Chapter 763: Gabriel

Amazing how such little fingers and toes could hold endless fascination. Perfectly formed. Tiny replicas of my own, miniature flawlessness in a sweet bundle I wanted to hold forever.

His tiny button nose wrinkled in sleep, bow lips working as he sucked his tongue. Gabriel's scent evolved past his father's into summer and freshness with a hint of the most delicious vanilla, his little body warm in my arms. I feared I'd lose the ability to physically feel that part of him, my temperature sensation curtailed by my power. But though my maji magic kicked in after his birth, returning me to my normal lack of sensation to heat and cold, something about Gabriel made things different. I could sense a change from moment to moment as his body adjusted. Warming in sleep, cooling a little as he woke, rising again when he fed.

But it was the warmth of his power and his darling little soul that made me want to hug him and never let him go.

I was forced to release him, set him down from time to tim