Page 10 of The Redeemable 4

Oz stood, baby Estrella still clutched gently to his naked chest. “Ace!” He turned to the nurse. “Could you just give us a minute? Thanks.” His beard was looking scraggy, there were deep bags under his eyes, and his man bun was slipping to the left.

But he still looks damn good, Arcadia murmured.

“Valery! Ace is back. Is Arcadia okay? Have you made any progress? Eli hasn’t left his office in a week and I’m pretty sure more than one cardiothoracic surgeon has put out a restraining order on him, but we are getting there.” It all tumbled out at once, but I only half listened as Arcadia and I were both transfixed by the tiny little human pressed sleepily against his chest. Oz dropped his eyes to where we were looking.

“Sit. You can hold her. I’m not very good at passing her around. I’m still convinced that I’ll drop her or break her or something. It’s even worse with Hope. My finger is literally bigger than her little legs.”

I sat, because what else could I do? I wasn’t good at this, but the urge to hold them poured from my body. Arcadia’s longing was consuming me, and quite frankly it was scaring me. But her need for the babies, for her Seven, was an overwhelming force. And when Oz placed the baby into my arms, I could feel Arcadia’s soul pushing against mine, battering futilely to take control, so she would be the one who could stroke the down soft fluff of Estrella's head. So she could wrap her arms around Oz, and Val, who was fixing me with a bright eyed stare full of hope and longing.

I inhaled deeply. That new baby scent still lingered.

“Ace, why is a Prince of Hell standing in the same room as my daughters?”

I hadn’t heard Lux come in, he moved with eerie silence, and he stood in a fighter’s stance behind Memphis, ready to attack a possible threat.

Memphis whirled, very few could sneak up on the naturally cagey angel, and he pinned Lux with a cold stare.

“Come on Lux, you know he hates that.” I resisted the urge to laugh. That would not defuse the situation.

“Lux.”

“Mephistopheles.”

They had a macho scary stare off, and I went back to the baby. Her eyes had closed as she listened to the steady thrum of my heart.

My sweet baby, Arcadia cooed, and the baby blinked, her eyes shifting slowly around as if she could hear her mother’s voice. My little warrior. Mommy loves you, and she’ll get to hold you soon. Estrella’s little face scrunched, and if she hadn’t been so very young, I’d say she looked confused. In reality, she probably had wind.

Memphis, who could hear Arcadia’s soft words, turned to look at us. He walked to the other humidicrib, and turned to look at Lux.

“May I hold the baby?”

Lux looked like he was going to say no, pinning him with a deadly look that promised severe pain if he so much as made her cry, but eventually nodded.

Memphis reached in and picked up Hope, her whole body fitting into one of his large hands. She smacked her lips and then opened her eyes. She looked up at Memphis, and stared him directly in the eyes, as if she could see into his soul.

Memphis looked like he’d been slapped as he just stared back.

“This is the first time she has opened her eyes,” Val whispered, careful not to break the moment.

Memphis was shaking his head. “It is not possible. They are not Nephilim, nor Angel, yet they aren’t entirely human either. Their souls have been shaped by the divine and it’s left them something other. Something… beautiful.” I’d never heard Memphis sound so awed. So at a loss for answers.

“They’re special; I knew it from the moment their souls took root.” I kissed Estrella’s head. “I think they can hear the voices of other souls. Estrella could hear her mother just now, I know it. She knew that there was another voice in the room.”

Memphis raised the baby closer to his face, his hands strong and sure, though Lux took a step closer.

“Be still, Lux. I swear on my immortal soul that I will not harm this child or her sister, as long as I am a part of the fabric of existence.”

“You know, they’ve racked up a lot of blood oaths from a lot of powerful people in their short lives. Luc should be worried about being overthrown by the time they are five,” I chuckled, although no one else was laughing.

Do you think that Lucifer will see them as a threat? Arcadia sounded legitimately worried.

“Seriously guys? That is one Big Bad you don’t have to worry about. Cady gave them their beautiful humanity, and Oz gave them that strawberry fuzz sprouting on their heads, but their angelic traits are all me. As much as we have skirted around the topic, these babies are as much mine as they are yours. Part of my life force shaped their own. And Luc, for all his faults, loves me with a passion that burned through the heavens. He will love these two because they are an extension of me. In Lucifer, they have the protection of the Devil himself. No one could ask for more than that.”

Lux nodded, and Memphis was still transfixed by Hope.

Ask them how the rest of the guys are coping?

I relayed Arcadia’s message.

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