Chapter 3- Ari

Walking out of our bathroom, I find Zane relaxing in bed. He’s dressed in his black dress pants and a black button-down shirt. His arms rest behind his head with his eyes closed. I know he wanted to relax a bit before Everly’s birthday party. I can’t believe my baby girl is eighteen today. I feel like I just had her. Kai isn’t far behind his sister. In a few years, he, too, will be leaving to explore the human realm. I sigh, putting my hand on my belly. Here we go again, I think as I walk towards Zane. 

Climbing onto the bed, I settle myself next to him. He peeks his eyes open at me. “What’s wrong, Pet.” He asks, wrapping his one arm around me and pulling me closer to him. 

I can always count on Zane. He’s the best damn soulmate I could have ever asked for. I don't even care that he’s my master anymore. Crazy to think that I fought him so hard on our relationship at one point in time. Zane has proven to me time and time again that he loves me. He’s helped me grow as a person and has encouraged me to chase my dreams.  Zane and I have worked hard at our relationship to turn it into the beautiful thing that it has become. 

“Are you worried about Everly going into the human realm on her own?” Zane asks, trying to figure out why I’m anxious. 

“A little, but I know she can handle it. Whether I like it or not, our baby girl is grown up. She needs this, and we have to let her have this moment, even if it drives us a little crazy. Kai is shortly behind Everly. He’s a sixteen year old wiser than his years. Our babies aren’t babies anymore, Zane.” 

“I know. We raised them right. Everly is strong, and she will be just fine. If she needs us, she will let us know. Kai is eager to get back out in the field. Maybe I should plan a mission with Kia. Something where he will get to explore his magic a bit more. He’s getting like Ever was when she started really grasping her magic. I might have started teaching them at four how to do magic, but they really don’t get a grasp of it until about fifteen. It’s a lot for them to wield and understand. I never really knew how to ease them into their magic. You were better at easing them into their lycan abilities and their split gift of your premonitions. You seemed more natural at it than me, and it always baffled me that you were better at it.” 

I laugh at him. “We each have our expertise when it comes to parenting. I might have been better at teaching them because I had to learn too. You forget, Zane, it took me longer to be confident in my abilities and talents than you. You were confident from the moment I met you, but it took me time. Even after completing my destiny quest, I still had a lot of growing to do. I relate better to the kids than you in that one area. You are the kids' hero. They admire you so much. I’m proud of how we raised Everly and Kai. I know we weren’t perfect, but at the end of the day, our kids know they are loved and supported. Do you ever think about doing it all over again? After all, we are immortal, and our family doesn’t follow anything normal anyway.” 

“Are you asking me if I want to have another baby?” Zane asks in disbelief. 

“I’m telling you we are having another baby. I’m pregnant.” I say, pressing my lips together because I can’t believe the words just came from my mouth. I’m also not sure how Zane is going to react. We never talked about having more kids after Kai. It never came up. We both seemed satisfied with our two kids, so we didn’t discuss expanding our family. After Kai was born, we went back to using magical protection till last month on our getaway. 

“Seriously? Shit, we didn’t use protection last month when we went on our weekend getaway.” 

“No, we didn’t. Sixteen years of not forgetting magical protection and the one night we forget, well, are you ready to do this all over again?” I ask, suppressing a giggle. 

“Shit, I guess it’s a good thing we are immortal and are still young.” We both start uncontrollably laughing at how ridiculous this whole situation is. “It’s good to know that you can still get pregnant. It means the kids have time. I always wondered if everything would stay in perfect health or if maybe, over time, certain things just stopped working. Surprisingly there is very little about immortality and how it exactly works.” Zane states. He’s taking the news better than I thought he would.

“How is it that we are sending one kid off into the world while preparing for another to come into the world?”

“Only us, my love, only us,” Zane says as he chuckles. 

“At least we won’t have to worry about being bored for another eighteen years.” I joke, and the two of us burst out laughing. “Seriously, this is unbelievable. What on earth are Everly and Kai going to think?” 

“I don’t know what anyone is going to think. It’s crazy to think we are having our third baby so many years after our first two. Our family really is its own unique bloodline. When you found out about Everly being a girl when you were pregnant with her, Death told me we would have a few kids. After we had Kai, we never considered more kids. I always wondered if we were meant to have more kids, but I don’t know. Maybe it works out better to have kids so spaced apart. Think about it. Our bloodline is responsible for keeping the realm and magic alive for the coven so it can thrive. Everly will be ready to go on missions on her own in a few years. Kai won’t be far behind her. Eventually, they will settle down and have families of their own. Our child now will have time to grow up and be ready to keep the legacy going, as will Everly and Kai’s children at that point. It’s a good way to make sure there is always more than one member of our family around so that the burden our legacy carries isn’t on just one person.” 

“Are you saying we should have another baby after this one?” Now I’m the one shocked. 

“I don’t know. Maybe. Let’s just handle this one first. It’s just a theory, and maybe Fate is helping us out a bit. He and Death have always been friendly.” 

“Should we tell Everly that I’m pregnant before she leaves? I don’t want to ruin her birthday or overshadow her big moment. She leaves tomorrow, though.” The last thing I want is to overshadow Everly’s special birthday. 

Tonight is all about her, and I want it to stay that way. Everly deserves to have a big send off. It's why Zara and I worked so hard to convince her even to have this party. I want Everly to shine like the bright star that she is. I’m glad that she is exploring her love of music. I wish I had explored my hobbies more. I always loved music, and I enjoyed doodling. I wasn’t a great artist, but I could make cute cartoon shit. I’m thrilled to see Everly exploring her hobbies. Seeing the world on her own will be a special experience. 

I know how much Everly needs this. She is so much like me, and Kai is like Zane. Right now, Everly is my focus. She is leaving tomorrow, and while I’m nervous about her being on her own, I know how much she needs this experience. She is questioning herself. Everly needs to find her confidence and her own path in life, even if it’s different from the one she thought she would take. 

Kai is more than ready for his moment of freedom in the human realm. Kai is much like Zane. Their confidence never seems to waver. Everly is like me; her confidence is up and down. I wonder who this little one will take after? It will be fun to find out and also totally crazy that we are having another baby. Oddly, I’m excited to have another baby. Zane is right. We are young and immortal. We have the energy to keep up with a baby even though our oldest two are eighteen and almost sixteen. It’s crazy to think we are starting all over again. 

The truth is, Zane and I had no real plans on what to do when both kids were off on their own. Part of me assumed we’d focus solely on the coven. Blair and Cade are still struggling with their relationship. Zara and Blaine have tried to help them sort their problems out, but it’s been hard. Zane and I have even tried to help, but we find we help them the most when we ease their burdens around the coven.  Rupert often crashes at our place with Kai. Those two are best friends and very close. Rupert and Everly get along, but they fight like siblings, and it’s not always in a good way. They love each other that much I do know. 

With our kids growing up and moving forward with their own lives, the natural progression would be retirement or taking more time for ourselves. The truth is, Zane has a lot to set up with our family legacy and bloodline within the coven. We will stick around for a long time before we pass on, and even then, I’m not sure we are simply passing on. I think Death plans on co-running the underworld with Zane. I don’t know if Death will ever let us give up our immortality. So Zane and I don’t follow the normal progression like regular couples do. 

Maybe the next natural step is to start over again and have a few more kids. If we are going to be around for decades, possibly centuries, we can have kids on and off if we want. We can explore in between, help the coven, spend time with our family, and having immortality presents infinite possibilities. Strangely, I never thought I’d like the idea of living forever or for a super long time. It used to freak me out, but now it doesn’t. Now it seems like a way to live multiple lives, do everything you want to do, and have a chance to live a full and fulfilled life. 

While I don’t mind taking on more responsibilities in the coven, I know Zane doesn’t mind it either. We both love serving the coven and Death. I never thought I’d like serving one of the Five as I do, but I know that our coven does well. We help spirits move on to the underworld so that they can’t haunt the living. Not all spirits are bad, but they all want to move on and find peace. Well, peace may not be an option for some. Not everyone lives a good life in the afterlife. 

The afterlife is like a second life almost. It’s incredibly strange, and I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it fully. Zane understands it so much better than me, but he is also the son of Death, so that’s cheating in my book. The kids seem to grasp the concept pretty well, but not me. I never understood magic, and as much as I’ve tried over the years, it doesn't click in my brain. It’s a foreign concept that I can’t fully comprehend. I’m actually okay with not understanding it all. Besides, I don’t need to understand it. My role is to support, and I play my role very well. 

“How about we ask Everly to stay for breakfast tomorrow before she leaves. One last family breakfast before she is on her own. We can tell both kids then. That way, tonight is all about Everly like it’s meant to be. Tomorrow we can announce our little one. Besides, we both know that your pregnancy excels quickly by the end of the second month. People will see your baby bump soon enough.” 

“I like that idea. Speaking of Everly’s party, I need to finish getting ready. You men have it so easy. Look at you. Seriously, you only need to put your black boots on, and you're finished.” Zane chuckles at my lady frustration as I climb out of bed. 

I do need to get ready. The party starts in a few hours, and I need to make sure Everly is good with getting ready. Sometimes that girl is so damn good about getting herself together on time. Other times not so much. I know tonight is one of those nights that Everly will be Little Nightmare about getting ready. She will make a big fuss about how she hates her dress when she secretly loves it. Nothing will be right, and she will have a slight mental breakdown before she ends up going to the party and having a blast. Shit, she really is my daughter. 

Everly has always been like looking into a mirror. Not just with how similar she looks like me, but her personality too. She acts just like me half the time. Zane calls her my mini-me, and I call Kai Zane’s mini-me. Funny how we each have a kid just like us. I love my kids. Being a mom has been a wonderful journey, even if I definitely lost my sanity at some points. I’m excited to have this new addition. This baby will be a new adventure for not just me but for our whole family. Zane and I will still help with the coven. 

Cade and Blair need us as a backup. I don't know how to help them. Part of me has given up. Part of me fears they will never reconcile. Blair has never opened up much to me. Unfortunately, after Everly was born, Blair drifted from me. She focused on her work and assisting with Cade. When we both became pregnant with Kai and Rupert, I thought we would bond again like we did before I had Ever. We did bond for a time, but Blair was closed off at that point. 

Zara has tried talking to Blair, but Blair clams up with Zara and me. I don’t know what happened or why she isolated herself from us. I thought maybe Blair resented me for a while because it became obvious that Blair wanted to be a mom. From what I gather, Cade didn’t want to have kids. They clashed badly on this topic. I’m not sure how Rupert was conceived, but he was. Rupert only temporarily united Blair and Cade. I don’t know what caused them to implode, but shortly after Rupert and Kai turned ten, Blair and Cade were back at odds with one another. They have been ever since. They don’t even talk about their issues with us anymore. 

Blaine and Zara are at a loss at how to help them, and it bothers them that they can’t help. Zara and Blaine are like the love gurus of the coven. Everyone comes to them when they have issues. I know it hurts that they can’t help when they desperately want to. I feel for Blair because I can’t imagine being at odds with my master for so long. Blair and Cade had it so easy initially, whereas Zane and I had a rough one. Maybe that rough beginning is what made us, whereas Blair and Cade’s easy beginning seems to have been what broke them. Perhaps they never really were as good with each other as they made it seem. It’s hard to know because they are closed off to the rest of us. They live in their own bubble. 

I hope they can work things out. I hope for Rupert’s sake they figure their shit out. Poor Rupert is so lost in this world. Zane and Blaine have been teaching him his magic along with Kai since Cade doesn't seem to bother where Rupert is concerned. Cade has sadly shut out his own son. Blair tries very hard to have a relationship with her son. Still, it’s a strained relationship because Rupert often feels Blair chose Cade over him. I heard Rupert telling Kai that once. 

It must be hard for Blair and Cade to be surrounded by seemingly perfect couples like Zane and me or Blaine and Zara. I hope it works out for them. I hope they open up to us again. I miss Blair, and I hate that our friendship feels like it fizzled out. I have a great relationship with Zara, and I have made many friends with the wives of the other coven members. 

Focusing on getting ready for my daughter's big night. Tonight I’m going to support Everly and celebrate her. Everly is a wonderful girl. Zane and I have raised our kids with confidence, and we love them so much. They are our world, and I’m excited for baby number three, even if it’s so much later after my first two kids. Fate always seems to love to toss us fun surprises.