Unveiled: The Cursed Trilogy, Book Three by Betty Legend (recommended ebook reader txt) 📗

Opening the refrigerator, she pulls out the pina colada mix, and Emeric steals the pitcher from her.

“Don’t you dare drink from that!” Emeric smirks and slides out of her reach. She throws a hand on her hip. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Eh, you still love me.”

The rest of us laugh as Emeric pours the mix into his mouth and wipes the slush from his lips. My mom grabs a kitchen towel and whips him with it. Emeric jumps away from the fabric the second time she swings.

“Okay, okay, Ma, you win! I’ll get a cup.”

“That’s right, you will.”

Emeric points a thumb at my mom. “I see where you get it from, babe.”

My belly rumbles as Emeric raises his hand and the pitcher up in a sign of mercy. Opening the cabinet, he gets a proper cup.

My mom opens the oven enough to check the cookies and the casserole. “Dinner will be ready in a half-hour,” she tells us.

“Hear that, boys?” Emeric calls to them. “We have a half-hour of gameplay.”

“Then get in here,” Edric calls back.

“That’s my cue.” Emeric puts the pitcher back in the refrigerator before he and Lucas join the boys in the living room.

“He’s a great father.” My mom smiles at me. “Despite being mischievous himself.”

“He is. He loves Edric so much, but he doesn’t let Edric get away with any bad behavior, and neither do his other fathers. As soon as Edric does something out of line, they all have a talk. It definitely sets a precedence when five fathers sit you down and discuss your behavior. Same goes for Pierce and Kaiden.”

My mom pulls the last batch of cookies from the oven. “Phoenix told me on his last visit with Pierce, he and Edric are competitive.”

I rub my hand over my face. “Everything’s a competition with those two. It’s exhausting. A druid angel and a druid vampire, they test their magic, test each other, and test my patience. And don’t get me started on what it’s like when their dads join in.”

Rachel bites her lip as she laughs. “Do they still butt heads?”

“Of course, but it’s bound to happen with all the testosterone in the house.” Finishing my drink, I sit forward, relaxed from the alcohol. “I’m grateful Cyrus decided to leave the university and do homeschooling. He’s an amazing teacher, and the boys like it. Edric says Cyrus keeps things interesting and lets them practice their magic.”

My mom and Rachel stare at me, joy on their faces.

“You’ve made your family work, and it’s a delight for me to witness.” My mom’s words pull my lips back in a smile.

“Thanks, Mom. I love my family. We’ve worked hard to create a balance.”

Rachel points toward the living room. “It shows.”

When the oven beeps, my mom covers her hands in oven mitts. Removing the casserole, she sets it on the stovetop to cool.

“Five minutes until dinner!” she announces.

“We’ll be there,” Emeric calls back.

Rachel and I set the table with plates and silverware as my mom gathers cups for drinks. Edric is the first to enter the kitchen.

“Smells great, Grandma.”

“It’s your father’s favorite.”

Edric’s brows pinch inward. “Why is that?”

Emeric enters behind him and places his hands on Edric’s shoulders.

“Because it was the first meal I ate with your mom, aunt Rachel, and your grandmother. It was also the day your mother told me she would have a child with me and probably the day you were conceived.”

“Eww, gross, dad!”

Emeric pats his shoulder. “What’s gross about me loving your mother so much, I wanted you?”

“Point made.” Edric slides into the chair next to his dad and picks up the glass of tea in front of him.

Caressing his hand over Edric’s hair, Emeric pats his back. “Love you, son.”

“Love you, too.”

Glances pass around the table between us women. It’s adorable watching them two. Mom puts the casserole in the center of the table.

“Ladies first.” She grins.

“Always,” Lucas agrees.

Edric tries to dip his finger in the casserole, but Mom swats his hand away.

“We raise gentlemen and use manners in this house.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

Edric puts his hands in his lap and waits his turn. On the other side of Emeric, I watch my son create an orb in his hands. According to Emeric, he possesses a lot of Celestia’s gifts. It’s been fascinating watching him grow into his powers, except the invisibility one. That was a nightmare through the toddler years. I had to attach a bell to him, so he couldn’t play hide and seek anymore.

One thing Emeric and I agreed on is he’ll never know who his biological grandfather is. He knows his grandfather as Ancor, an amusing old man Edric loves, who teaches him to use his powers with care, and a warlock who passed away before he was born. When I took Edric to his grandfather’s tree, I remember him standing there, drifting off in a daydream-like state, and when his attention finally returned to me, he told me he’d met Grandpa Dane and really liked him. I cried almost the entire walk home.

Emeric catches me admiring our son and takes my hand, giving it a squeeze. Leaning over, he whispers, “I do it, too. He continues to amaze me.”

Kissing him, I smile in agreement. He lets go of my hand and rubs my back. Once all the plates are covered with casserole, we dig in.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

SELENE

Emeric and I step through the portal into our living room on Mordeeves Island.

“What’s this special plan you all have?”

Emeric takes my hands and pulls me toward the stairs.

“We planned for all the kids to be with family for the weekend.”

“All weekend?” Excitement tingles through my belly.

“Yeah, baby. All weekend.”

Emeric leads me to the stairs, then smacks my ass.

“Upstairs, bedroom, now.” He winks.

Not wasting time, I shed clothing on my way there, and so does Emeric. Grabbing my hand in the hallway, he pins me to the wall, lifts my thighs, and wraps them around his waist. My hands cup his face as his tongue delves into my parted