Amiriah pov
Morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room where Lani still slept peacefully. I had barely slept at all, my mind racing with the implications of Jackson's revelations and the confrontation with my family. Every time I closed my eyes, fragments of dreams—or were they memories?—plagued me: blue-tinted light through tall windows, a kitchen with copper pots, a man's voice saying "I missed you too."
I sat in the window seat, watching Lani's chest rise and fall with each breath, dreading the moment when I would have to face my family again. They knew now. They knew about Lani, about my most closely guarded secret. The thought of their reactions, their questions, their demands to meet her—it was all too overwhelming.
"One day at a time," I whispered to myself, running a hand through my tangled hair. "Just get through today."
But how was this going to work? Staying in this house now that they knew Lani was here seemed impossible. The careful barriers I had constructed—both literal darkness barriers and the emotional walls I had built—had been compromised. There would be no going back to the tentative peace we had established, where they respected my privacy and I occasionally joined them for meals.
Now they would want more. They would want access to Lani. They would want explanations about her father, her birth, why I had hidden her. They would want to be grandparents, aunts, uncles—roles I had never intended for them to fill.
I could leave, of course. Take Lani and disappear again, find another safe house, start over somewhere new. But the thought exhausted me. We had been running for so long, and there was a part of me—a small, reluctant part—that wondered if perhaps Lani deserved more than a life in hiding.
My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. Lani would be hungry when she woke too. I needed to get food, but I was loath to leave the room and face any member of my family who might be awake.
I moved to the bed, gently trying to extricate myself from Lani's grasp. "I'll be right back, treasure," I whispered, attempting to place her on the pillow.
Immediately, her little face scrunched up in displeasure, a whimper escaping her lips as her hands clutched at my shirt. I tried again, carefully easing her onto the mattress, but the moment I moved away, she began to whine in her sleep, her arms reaching blindly for me.
"Shh, it's okay," I soothed, picking her up again. She instantly settled, nestling against my shoulder with a contented sigh.
I sighed in frustration. Normally, I would have waited until she woke naturally, but my hunger was becoming uncomfortable, and I knew she would need food soon too. I couldn't leave her alone, and she clearly wasn't going to let me put her down.
That left only one option—taking her with me. The thought made my pulse quicken with anxiety. I had been so careful to keep her hidden, to never risk anyone in the family seeing her. But now they knew about her anyway. Still, the idea of parading her through the house felt wrong, too vulnerable.
"Middle ground," I murmured, stroking Lani's back. I summoned my darkness, letting it swirl around us both, creating a cocoon that obscured her from view while leaving me visible. To anyone seeing us, it would appear as though I were simply wrapped in my usual shadows, not carrying a child.
I checked the hallway first, extending my senses to detect if anyone was moving about. It was early still—just past six—and the mansion was quiet. Most of the family were late risers, a habit formed by their night-owl tendencies. Only Xavier typically rose early, but his morning routine included an hour in his private gym on the far side of the mansion.
Moving swiftly but silently, I made my way down the back stairs that led directly to the kitchen, avoiding the main staircase that opened into the foyer. My darkness swirled around me, concealing Lani's small form against my chest.
The kitchen was blessedly empty, the staff not yet arrived to begin breakfast preparations. I headed straight for the refrigerator, keeping my movements careful so as not to disturb Lani, who had fallen back into deeper sleep against my shoulder.
"What would you like to eat, treasure?" I whispered against her hair, though I knew she was too deeply asleep to answer.
She shifted slightly but didn't wake, her small hand clutching the fabric of my shirt even in sleep. The fierce protectiveness that had defined our relationship from the moment of her birth washed over me again—this little person who depended on me completely, who trusted me without question.
I quickly assembled a selection of foods that would keep for a few hours—a couple of sandwiches, a bag of chips, some cookies, and a thermos of juice. I arranged everything on a tray, adding some fruit as an afterthought, knowing I should at least attempt to provide Lani with balanced nutrition.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. My heart leapt into my throat, and I instinctively tightened my darkness around Lani, pressing her closer to my body. There was no other exit from the kitchen except the way I had come, which would take me directly toward whoever was approaching.
I could use my darkness to teleport back to my room, but the surge of energy required might wake Lani, and I wasn't sure I could maintain the concealment while simultaneously performing a teleportation.
The footsteps drew closer. I backed against the counter, ready to defend Lani if necessary, though the rational part of my mind knew my family wouldn't physically harm her. It was the emotional implications of them seeing her—of this first meeting happening accidentally, unprepared—that terrified me.
The footsteps paused just outside the kitchen door. I held my breath, willing them to turn around, to go back to wherever they had come from. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds, the footsteps resumed, moving past the kitchen and continuing down the hallway.
I exhaled slowly, my heartbeat gradually returning to normal. That had been too close. I needed to get back to the safety of my room before anyone else stirred.
Balancing the tray in one hand while keeping Lani secure with the other, I made my way back through the house, constantly alert for any sign of family members. The mansion was still quiet, but morning light was growing stronger, which meant the household would soon be awake.
When I finally reached my room, I closed the door behind me with a soft click, engaging the lock and reinforcing it with a barrier of darkness for good measure. Only then did I allow my darkness to recede from around Lani, revealing her still sleeping peacefully against my shoulder.
"That was close, treasure," I murmured, carefully laying her on the bed. This time she didn't protest, having fallen into a deeper sleep during our kitchen excursion.
I set the tray on the bedside table and sat beside Lani, watching her sleep while my mind continued to churn with uncertainty. We couldn't stay hidden in this room forever, especially now that my family knew about her. Sooner or later, I would have to make a decision—continue hiding her away, letting her meet select family members under my strict supervision, or leave the mansion entirely.
And beneath all those concerns lay the deeper question raised by Jackson's revelation: If my memories had been tampered with, if there was a year of my life I couldn't account for, who was Lani's father? Was it possible that Kaison Monroe was telling the truth? That we had shared a life, a home, perhaps even love?
The uncertainty was maddening, but one thing remained clear amid all the confusion—Lani was mine. My child. My treasure. My light in the darkness. And whatever decisions I made going forward would be guided by what was best for her, not by my fear or my family's expectations or even my own uncertain past.
I brushed a curl from her forehead, my heart swelling with love for this small miracle who had saved me in more ways than she would ever know. "We'll figure this out," I promised her sleeping form. "Somehow, we'll find our way through."
For now, though, we were safe. We had food. And we had each other. That would have to be enough until I could decide on our next move.