Page 52 of His Curse

"Well, hello there.” I giggle down at the two tots who are very obviously Cora's twins. "Are you my welcoming committee?"

The one on the left, Dizzkord, I'm guessing, because she is clearly female and very petite like her mama, smiles a relatively toothless smile and claps while Khaos and his neon blues look at me curiously before he grunts out something that sounds kind of like a howl.

Oh my gosh, I love them already.

"You two are almost as nosy as your Uncle Zan,” Cora says with a grin as she steps out of the bedroom across the hall. "You were supposed to play while Auntie Lark showered, not wait outside the bathroom door like little creeps."

"I don't mind.” I chuckle as Cora lifts Khaos and holds him out to me. I just blink repeatedly then slowly take the young that is reaching for me from her arms.

Cora lifts Dizzkord and plants the babe on her hip. "I was going to have Kady watch them but decided against it. Thought maybe it'd be good for you to have some baby snuggles while you got into all the heavy stuff.” She winks. "They can be your security blanket."

With the most genuine smile I've given in years, I nod and sniff Khaos's dark curly hair like a weirdo. "I haven't held a baby in so long."

The chubby little male grunts out another howl then hugs my neck right before planting a slobbery kiss on my cheek.

Something else that makes my eyes well with tears all over again.

"I figured that was the case after our chat earlier.” Cora turns and starts down the hall, then motions for me to follow. "Hopefully they'll make you more comfortable with everything else we're about to get into.” Then she giggles. "Them and our small zoo, anyway."

Boy, she was not kidding about the zoo.

I saw the duck and goat earlier, but walking into the living room to see not only them, but a teeny little pig, a French bulldog, and a Great Dane? Yeah, this is definitely an animal house.

"Wow,” is the only thing I manage to get out because as soon as I'm all the way in the room, the Great Dane comes barreling toward me, tongue flopped out of his mouth, and tail wagging like it might fall off. He stops in front of me, nudges my hip that is unoccupied by Khaos, then plants on his butt, tips his head back and fucking howls just as the front door opens.

Frankie walks in first, arms loaded with... oh my gods she hasMcDonalds. I guess my wolf was right: she absolutely is a friend to us because I could fucking kiss her right now, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into a greasy ass cheeseburger and salty delicious fries.

Behind her is a man, a super handsome man, with very blonde hair dyed pink, jewelry in his face, and more markings on his skin than Frankie. And wow, his eyes arepurple.

Something inside me leaps in recognition, a recognition I don't understand, but is quickly replaced by so much fucking happiness when I realize he's holding two trays of chocolate milkshakes.

Fuck, I haven't had one of those in... well, as long as everything else I haven't done since the 70’s.

His eyes land on me as he steps toward the kitchen, then stay on me as another gigantic man walks in with more bags of fast food and eyes just like Dizzkord's.

So that dark-haired, fair-skinnned mammoth is Havok, and he is definitely the only one of his kind because the vampires I know look absolutely nothing like him—which is like a fucking linebacker or some other enormous male. And that must mean the male still staring holes in my head is Zan, Frankie's demon mate, and that guy could easily pass for a QB or gigantic tight end.

I meet his stare, hold it, don't break or blink once, and when his purple eyes flicker silver, my heart stops.

Because something inside merespondedto it.

I don't know what, have no clue, to be honest, but something in my gut or my head, maybe my soul, is responding to the flicker of silver and he must know it because it makes Zan smile like a goddamn Cheshire Cat.

Weird.

"I see how it is. Make the youngest carry the happy meals."

My eyes snap to the door as my wolf stirs, as she stands up and scents one of our own.

Not our mate though, but someone definitely of his bloodline, of that I'm sure.

It's what drew me to the truck in the first place and my goodness he is a big wolf, really big, big like my mate. They were not kidding about the males being huge.

"Oh,” Ronny says with a smile, his warm blue eyes lighting before they flash white. "You look so much better than the last time I saw you."

I frown, look down at my scars and my clothes, then smirk up at him. "Washing off a few liters of blood will do that."

For a second, the young wolf, Ronny, I take it, looks horrified, and just as he goes to offer his neck because clearly his wolf is telling him I'm a Luna, I giggle so hard I snort.

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