, Kyan. I will take her,” I tell him, but he lays down on the couch.