Page 32 of The Dark Elf's Secret Twins

He drinks from the bottle and hands it back to me.

“I understand now,” I say reassuringly.

“You do?” he asks, perking his gaze up at me.

“Yeah. You see, for the longest time I had originally thought that it was a matter of you wanting nothing to do with the children.”

I finish the last of the wine and place the bottle down by my side. Lykan runs a hand over his hair and unbuttons the top two buttons on his shirt. The upper part of his chest pokes out, visibly defined and muscular.

“Cyra, I’m not that kind of person,” he says insistently. “Those kids may not have been planned, but the last thing I would ever do is abandon them and their mother.”

“I get that now but you must understand that’s what I thought was happening.”

“I admit that I’ve no one but myself to blame for that. Perhaps I ought to have been more patient that night.”

“I’m not saying it’s your fault. None of us are to blame, it’s just something that happened. We can’t go back and change it but at least you’re here with me now.”

“Better late than never,” he sighs. He lifts his gaze up and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Tell me about them, Cyra. I never once thought I would have children of my own.”

“Well, they certainly look like their father,” I chuckle, gesturing toward Lykan’s hair. “They’re an outgoing pair of boys, not quite as shy as children tend to be.”

“They’re brave, that’s good,” he says with a smile.

“Even around strangers they have no problem just being themselves. They’re inseparable too, you’ll almost never find Colson without Kenji.”

“They look out for each other then?” he asks.

“Yeah, you could say that. Not quite like soldiers on a battlefield, more so like one can cause trouble while the other keeps guard.”

“Teamwork is a valuable skill,” remarks Lykan. “The earlier it starts the better. Since they’re half dark elf blood, how are they with the use of magic?”

“About as good as two year olds can be, but they show promise. Nasthyn has been teaching them how to harness their abilities.”

“Nasthyn eh?” scoffs Lykan.

“He has helped me look after them since the day they were born.”

“I see.”

He looks away. At that moment, I wonder if the mention of Nasthyn has gotten to him somehow. Lykan then rises to his feet.

“I would like to see them, Cyra. Please take me to them.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I retort. “It’s way too late in the night.”

“They’re my children too, I should get to see them when I want to. Is it not my right?” he snaps.

“I never said you can’t see them, I’m just saying not right now. You saw how much I struggled with getting them to bed. The last thing I’m going to do is wake them up after getting them to relax.”

Lykan growls and looks away.

“Besides, you and I have both had a lot to drink. I think it’s best we call it a night and get some rest ourselves.”

“Fine, but what about the children?” he asks.

“Well how about you come up tomorrow? I have a break just after noon. I usually spend it playing with the children in the gardens.”

“Okay, afternoon it is.”

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