Page 6 of Nanny for the Demon's Twins

The washroom gleams with copper fixtures, runes etched into the metal glowing faintly purple. I press my hand to the marking by the large tub, gasping as steaming water flows from nowhere. Magic - real magic, not the parlor tricks my last master's pet mages performed.

I scrub quickly, efficiently, habits too ingrained to break. The demon's clothes dwarf me, but they're soft against my skin. I have to roll the sleeves several times and tie the pants tight with their drawstring.

My new room is sparse but clean, with fresh linens on the bed and a small window overlooking the garden. I slip under the covers, my body finally relaxing after days of running.

Through the wall, a deep voice starts singing softly. The twins must have stirred, and he went to check on them. I hold my breath, straining to hear.

Karn's voice is surprisingly gentle, rumbling like distant thunder. The lullaby continues, full of stars and moons and magical things. One of the twins - Luna, I think - giggles sleepily.

"Again, Uncle Karn!"

"One more time, then sleep," he murmurs, starting the song over.

Something shifts in my chest, an ache I can't name. I press my hand there, feeling my heartbeat beneath his borrowed shirt. This demon who works with fire and metal, who bears scars from his craft, sings his nieces to sleep with such tenderness.

I curl onto my side, letting his voice wash over me through the wall until my eyes grow heavy.

3

KARN

Ilean against the doorframe of the kitchen, arms crossed, watching as Mira arranges pieces of roasted zynthras and dreelk into what appears to be a miniature castle on Nova's plate. Luna bounces in her chair, copper curls wild from sleep.

"Look, the drawbridge is dreelk." Mira's voice carries a hint of playfulness as she places thin strips of green across the 'moat' of sauce. "And see these little soldiers? They're protecting the castle."

My lips twitch. Those 'soldiers' are actually diced vegetables that neither twin would touch last week. Now Luna reaches for one, popping it in her mouth without hesitation.

"More soldiers!" Luna waves her tiny fork in the air. A few sparks of magic trail from her fingertips, and I step forward to intervene, but Mira's already there, gently lowering Luna's hand.

"Careful with the sparkles while we eat, little one." She moves to Nova's side, where my quieter niece studies her plate with serious concentration. "What should we build on your plate, Nova?"

Nova points to the window. "Garden. Like Uncle Karn's."

The request catches me off guard. The small herb garden behind my forge isn't much - just a few plants I keep for tempering oils and medicine. But Mira's fingers move swiftly, creating raised beds from strips of meat, tiny sprouts from peas, and a miniature fence from carefully arranged brimbark.

"The flowers are blooming." Mira places small, thin zynthra slices in a circular pattern. Nova's eyes light up, and she actually reaches for a vegetable without prompting.

I've spent two months trying every trick I know to get them to eat properly. Mira manages it in three days with nothing but creativity and patience. There's a grace to her movements as she works, despite the brand I can see peeking out from her sleeve. Her green eyes catch mine, and she startles slightly, as if remembering she's being watched.

"Uncle Karn! Look, I ate all the soldiers!" Luna holds up her empty plate, face smeared with sauce.

"So you did." I move to grab a cloth, but Mira's already there, wiping Luna's face with gentle efficiency.

"Now the garden needs tending," Mira tells Nova, who's methodically eating each 'flower' in her vegetable garden. "Just like Uncle Karn does."

While Mira gets Luna to take down the caste and Nova to work on the garden, I clear my spot. Mira looks up at me, and I try to ignore the way her smile affects me - or her being in my shirt even though my eyes can't seem to stop moving down her frame-

"You have to go?"

I jerk my eyes back up to her face and nod. "Just downstairs. If you need me, just shout."

"We do!"Luna says.

"Watch!" I have to throw up a soundshield as Nova screams at the top of her lungs.

When they stop, giggling and nibbling on more of the veggie creations, I look to Mira. "Yeah. Just like that."

She laughs quietly at my joke, and I feel my lips start to twitch. With a nod, I turn away from them.

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