Page 34 of I Am the Night

I'm about to say that Racul will be there too, but I don't think Sebastian will find that as reassuring as I intend it to be. Quite the contrary, so I keep my mouth shut.

When we get home, Lily arrives at the same time, and she grins when she sees us.

"I've missed your face," I say, reaching to hug her as she approaches.

"Yours too," she says. "Which is why I thought I should come home, at least for a few days."

I tilt my head at her. "Is everything okay with Kaya?"

"Oh totally. She's going to swing by later to stay in my tree for a bit. Seems only fair."

"That's wonderful," I say.

We enter the house together and Liam and Elijah greet us with exhausted enthusiasm.

"Thank the gods you all are home. These kids are running us ragged."

Lily laughs. "Kaya and I can take care of them tonight. Give you a break."

The gratitude evident on their faces makes me laugh out loud. "Come on guys, it couldn't have been that bad."

"Alina burned down a tree. And Zara nearly flooded a village."

I gasp and Elijah raises a hand. "I stopped her. I used wind to move the water, but now we have a new lake."

"How's Ana?" I ask.

"Already in bed," Liam says. "She was lovely, though a little sad that her 'friend' hadn't come to see her recently."

I shake my head sadly. "She must have led such a hard, lonely life. At least when I lost my dad, I still had Adam. We might have been in and out of foster homes, but we always had each other. Poor girl. Even her imaginary friend isn't always there for her."

Liam nods. "I think being here is good for her. She's surrounded by a family and love. Healing will take time, but like the body, the soul can heal with the right ingredients."

I've always been intrigued by the juxtaposition of Liam's hot-headed anger, and his heart and skill for healing. He really should have gotten the water element, but he's made it work.

"How are the babies?" I ask.

Liam rolls his eyes dramatically. "They will be the death of me. I thought one was a handful. Two is triple the damage, especially when one can turn into a dragon and fly."

Elijah chuckles. "I had to keep using air power to prevent Zara from flying away entirely."

"Sounds like you two had an exciting day. How about we all get dinner and I'll tell you my news?"

Dinner for them would be blood. But I needed real food. As if to prove my point, my stomach begins to rumble.

"Where are the kids?" Lily asks.

"I got them to bed, but those babies won't stay asleep. I tried separating them but then they scream and cry, so… I don't know what to do," Liam says, looking despondent.

Lily giggles. "I'll take care of it." She heads upstairs while we settle into the library.

Elijah brings me a tray with steak, potatoes, green beans and a fresh salad. "This is normal meat, yes? Nothing weird… or talking?" You really can't be too careful about the meat in this world, I've learned.

"I would never feed you anything else," he assures me. I smile and thank him and dig in.

"Where's Derek," I ask?

Liam shrugs. "He hasn't come home yet. Hopefully he's chasing down a lead."