Hannah took Jo to give her a bath, and Ona helped Cadence get Cadon latched while Jamie left to go check on his own one-month-old baby. Cadence’s son was a pro almost immediately, latching on the first try to resting peacefully while he nursed. Cadence couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have even one sweet baby, let alone the blessings of two. He wore a tiny little cap to keep him warm, and she couldn’t help but stroke his head while he made soft baby noises in her arms.
Hannah brought Jo back before Cadon was finished. It took her daughter much longer to latch. She kept turning her feisty little face away, growling her discontentment as Cadence tried to get her on and not disturb Cadon at the same time. With Aaron’s help, their daughter finally latched, but he had to have his hand on her back or else she’d pull off again. “She is definitely a Daddy’s girl,” Cadence declared, shaking her head at her strong-spirited daughter.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Aaron assured her, kissing Cadence on the head.
Ona patted her arm. “You’re doing great. I’ll give your family some time alone. Call me if you need anything.”
Fighting the urge to insist the Healer stay, Cadence nodded. Once the door was closed, and she was alone with just her family, she did feel much calmer. She rested her head back and listened to the sound of her children breathing. The weight of them in her arms was perfect, like they were made to fit exactly where they lay, next to her heart. Not even twelve pounds together, they were tiny in stature but monumental in importance, and Cadence basked in the warmth of love radiating out of her, wrapping around both her children and her husband as tightly and securely as the warmth of the safe haven the babies had just left.
Aaron sat in a chair beside her, not moving his hand from Jo’s back as he scooted his chair even closer to Cadence. With his free hand, he brushed back her hair. “You did it. You were amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks.” She leaned into his hand, not really sure she’d done as well as he seemed to think, but she had grown two humans and got them into the world without incident, so there was that. “You’re already an amazing daddy.”
He grinned. “I might have to spend the next eighteen years with one hand on Jo’s back, but if that’s what she needs.”
Cadence giggled, careful not to disturb the babies. Cadon was asleep now, and he’d pulled off but was snuggled against her, so Cadence didn’t dare move any more than she had to.
Aaron came to her instead, running his thumb along her temple. “Thank you, Cadence. I know how scary this was for you—all of it—but you are an incredible mom already. They’re so blessed to have you. And I’m... I’m the luckiest man alive.”
His eyes were twinkling, with tears, pride, and love, and Cadence found herself misty-eyed again looking back at him. “I love you.” Those three words encompassed everything. Getting here hadn’t been the easiest road, but it had been well worth every moment of struggle and pain.
Aaron’s lips brushed hers, and Cadence’s breath caught in her throat. His kiss deepened while Cadence’s heart beat out of her chest. He pulled back. “I love you, too. This is a new beginning, a new chapter for us, and despite how different everything is, I know it’s going to be the most incredible journey yet.”
She smiled, thinking if she could hunt Vampires, surely she could wrangle two babies. Someday, she’d be back out there, tracking down whatever dark beasts still prowled the night. For now, she’d leave it to the others and concentrate on her growing family. In the back of her mind, she knew that someday the tiny people in her arms would face the same threats she had, would be called upon to defend the innocent from evil. And when it was their time, they’d be ready. She could only imagine how powerful they would be, inheriting a long lineage of Hunter and Guardian skills and talents that coursed through their blood. She prayed they’d never face the likes of Daunator or Holland, but if they did, Cadon and Josephina McReynolds would be capable of defeating anything the shadows that stalked the night threw at them.
All of those thoughts dissipated as Cadence looked down at their cherub faces, sleeping against her chest. “Sleep little ones,” she whispered. “Mommy and Daddy are right here. We’ll always be right here.” She bent down and kissed their heads before letting hers fall backward onto the pillow, exhaustion setting in. Aaron brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, and she smiled through her weariness.
Her life was nothing like she’d thought it would be two years ago, when she was in college studying to be a teacher. Almost overnight, everything she’d believed about the universe had changed, spinning out of control, but also opening the door to an existence she never would’ve dreamt was possible. She had no idea if the place she’d visited that day when she hit the forest floor was real or not, but if she could go back there now, she’d want to find her friend Drew Peterson and thank her. Drew’s sacrifice had led Cadence here, and despite the hardships, the pain, the losses she’d suffered, there was no place she’d rather be.
Cadence felt herself drifting off, sleep a welcome visitor. Aaron was right; this new adventure would be the most incredible one of all. Cadence was ready. No matter what obstacles she faced next, she knew she was capable, even if her title had shifted from Vampire Hunter Extraordinaire to Mom for a little while. She wasn’t convinced the first one was the harder of the two jobs. She’d never asked for either of them, but in the end, life had given her everything she needed. Facing the challenges head on, she had no doubt she could make it through. With Aaron and the rest of her family beside her, how could she fail?
As she drifted off to sleep, her mind began to lose track of any logical thought. The weight of the babies in her arms was a constant, as was the feel of her husband’s hand on her, his closeness a continuous reassurance, a lifeline she drew upon that strengthened both of them. Perhaps, evil was brewing out there somewhere, in the distance, in the shadows, for now, Cadence would relish her new role as mother, but one day, she’d put on her leather jacket and black boots and return to the underworld, ready to turn Vampires to ash and make the world her children would grow up in a little bit safer, one bloodsucker at a time.
