Page 138 of Onyx Realm

From the crash language course, I knew I mixed up the pronunciation, but Markos understood the sentiment that transcended language.

“She’s perfect,” he repeated.

So wrapped up in the blissful moment, I barely noticed Dorothea, still in the water, until a much less violent contraction and corresponding tug made the pool’s water splash slightly.

“The afterbirth is done; you’re all set, mama.”

Mama.

That word rang in my ears, the final crescendo to a turbulent symphony.

Penny draped a swaddling cloth over the baby before sniffing hard and wiping her nose. “I’ll go tell Alessio it’s over.”

“Tell him his niece wants to meet him...in a little bit,” I added. She nodded, but I caught her hand as she passed. “Thank you for being my rock, Pen.”

“Anytime.” She grinned.

Dorothea bustled about the kitchen but didn’t interfere with the long moments that followed. Markos and I sat there, staring down at the little creature squawking and rooting around my chest. She latched quickly, and I hissed.

“Serena?” Markos’s voice was thick with worry.

“I’m okay,” I assured him. “It’s just...weird to have her do it and not, well, you know,” I dropped my voice, hoping his aunt didn’t hear. “You’re not so gentle.”

The pirate chuckled. “I can only imagine.”

I bet he could.

As I gazed down at her tiny face, a sensation unlike anything I’d ever known washed over me. This indescribable warmth radiated from my chest outward, as though my heart had expanded beyond its physical boundaries to make room for this overwhelming love. Her weight against me—so slight yet so significant—anchored me to this moment, to this reality where I was now someone’s mother. Her tiny fist curled around my finger with surprising strength, and in that grasp, I felt the universe shift and realign. Every breath she took seemed miraculous, every flutter of her impossibly long eyelashes a marvel. Time stretched and compressed all at once; we existed in our own bubble where nothing else mattered but this perfect connection between us. I understood then what people meant when they said having a child was like having your heart beat outside your body—vulnerable, precious, and wholly miraculous.

When she finally settled, spitting out my nipple, Dorothea took her so Markos could help me from the pool. He gently draped a robe over me before helping me with more intimate part of postpartum dressing. I stepped into the diaper, reminding myself that I had nothing to be embarrassed about. It was hard, though, to be torn apart and wounded in this strange way.

Markos helped me to the brand-new couch in the living room, and once I was settled on the pillows, I opened the robe so the little mite could lay on me, skin to skin.

“Your turn next,” I smiled at the pirate.

His lip twitched, and I knew how uncomfortable he was at the idea of our baby laying on his mottled flesh.

“I should wash the sea off first,” he muttered.

“Fine, but you’re not avoiding this,” I insisted gently. “She needs her papa.”

The moment she was on my chest, I sighed in contentment.

“You can tell them they can come in,” I told Dorothea.

She nodded, but Markos caught her wrist. “I want to introduce you to your granddaughter. Meet Maria Iosiphina.”

“Demetriou,” I added. “Maria Iosiphina Demetriou.”

The old woman’s lip wobbled. She scurried away, but not before I saw the soft tears falling.

“Go shower, pirate,” I urged him.

Markos shifted.

He was saved by the appearance of my brother, his wife, and Markos’s aunt and cousin. Evangelia’s eyes were as big as saucers.

“There, you’ve seen the baby, now come help me clean up in the kitchen,” her mother muttered. “Let them have a family moment.”

---