Page 25 of The Dark Elf's Secret Twins

“Cyra, this is Harper, her daughter Adelaide, and my oldest, Jasper.”

I grin at them. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you!” Sebastian demands, pointing at Kenji.

I chuckle as Colson steps forward, patting his chest. “I Colson.”

Sebastian wiggles out of Layla’s arms. “Colson.” He touches my son and turns to the other. “You.”

“I’m sorry about him,” Layla mutters, shaking her head. “I promise we’re working on manners.”

I laugh it off. “Don’t worry about it. My boys aren’t used to being around other children so they’ve been excited. This is Colson and Kenji, by the way.”

“Bas will definitely be happy to have someone closer to his age to play with,” Harper teases. “Let’s go in. We can find a corner for the kids to destroy and everyone to avoid the rest of the night.”

I giggle as Layla says, “That sounds perfect.”

We follow the others in, and Jasper and Adelaide lead us to the back corner with massive windows that look over the garden. Immediately, Colson and Kenji jerk out of my hands, going to Sebastian, who is all too eager to play with them.

They all start babbling – about what I’m not even sure – but soon enough, they have struck up some game. I’m not sure what the ultimate goal is, but they seem content so I let them be.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around one of these parties before,” Harper says to me, and I pull my eyes from the twins.

“Oh, it’s our first time.” I nod. “Do you two come often?”

Layla laughs. “Our husbands are miou so we get dragged around a lot. They LOVE to show off their kids.”

“And mates!” Harper protests.

Layla shrugs. “I’ve never had Kerym parade me around the way he does Jasper.”

Harper rolls her eyes and looks at me. “Don’t listen to her. Kerym would rip this world apart for her. He practically has.”

Layla smiles self-assuredly. “As if Demethys hasn’t for you.”

“I’m not the one bad mouthing my mate.”

I giggle as I listen to them go back and forth. It feels so good to be with other human women, especially ones who have dark elf-human babies like me. It’s like I’ve found the only people who will understand what I’ve been through.

“Oh!” Layla turns, looking toward the door. “There they are now.”

I turn to see a group of dark elf men, miou by their dress, walking in. Nasthyn is in front.

“That’s Demethys,” Harper points out a dark elf with white hair and I can make out his navy eyes from across the room. Just like her daughter’s.

“And Kerym is next to him. Long black hair.” I see him instantly. Jasper looks just like him and those violet eyes are bright.

I’m fascinated by the fact that their men would bring them here so publicly, that they are mated to dark elves at all. I open my mouth to ask them something – what I don’t remember – when I see the next man who walks through the door.

Tall, very muscular, with black tattoos showing just above his collar and under the sleeve of his tunic. His skin is so light it’s almost white and his silvery hair is the same shade. His eyes look nearly black as they sweep across the room, and the world slows down as I watch him.

His movements are graceful, fluid, as he makes his way to the bar across the room. His clothes strain against his muscles just like always, and a permanent scowl mars his beautiful lips.

My heart has stopped beating, my lungs have stopped working. The room and chatter fades away as I watch him. He looks the same as he did two years ago when I last saw him. When he found out I was pregnant and walked right out of my life.

My two boys are playing just behind me, oblivious to the fact that the father they’ve never met just entered the room. How could they know? I’m the only one that does.

But I still can’t wrap my mind around it.

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