He cursed, realizing he’d forced that reply on accident. “Tell me what’s happening.”
“Power exchange,” Gabriel replied calmly. “Which is normal. She’s bonding with your daughter.”
Caro didn’t let go of his hand, nor did her grip lessen, but that didn’t keep him from worrying. He watched as her essence shifted, colors flashing in navy and azure hues as her wings appeared and disappeared, and her eyes blinked rapidly.
“See,” Leela whispered.
It took effort to remove his gaze long enough to see what she held, and then his jaw hit the floor. His daughter was bundled and already clean. “How… ?”
“You were too focused on Caro to notice,” Leela murmured. “And your daughter didn’t cry.”
“Is that common?” he asked, concerned. Most babies were supposed to cry, right?
“For a Seraphim, yes.” Another comment from Gabriel.
“She’s bathing in her mother’s aura.” Leela smiled down at the tiny child in her arms. She’d swaddled her in a towel, hiding everything except her face.
“She looks just like Caro.” His voice broke on the words as a warmth unlike any he’d ever felt caressed his chest. “She’s absolutely perfect.”
He kept one palm pressed to Caro’s cheek while he reached out to brush his knuckles against his daughter’s face. Electricity hummed through him at the touch, escalating his heartbeat.
“So much power,” Leela marveled. “I’ve been doing this for centuries, and I’ve never felt anything like it.” Her blue-green irises lifted to Gabriel. “What have you pulled me into?”
“The future,” the Seraphim replied. “Everything is going to change.”
Her lips curled into a devious grin. “About damn time.”
20
Eternity Redefined
Sethios played with a lock of Caro’s hair while she slept. He’d bathed her—something Leela recommended—and when he returned, the mattress and bedding maintained no signs of what had taken place just an hour prior. The only proof lay asleep in the bassinet beside the bed.
His daughter.
None of it matched what he expected, but he gave up asking questions. Seraphim were very clearly not human.
Caro yawned as she snuggled into his chest, her body already healing to its natural form. Another immortal quality. No one would be able to tell that she’d just given birth, let alone been pregnant at all.
“Fascinating,” he whispered, awed by the entire experience.
His daughter responded with a small sound of contentment beside him. He lifted onto an elbow to peer down into the bassinet and found her gazing up at him with bright green eyes that resembled his own. So much for Caro’s theory about newborn Seraphim resembling human babies.
“From what I understand, you should have blue eyes,” he told her. “But they are definitely my shade of green.” And radiating an intelligence that bespoke of her supernatural heritage.
“Let me see her,” Caro said softly. “Please.”
He switched focus to the gorgeous blonde curled against his side. “You were asleep.”
“I felt her wake, and your words confirmed it.” She stretched, causing the sheet to lower over her breasts. Any other time and he would have taken that as an invitation. But they had an audience.
He sat up and studied his daughter.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he cooed. “Want to see your mom?”
God, she was small. She could easily fit in the palm of his hand, something he realized as he gently lifted her. He didn’t know much about babies, but instinct had him cradling her head and gingerly moving her into the crook of his arm.
“Oh,” Caro breathed as he rotated toward her. “She’s perfect.”
