Chapter 142: Growth - Kael
The first kick comes at dawn.
I feel it through the Bloodbond—a sharp, insistent tap against my own ribs, like someone knocking on a door from the inside. I jolt awake, my hand flying to my chest.
Leah sleeps beside me, one hand resting on her barely-swollen belly. Her face is peaceful, lips slightly parted, silver-white wings folded beneath her like a blanket. She doesn't wake.
But I feel it again.
Not one kick. Two. At the same time. A rhythm.
I place my palm over Leah's stomach, careful not to wake her. The skin is warm, faintly glowing with silver light that bleeds through from within. And beneath my hand—
Movement.
A clear, purposeful push against my palm. Not random. Deliberate. Like they know I'm here.
My throat tightens.
Three thousand years. I've felt every pain, every loss, every breaking. But never this. Never—
Connection.
The Bloodbond carries more than just sensation. It carries pieces of consciousness. Hints of dreams. I sense two minds, not yet formed, not yet named, but already different from each other. One is curious. Reaching outward. Testing boundaries.
The other—
The other is watching.
Patient. Ancient. Guarded.
Like looking into a mirror that shows the past and future at the same time.
I lean down, press my lips to Leah's forehead. She stirs but doesn't wake.
"I know you're there," I whisper against her skin.
The twins kick again. Together. A response.
I smile in the darkness, the castle quiet around us, the door humming its lullaby above.
They know.
They know their father is here.