Page 150 of The Other Omega

My throat tightened, and I held Darius’s hand more firmly.

“This is a joy beyond anything I had allowed myself to hope for. Do you understand how happy this news makes us?”

I tried to answer, but every word seemed to disappear before I could say it.

“We waited for you longer than you have been alive,” he continued. “Then you came and brought us more joy and peace than we had ever dared hope for. Now you give us yet another extraordinary gift.” He shook his head, looked down at the picture, then met my eyes again. “It is difficult to comprehend that we could be so fortunate.”

The bonds opened before I could speak, and their happiness flooded me so suddenly that my vision blurred. I felt all five of them at once, their joy overlapping until I could barely separate one from another. Alaric’s was steady and grateful, while Caius’s excitement hit me hard enough to catch my breath. Lucien seemed almost as overwhelmed as I was, and Leon’s warmth made me want to turn around and hold on to him forever.

Darius’s love and joy were so strong that I suddenly understood exactly how he’d ended up face down on the floor.

“Oh, God.” I pressed my free hand to my chest. “You really are happy.”

“Immeasurably,” Alaric said.

That was enough to make me start crying for real, and Leon immediately pulled me against him.

“Come here, sweetheart.”

Darius put an arm around us both, tucking me securely between them while I tried to get myself under control.

“My heart, we will continue this conversation when I return home.”

“Okay.”

“I shall meet you for dinner, my darling,” Lucien said. He was smiling openly now. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For trusting us with your happiness before you knew what our response would be.” His smile deepened. “And for making me more joyful than I presently possess the words to express.”

Oh, Lucien.

“I wish I were there, my love.” Caius smiled.

“Me too.”

“I shall return to you and our daughters as soon as duty permits.”

Our daughters. Another tear slipped down my cheek at the words.

“Until then, you will take care of all three of you.”

“I will.”

“That was not a suggestion.”

I laughed through my tears. “Okay.”

“Good.”

Alaric’s mouth twitched, and I looked between all three projections, trying to stop crying long enough to say goodbye properly.

“Come home safe, all of you.”

“We will, my heart.”

The call ended, but neither Leon nor Darius loosened their hold on me, and I had no desire to move away from either of them.