Magic
Iprobably looked confused as fuck, and rightfully so. Being faced with seven kids speaking different languages and all of a similar age was disconcerting. Especially when it was obvious they were insulting and threatening me, even if it was in a different language.
“Look, you need to go. I have to calm them down,” Jody insisted.
“How tall are you?” Jesper demanded.
“Me?”
“No, the tree. Of course, you!” Jesper snapped.
“Manners!” Jody reprimanded, but the kid held my gaze.
“Six feet seven.”
“Yeah, we can’t dig a hole that big,” Jesper stated in English before spouting off again in Danish.
“Boy has your bloodthirsty streak,” I said, nodding at Jesper for lack of anything else to say.
“Oh, not mine. Jesper has his father’s. He taught him well.”
“Where is your man? I expected him to be here,” I asked, and sudden silence fell. All seven kids looked stricken, and tears welled up in the younger one’s eyes.
Jody hurried over to Jesper and the kid, whom I thought was called Henrik, and hugged them close. Everyone crowded around Jody, and I felt their grief.
Fuck, their dad was dead.
“Sorry, I didn’t know,” I said uselessly.
“Why would you?” Jody asked. “Go indoors, kids. I’ll deal with this, and you can argue over delivery for dinner tonight.”
“Our dads made us promise always to protect the women. We aren’t going anywhere,” a middle boy stated, folding his arms and aiming a glare at me.
“Sweet Jerrik, I’m an adult. Take Henrik and Jesper inside.”
“Nope. My dad said we have to protect you,” Jesper argued. “I’ve got a flamethrower and know how to use it,” he threatened.
The moment I opened my mouth, I knew I’d regret it, but the stupidest thing ever emerged from it. “How many damn dads were there?”
Jody spun so quickly I thought she was possessed. I tugged my beard as Jody stalked towards me. I backed up because even unarmed Jody was lethal.
“That came out wrong!” I babbled. The older teens snorted, and I couldn’t blame them. Six foot seven, and I was backing away from a tiny woman who was focused on me like a heat-seeking missile.
“Oh, you bet it did. Kids. House. Now.” There was a stampede, and suddenly Jody and I were alone.
“You want a history, Magic? I’ll give it to you. A month after I left you, I emigrated to Denmark with Aster and her boyfriend, Kanon. Remember him? Kanon was an enforcer for the Danish MC, Torden Hingste. His club welcomed an out-of-place, pregnant woman and helped me find an apartment and a job.
“The SAA fell for me. Even though I didn’t love him and was grieving you, Vulcan held my hand throughout the pregnancy. Vulcan wanted the babies as much as he wanted me. I married him a month after the twins were born. Sadly, back then, I wasn’t in love with Vulcan, but knew one day I would fall for him, as he deserved. Aster wed Kanon, her soul mate, and he became a literal brother-in-law. You remember, Aster and I were like sisters.
“We had over a decade of good years together until their president was ousted. A guy named Torden took over and led the club into dark places. Vulcan and Kanon hated the path the club walked, and after eight innocent brothers were killed, they turned informant.”
Jody swallowed hard. I saw where this was heading and wanted to stop Jody experiencing the pain. But Jody was on a roll.
“The cops failed to protect Vulcan and Kanon. They were murdered. Luckily, Vulcan’s parents had died a couple of years beforehand, so they didn’t have to bury their son. I did. Aster collapsed. She couldn’t cope, and even though I was grieving the deaths of my in-laws, whom I adored, and Vulcan and Kanon, I became the adult for both families.
“I took revenge for Kanon and Vulcan, and I made Torden bleed. I did things that no one should have suffered, and I did them happily. That was for them, for the two wonderful, loving, doting men Aster and I lost. Because, make no mistake, Magic, I adored Vulcan with everything I had. Aster died in February this year. Sadly, she never recovered from Kanon’s loss. And I can’t blame Aster, but I didn’t have the luxury of dying of a broken heart. Seven kids needed me.
“The twins are mine and Vulcan’s. Oskar, Viggo, Jerrik, Henrik, and Jesper are Aster and Kanon’s. They’re now mine. And I’ll break my back for them just like I would my twins. No, I didn’t have more kids. Vulcan couldn’t have children. You’ll never match Vulcan’s memory in Lars and Laila. Never. Vulcan put everything into them; they were so loved, they drowned in it. Whatever dream you’ve got going on, you’ll never, ever replace Vulcan.”
