4. Mira

4

MIRA

I 'm humming an old lullaby while folding laundry in the twins' room when a stuffed dragon zooms past my head. My hands freeze mid-fold as I track its path through the air. The plush toy circles twice before joining a growing parade of floating objects trailing behind Nova, who toddles down the hallway with intense concentration on her face.

"Nova, sweetie?"

She turns, violet eyes wide with innocence, and the procession of toys behind her shifts direction like a school of fish. "Yes, Mira?"

Before I can respond, Luna bursts from her room with her own flotilla of toys, blocks, and what appears to be her entire sock drawer following in her wake. The floating items bump and jostle for position.

"Look what we can do!" Luna twirls, sending her toys spinning in a chaotic orbit. A wooden block nearly clips my ear.

"That's... impressive." I duck under a floating picture book. "But maybe we should get everything back on the ground before-"

A crash from down the hall interrupts me. Nova's lower lip trembles. "I didn't mean to. They just started following us."

"The toys got excited," Luna adds, reaching up to pat a floating stuffed lunox that nuzzles her hand. "They want to play too."

I step carefully through the aerial obstacle course of toys. "How about we try putting them down one at a time?"

"But they're happy up here." Luna pouts, and three more toys rise from her room to join the crowd.

"I can't stop it," Nova whispers, her freckled nose scrunching with effort. The toys behind her start spinning faster.

Another crash echoes from their room, followed by the sound of breaking glass. I need to contain this before their magic reaches down to the shop.

"Okay, new plan. Let's make this a game." I kneel between them. "Who can get their toys to land the softest? Like falling snowflakes?"

Luna's eyes light up at the challenge, while Nova chews her lip in concentration. A stuffed rono slowly descends, touching down with exaggerated gentleness.

"Like that?" Nova asks.

"Perfect. Now can you do it with the rest?"

Nova concentrates, but it's clearly difficult for her. Still, the toys start to drop closer to the floor.

"That's right, just like that." I make a gentle falling motion with my hands as more toys drift down. Luna, not to be outdone by her sister, sends three stuffed animals floating gracefully to the floor.

"Mine are dancing," she declares, making a pink rono pirouette before landing.

Nova's brow furrows as she focuses on each toy in turn. Her careful precision shows in how they descend in a neat line, like baby animals following their mother. The floating blocks prove trickier - one slips from her control and tumbles toward a vase.

I catch it just in time. "Good job, both of you. Almost there."

Luna yawns mid-twirl, and her remaining airborne toys wobble. "M'not tired."

"Course not." I gather the last few stragglers from the ceiling. Nova's already rubbing her eyes, swaying slightly where she stands. Using magic always drains them faster than they expect.

"Can we do more floating later?" Nova asks through another yawn.

"After your nap." I scoop her up, and she nestles against my shoulder without protest. Luna tries to back away, but stumbles over a fallen block.

"No nap," she insists, even as her eyes droop. "Want to make more toys fly."

I shift Nova to one hip and reach for Luna. "The toys need a nap too. See?" I point to the stuffed lunox Luna loves. "He's already sleeping."

"Just five minutes?" Luna bargains, finally letting me pick her up.

"Fifteen," I counter, carrying them to their room. Nova's already half-asleep, her copper curls tickling my neck.

By the time I lay them in their bed, Luna's lost her battle with exhaustion. I tuck their favorite blankets around them - stars for Nova, moons for Luna - and watch their breathing even out. Glitter from Luna's earlier magical mishap sparkles in her hair, while Nova still has traces of this morning's breakfast adventure on her sleeve.

I smooth their curls back and whisper, "Sweet dreams, my little troublemakers."

While picking up the last of the dropped floating toys, I bump a shelf in the living room and a wooden box tumbles down. It lands with a soft thud, its lid popping open to spill photographs across the floor. I drop to my knees, gathering them quickly before they wrinkle, when a face stops me cold.

The man in the image has the twins' exact shade of copper-red hair, just like Karn's, though cut shorter than their wild curls. His golden eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles at the camera, one arm wrapped around a petite woman with dark hair. Sarah. She beams up at him, her brown eyes sparkling with joy.

"Ash," I whisper, remembering Karn's stories about his brother.

The resemblance to the twins is striking - Nova has his nose, while Luna inherited his height and the way his smile pulls slightly higher on the left.

I settle cross-legged on the floor, carefully sorting through more photos. Here's one of Ash in his herb shop, sorting dried plants with those long, graceful fingers both girls have. He looks strikingly similar to Karn, though not as gruff Another shows him and Sarah at their wedding, his demon features standing out stark against her human family, but their happiness outshines everything else.

The last photo makes my breath catch. Ash holds month-old twins, one in each arm. Despite their violet eyes marking their mixed heritage, they look so human - just like their mother. But their father's features are there in every delicate line: the sharp curve of their cheekbones, the slight point to their ears, the way their hair catches light like burnished copper.

"They're so much like him," I murmur, touching the edge of the wedding photo. "But they have your kindness, Sarah." The words feel right, speaking to these people I'll never meet but whose legacy I help protect.

A soft snore from Luna's bed pulls me back to the present. I carefully return the photos to their box, but pause at the wedding picture. Ash's golden eyes seem to meet mine, full of the same love I see when the twins master a new spell or share a secret joke. I place it on top before closing the lid.

A splash of water hits my face as Luna giggles, attempting to make her rubber duck float above the bath. "Higher!" she demands, violet eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Let's keep the water in the tub this time." I reach for the soap, but Nova's already turned it purple with a touch of her finger.

Heavy footsteps on the stairs signal Karn's arrival just as Luna decides bath time is over. She launches herself out of the tub, grabbing her towel like a cape as she makes a break for freedom.

"Got you, little troublemaker." Karn's deep voice rumbles with amusement as he catches her mid-escape. His broad shoulders block the doorway while Luna squirms in his grip, dripping water everywhere.

"I'm a demon warrior!" She waves her towel-cape. "Warriors don't need baths."

"Even warriors need clean clothes." Karn's violet eyes, identical to the twins', crinkle at the corners. Soot from the forge still streaks his copper hair, tied back in its usual mess.

Nova stands in the tub, arms raised. "Up please, Uncle Karn."

He scoops her out one-handed, somehow managing to wrap her in a towel while still containing Luna's wiggling. "Did they flood the bathroom again?"

"Only a little splash war today." I wring water from my sleeve. "Luna, those pajamas won't put themselves on."

"They could if I make them float!"

"No more floating things tonight." Karn carries them to their room, his huge frame making them look even tinier. "You already gave Mira enough excitement for one day."

Once we wrangle them into pajamas - after they finish fighting over the dragon ones - they climb into their bed. Luna bounces on her mattress. "Story time! Mira tells the best stories."

"Better than mine?" Karn raises his scarred eyebrow, settling into the oversized chair beside their bed.

"You do good dragon voices," Nova offers diplomatically.

I perch on the edge of her bed. "Once upon a time, there were two brave little demon girls who could make their toys dance in the air..."

The twins lean forward as I weave their day's adventure into a tale of magical mishaps and floating toy parades. Karn listens too, his usual gruff expression softening as the girls gasp and giggle at all the right moments.

"And then the clever girls learned to make their toys float down as gentle as snowflakes," I finish, watching their eyes grow heavy.

"Just like us," Luna mumbles, snuggling deeper into her blankets.

Nova's already half-asleep. "Do more stories tomorrow?"

"Of course, sweetie." I brush a copper curl from her forehead. "But now it's time for sleep."

"Night night, Uncle Karn." Nova's voice is thick with sleep as she burrows deeper into her blankets.

Luna fights another yawn. "Love you lots and lots."

Karn bends down, his massive frame somehow gentle as he kisses each forehead. "Sleep well, little demons."

I slip my hand into his rough, calloused one and tug him toward the door. His skin radiates heat from hours at the forge, and soot still clings to his forearms despite his earlier wash.

"When's the last time you ate?" I whisper once we're in the hallway. He missed dinner with us. And suddenly, it feels like my first night here but the roles are reversed.

He runs his free hand through his copper hair, loosening it from its tie. "Had some bread. Earlier."

"Earlier meaning...?"

"This morning counts as earlier." His violet eyes catch mine, that familiar dry humor surfacing.

"Kitchen. Now." I pull him down the hall, noting how he follows without resistance despite being able to easily plant himself if he wanted. For someone so physically imposing, he yields to me more than I'd expect from a demon.

I push him toward a chair. "Sit. I'll heat up the stew."

"You don't have to-"

"Oh, hush and let me feed you." I busy myself with the pot, hiding my smile at his surprised chuckle. A month ago, I'd have never dreamed of speaking to a demon that way. But Karn... he's different. Safe.

His chair creaks as he leans back, watching me with those intense eyes. "Missed this today."

"Missed what? Me ordering you around?"

"Maybe." He accepts the bowl I place before him, his fingers brushing mine. "The quiet. The girls." I swear he wants to say 'you,' or maybe I just want him to.

Heat creeps up my neck. I turn back to the stove, suddenly very interested in wiping down the already-clean counter. "Eat your stew before it gets cold."

The comfortable silence that follows feels like home - something I never thought I'd find again, especially not with a demon. But as I listen to his spoon scrape the bowl and feel his presence warm the room, I realize I've stopped seeing him as just a demon at all.

He's simply Karn.

And that makes me feel a way I don't expect.