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“Such as?” Vanessa prods.
Harper purses her lips, “Just watch.” She sticks her head out the window and takes a deep inhale. The rest of us jump up from our chairs and crowd around her at the window as she exhales, sending a miniature ball of fire into the air.
Vanessa gasps, her mouth hanging open as she tries to process what we all just saw.
Ryan claps excitedly. “Isn’t that cool?”
“Y-you can breathe fire?” Axil asks, confused, but still anxious about what this means for Vanessa.
“Does that mean I can breathe fire?” Vanessa asks, walking to the window.
Harper steps out of her way. “I don’t know. It took years for me to gain that ability, but everyone’s different. Give it a shot.”
Vanessa breathes in deeply, then lets out a surprisingly loud burp on her exhale. “Oh jesus. Excuse me.”
The boys cackle at Vanessa’s belch, and Luka hushes them with a stern expression on his face.
Harper closes the window and takes Vanessa by both hands, leading her back to her seat in the kitchen. “Don’t worry. Whatever changes are meant to happen to you, they’ll come with time. And just so you know, I can’t shift. I can’t fly, and nothing else about me is different. That’s it. That’s the only thing.”
“Well,” Ryan interjects. “It’s not the only thing. We think the aging process has slowed way down as well.”
“Really?” I ask, hope surging through my chest. With the pitifully short life span of humans, my brothers and I have been concerned what that would mean once we found mates. Would we be forced to live another five hundred years without them once they passed away? Would our life spans be shortened once we got here?
“Yeah,” Ryan replies. “Luka’s DNA hasn’t changed, so it seems like he’ll reach the typical seven-hundred-year mark, and now I think Harper might age at the same rate.”
Axil says nothing as he strides directly toward Luka and pulls him in for a tight embrace. “I am thrilled for you, brother. For us.”
Luka returns the hug and ends it with an awkward pat on Axil’s back. “Yes, it is a massive relief. I have no interest in existing without Harper, and now, hopefully, I will not have to.”
Vanessa cries as Axil pulls her into his arms. The rest of us remain quiet as we watch the two of them hold each other, and I’m certain Zev and Kyan are as lost in thought as I am, thrilled that a long future with our mates now seems possible, while still curious about how this genetic shift will present in Vanessa and the other human females who join our family. Will they all be able to breathe fire? Or will they gain different abilities?
Eventually, Cooper and Hudson squabble about whose flame is bigger out of the two of them, and it lightens the mood enough for us to return to our food.
I can’t help but think of Lady Norton, Vanessa’s late aunt, as we enjoy our feast in the home that was once hers. The sight of her niece sitting on Axil’s lap, pregnant with his child, the half-human, half-draxilio children laughing and throwing tortilla chips at one another across the table, and me and my brothers together, maybe not united as one, but still a unit. An unshakable alien family doing everything they can to keep one another safe.
The only thing missing from this heartwarming scene is Samantha.
CHAPTER 17
SAM
Marty, Jackie, and I are making progress with the house, and at their urging––demand, rather––I’ve started showering regularly again. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel like I’ve caught up on sleep, but with each night I don’t wake up screaming and crying, I inch closer to being fully rested. While my days are occupied with sorting through Mom’s belongings, my nights are quieter than I’d like them to be.
Vanessa and I FaceTime every night before bed, but I can’t bring myself to go visit her. Seeing Axil will remind me of Mylo, and that’ll send me backsliding into a pit of depression. I need to be gentle with myself right now, and that means keeping my distance.
But having no one to cuddle with or plans to keep me busy, I find myself lying in bed flipping through old photo albums to see Mom again, or scrolling through my old photos on Instagram and wishing I could hop on a plane and relive these moments over and over. Watching the aurora borealis from my private igloo in Finland, bird watching in Chile, eating fried silkworms in Thailand, and so many more.
Suddenly, I find myself looking up flights and hotel rates, and trying to decide where to run off to next. For a split second, my heart sinks at the realization that I can’t leave, that I need to stay here. But then I remember there’s nothing keeping me in Sudbury. If I want to jet off somewhere, I can.
But where? Ireland, maybe? I haven’t been to the Emerald Isle in years, and I love how it never gets too hot there. Although, it’s been even longer since I’ve attended a Tuscan wine tasting. Tuscany is so beautiful, and the smaller cities scattered throughout the region are some of my favorite places to explore. I haven’t been to Siena yet, and I’ve heard nothing but good things.
My thoughts immediately turn to Mylo, and the poems he read to me in Italian. I bet he would love Tuscany.
No,I chide myself. Mylo is not mine. If I’m planning a trip, it’s going to be a solo adventure. That’s how I’ve always traveled. I used to get so much pride out of my ability to see the world on my own, but as I scroll through flights to Florence, there’s a hollowness in my gut that won’t fade.
Ignoring it, I pull out my suitcase and start tossing my clothes inside. I don’t need to fold anything as long as I take my mini steamer. Digging that out of my dresser, I toss that in too. Before I throw in my bras and panties, my phone vibrates, and Vanessa’s face pops up on my screen.
“Hey,” I greet her as I open FaceTime. “I’m a little busy at the moment, Vanilla. Can I call you back in a litt–”
