Page 23 of Nanny for the Demon's Twins

After tucking them in, I return for Mira. The moonlight streams through the window, catching on her dark hair. Something in my chest clenches at how small she looks curled up on my oversized couch.

I bend down, sliding one arm under her knees and the other behind her back. The moment I lift, her eyes flutter open. Green meets violet, and my breath catches. Her face hovers inches from mine, close enough I catch the faint scent of lavender soap.

"Karn?" Her voice comes out husky with sleep. A slight flush creeps across her cheeks, but she doesn't pull away.

"Was taking you to bed." The words come out rougher than intended. I clear my throat. "Your bed. The guest room."

Her fingers brush against my chest where they're curled between us. "I can walk-"

"Let me." The words slip out before I can stop them. Gentler this time, I add, "I don't mind."

She studies my face, that careful wariness creeping back into her expression. Then something shifts in her eyes, and she relaxes against me. "Alright."

I try to ignore how perfectly she fits in my arms, how her breath ghosts across my neck. The scars on her wrist catch the moonlight, and my grip tightens instinctively. No one will hurt her again. Not while I draw breath.

I ease open her door with my foot, careful not to jostle her. The moonlight catches her face again, highlighting the curve of her cheek, the soft part of her lips. My heart hammers against my ribs. She must hear it - she's pressed so close I can feel her own pulse racing.

As I lower her to the bed, her fingers tighten in my shirt. She doesn't let go.

"Stay." The word's barely a whisper.

My breath catches. "Mira..."

She tugs me closer, and I follow like she's cast a spell on me. Her sweet scent fills my head, muddling every warning that I need. That she needs to heal, that I don't want to give her a reason to be afraid of me, that she might leave and I can't let her crush me in the process. Her other hand slides up my chest, coming to rest over my thundering heart.

"I see how you look at me," she breathes. "When you think I'm not watching."

Heat floods my face. I've tried so hard to keep my distance, to respect her space after everything she's been through. But having her this close...

Her fingers trace along my jaw, feather-light. "I look at you too."

I lean in, drawn by the warmth in those green eyes. Her breath hitches. Our lips are a whisper apart-

A thunderous sneeze echoes from down the hall, followed by twin shrieks of surprise. The acrid smell of smoke hits my nose.

"Uncle Karn!" Luna's voice rings with more excitement than fear. "Nova made the curtains pretty!"

"It's bright!" Nova corrects, followed by the distinctive crackle of flames.

I jerk back, torn between the moment slipping away and parental duty. Mira pushes at my chest.

"Go." She's already sliding off the bed.

"Dammit." I sprint down the hall, magic crackling at my fingertips. I have to teach them how to control it better.

The scene that greets me would be comical if it weren't so dangerous - both twins standing in their beds, pointing at the merrily blazing curtains while violet sparkles rain down from Nova's latest sneeze.

I extinguish the flames with a burst of magic, my heart still racing from the sprint down the hall. The curtains are a lost cause, but at least nothing else caught.

Mira appears in the doorway, hair mussed from our earlier moment. She takes in the scene - smoking curtains, glitter-covered twins, and me standing in the middle of it all with singed eyebrows.

"Pretty!" Luna bounces on her bed. "Do it again, Nova!"

"No." I catch Nova as she tries to work up another sneeze, scooping her up before more sparks can fly. "No more fire magic at bedtime."

"But Uncle Karn-"

"Bed. Now." I tuck Nova back under her covers while Mira handles Luna. The twins pout but settle as Mira starts humming a soft lullaby.

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