Chapter 143: The Tenth Pancake - Leah
The tenth pancake is perfect.
Golden. Round. Crispy edges, fluffy center. I flip it in the cast-iron pan—Kael's pan, the one from the de Noct armory that he re-seasoned three times because I kept burning off the coating—and it lands with a nice slap.
Kael watches from the doorway, arms crossed, a hint of a smile on his face.
"You've beaten the master," he says.
"You were never the master. You were just the only teacher I had."
He laughs. That rare, full laugh that turns his face from something carved by three thousand years of responsibility into something young. Human. Real.
I slide the pancake onto a plate. Stack it on top of nine others—eight failed tries, one okay one, and this: the tenth. The perfect one.
"For the twins," I say, touching my belly. Six months now. The bump is obvious. My wings have shifted, making room, and the silver glow has gotten so bright I cast faint shadows even in full daylight.
Kael steps behind me, arms around my waist, chin on my shoulder. His wings—dark red, slowly growing back—fold around both of us.
"They'll taste this," he says quietly. "Through the bond. They taste everything you taste."
"Even the burnt ones?"
"Especially the burnt ones. Builds character."
I laugh, leaning back against him. The castle kitchen smells like butter and honey. Outside, Xiao Qi is teaching the refugee kids basic math—apparently being a spy and a scientist makes you qualified to teach elementary school. Avi patrols the walls with Kiran, their arguing floating on the wind. Grendel the dragon snores in the courtyard, his scales shifting from deep green to flat black as he adjusts to Side B's sunlight.
Normal.
Not perfect.
Ours.
I pick up the perfect pancake and take a bite. It tastes like—
Home.
The twins kick in agreement.