Page 10 of Nanny for the Demon's Twins

"Mine are dancing," she declares, making a pink rono pirouette before landing.

Nova's brow furrows as she focuses on each toy in turn. Her careful precision shows in how they descend in a neat line, like baby animals following their mother. The floating blocks prove trickier - one slips from her control and tumbles toward a vase.

I catch it just in time. "Good job, both of you. Almost there."

Luna yawns mid-twirl, and her remaining airborne toys wobble. "M'not tired."

"Course not." I gather the last few stragglers from the ceiling. Nova's already rubbing her eyes, swaying slightly where she stands. Using magic always drains them faster than they expect.

"Can we do more floating later?" Nova asks through another yawn.

"After your nap." I scoop her up, and she nestles against my shoulder without protest. Luna tries to back away, but stumbles over a fallen block.

"No nap," she insists, even as her eyes droop. "Want to make more toys fly."

I shift Nova to one hip and reach for Luna. "The toys need a nap too. See?" I point to the stuffed lunox Luna loves. "He's already sleeping."

"Just five minutes?" Luna bargains, finally letting me pick her up.

"Fifteen," I counter, carrying them to their room. Nova's already half-asleep, her copper curls tickling my neck.

By the time I lay them in their bed, Luna's lost her battle with exhaustion. I tuck their favorite blankets around them - stars for Nova, moons for Luna - and watch their breathing even out. Glitter from Luna's earlier magical mishap sparkles in her hair, while Nova still has traces of this morning's breakfast adventure on her sleeve.

I smooth their curls back and whisper, "Sweet dreams, my little troublemakers."

While picking up the last of the dropped floating toys, I bump a shelf in the living room and a wooden box tumbles down. It lands with a soft thud, its lid popping open to spill photographs across the floor. I drop to my knees, gathering them quickly before they wrinkle, when a face stops me cold.

The man in the image has the twins' exact shade of copper-red hair, just like Karn's, though cut shorter than their wild curls. His golden eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles at the camera, one arm wrapped around a petite woman with dark hair. Sarah. She beams up at him, her brown eyes sparkling with joy.

"Ash," I whisper, remembering Karn's stories about his brother.

The resemblance to the twins is striking - Nova has his nose, while Luna inherited his height and the way his smile pulls slightly higher on the left.

I settle cross-legged on the floor, carefully sorting through more photos. Here's one of Ash in his herb shop, sorting dried plants with those long, graceful fingers both girls have. He looks strikingly similar to Karn, though not as gruff Another shows him and Sarah at their wedding, his demon features standing out stark against her human family, but their happiness outshines everything else.

The last photo makes my breath catch. Ash holds month-old twins, one in each arm. Despite their violet eyes marking their mixed heritage, they look so human - just like their mother. But their father's features are there in every delicate line: the sharp curve of their cheekbones, the slight point to their ears, the way their hair catches light like burnished copper.

"They're so much like him," I murmur, touching the edge of the wedding photo. "But they have your kindness, Sarah." The words feel right, speaking to these people I'll never meet but whose legacy I help protect.

A soft snore from Luna's bed pulls me back to the present. I carefully return the photos to their box, but pause at the wedding picture. Ash's golden eyes seem to meet mine, full of the same love I see when the twins master a new spell or share a secret joke. I place it on top before closing the lid.

A splash of water hits my face as Luna giggles, attempting to make her rubber duck float above the bath. "Higher!" she demands, violet eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Let's keep the water in the tub this time." I reach for the soap, but Nova's already turned it purple with a touch of her finger.

Heavy footsteps on the stairs signal Karn's arrival just as Luna decides bath time is over. She launches herself out of the tub, grabbing her towel like a cape as she makes a break for freedom.

"Got you, little troublemaker." Karn's deep voice rumbles with amusement as he catches her mid-escape. His broad shoulders block the doorway while Luna squirms in his grip, dripping water everywhere.

"I'm a demon warrior!" She waves her towel-cape. "Warriors don't need baths."

"Even warriors need clean clothes." Karn's violet eyes, identical to the twins', crinkle at the corners. Soot from the forge still streaks his copper hair, tied back in its usual mess.

Nova stands in the tub, arms raised. "Up please, Uncle Karn."

He scoops her out one-handed, somehow managing to wrap her in a towel while still containing Luna's wiggling. "Did they flood the bathroom again?"

"Only a little splash war today." I wring water from my sleeve. "Luna, those pajamas won't put themselves on."

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