One evening the sickness hit harder than usual. I barely made it to the balcony before I was on my knees, retching into the snow that had started falling again.
Lila toddled out after me on unsteady legs, her small hand patting my shoulder the way she'd seen the brothers do. "Mama," she said, clear as a bell for the first time. The word cut through the nausea and left me shaking for a different reason. I pulled her into my lap, snow melting into my sleeves, and held her close while the twins kicked like they approved.
Darius came and found us there. He lifted Lila first, then me, carrying both of us back inside without asking. Kane had already stoked the fire and laid out furs. Rylan brought a bowl of broth he'd kept warm by the hearth. They didn't hover. They simply stayed close, their presence steady while I sipped the broth and Lila played with a wooden wolf between us.
