Page 92 of Rescued By Four Alphas
"Well, yes, I definitely would. I probably should hold it against all of you for the rest of our lives. But they all have each of your DNA in them. I am fighting a losing battle."
We all laugh, and the sound startles Nova, who starts bawling her eyes out. As if on cue, the others join her.
"There go our moments of peace," Evan mumbles.
These moments matter more than I can express. I've never felt complete and fulfilled, but in this room with five of us together, and our children safe and whole, I can say for a fact that I have never been happier.
Dahlia passes Zane to Evan and stretches her arms above her head. Her body recovers more every day, though I notice how she favors her left side when she walks or does anything.
"Dr. Marianna says I can start light exercise next week," she tells us. "I want to work in the garden."
"Not alone," Evan says immediately.
"Of course, I would be alone. Not with these four." She gestures to the babies. "But I need fresh air."
"The terrace garden has the best security coverage," I say before Evan can argue. "And direct access to the house."
Evan nods, accepting the compromise. His protectiveness has increased tenfold after Reid, not that any of us blame him. We all feel the need to keep our family close and to build walls around what matters most. Especially now that we are waiting and preparing for a retaliation.
Nova falls asleep in my arms, her tiny chest rising and falling with each breath. I stand up and gently place her in her crib. She turns and lets a small whine, but she settles again as I lightly tap her back.
"Did the samples arrive for Marianna?" Dahlia asks Evan.
"It'll arrive this morning. She should be able to start the analysis tomorrow."
The "samples" come from Reid's facility - his notes, his compounds, everything we salvaged before Rivera's team destroyed the place. Marianna will work to understand whatthey did to Dahlia and to create antidotes for the drugs still lingering in her system.
"And what about the others?" she asks. "The ones Reid mentioned?"
"We found two." Onyx's voice drops. "Both are dead. The accelerants caused heart failure."
Dahlia closes her eyes. "And their families?"
"I've compensated them," Evan says. "Not that money helps, but..."
"At least it's something," she agrees. "What about the pregnant women on Reid's list?"
"My team has secured eight so far," I tell her. "We put them in safe houses with medical care. The other four remain missing."
This conversation repeats almost daily. Dahlia needs to know everything and every person. She carries the weight of surviving when others didn't.
"And Hammond?" she asks.
"He's still in custody," Evan says. "But his security classification changed yesterday. He's being transferred to a minimum-security facility next month."
None of us mentions the basement facility where Reid remains. Dahlia knows, of course. She sat with me the night I questioned whether we crossed a line by holding him there. "Some lines deserve to be crossed," she told me. "For the right reasons."
Zane starts to fuss in Evan's arms. Dahlia holds out her hands for him.
"He's hungry again," she says. "They will all be soon."
As if on cue, Knox starts crying again, and I pick him up.
"At least Nova will sleep through anything," Axl says. "She has your ability to tune out everything, Evan."
"A useful trait in this house," Evan agrees.
We settle into feeding them their bottles. Dahlia feeds Zane while Knox takes a bottle from me. Axl and Onyx change Jaxon, a task that requires two people due to his tendency to pee the moment his diaper comes off.
