Page 80 of Destined for Eternity
Chapter 27
Cori
Cori sat in the rocking chair in her bedroom, feeding Sybil. The baby’s latch had improved, and she fed more easily now. With her first daughter, it had been a lot more difficult to breastfeed, but she was finding it easier this time around. She gazed down at Sybil, amazed she had such a beautiful little girl in her arms. It was like a dream come true. The baby even slept well at night, only waking twice for feedings.
“You need anything?” Ginny asked, poking her head through the open doorway.
Actually, she did. When one breastfed, they were always thirsty and hungry. “Could you get me water and maybe some crackers?”
“Sure.”
As Ginny hurried away, her two little girls appeared in the doorway. Dinara had her purple hair in a ponytail and Aislin had hers in a braid. The one with the ponytail dared to come right up to Cori. “Can I see the baby?”
“Sure.” She lifted the blanket a little to give the girl a better view. “She’s eating right now.”
The child’s eyes rounded. “She’s so small.”
“So were you at this age.”
“That’s what my mommy said.” Dinara frowned. “But I can’t remember.”
“No one ever does,” Cori said, smiling.
Sybil broke her latch and stared at her visitor. A tiny smile formed on her lips.
“Can I see, too?” Aislin asked.
Cori pulled her shirt down to cover her chest since it appeared the baby was done eating. “Sure, come on in.”
This one was the more cautious of the two. She tiptoed her way across the room as if she was afraid to make a noise. Both girls had learned the hard way to be quiet when the baby was sleeping, or else they’d wake Sybil up. It was tough for them at this age, but they did the best they could. Hopefully, they’d be able to return home soon where they could play and be more comfortable. Demon activity had died down recently, so the humans were protesting less. Cori just wanted to be certain before she sent the pixie family back to their house.
“She has pretty eyes,” Aislin said.
Sybil turned her head toward the speaker, giving her a good view of their ocean blue color. It was a similar hue to the nerou and sensors, so it probably wouldn’t change.
Cori smiled gently. “I think so, too.”
“Girls, get out of here,” Ginny admonished, coming into the room.
“We just wanted to see the baby,” Dinara pouted.
“You’ve seen her before.” Her mother paused to set down the glass of water and crackers on a table next to Cori. “Now go get ready for bed. It’s getting late.”
“The sun is still shining,” the braver of the twins continued to argue.
“This is Alaska. I told you the sun always shines much longer here at this time of the year.”
The girls continued chattering to their mother as she led them away. Ginny paused at the door to glance back at Cori. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s no problem.” She glanced down at her baby. “Sybil enjoyed seeing them.”
The pixie walked away, telling her girls to get ready for their bath. Cori was just getting up to change the baby’s diaper when she detected Bartol’s presence outside. She stood and rocked her daughter, waiting for him to enter the room. He looked clean and groomed, but there was exhaustion in his eyes. She’d sensed he’d been in trouble hours earlier and knew he must have fought another battle.
“It didn’t go well, did it?”
Bartol shook his head. “The demons attacked again, but we stopped them with fewer losses this time.”
Cori braced herself. Hearing about nerou dying upset her even more now that she had a daughter like them. “How many?”
