Waveborn | The Oceane Series

Thirty-Three

I awoke with a start. Beautiful white and pink lilies sat in a crystal vase on the bedside table, the sight of the beautiful flowers making me smile. Turning over on my side, I met Delmare's violet eyes as he grinned at me. Reaching over, I ruffled his hair, laughing as he swatted my hand away just as Ronan and Chelsea cried. It had only been a few days since giving birth to the twins, and during time had been exciting and exhausting. Every two hours I fed them, then they would fall back to sleep, and then at night, Delmare and I would bathe them. Theodosia helped, of course, as we did not know what we were doing.

"I got it, babe." Delmare smiled, springing from the bed as he escaped into the nursery.

With a sigh, I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed before standing and following after him. Leaning against the door frame, I watched as Delmare changed Ronan's diaper, throwing the old one into the bin before cradling him in his arms.

"Now, don't make so much noise or you'll wake up your sister," he cooed at him, grinning as Ronan smiled a toothless smile, his silver eyes stark against the black hair that had sprouted from his head.

I giggled at them both, shaking my head as I checked on Chelsea, picking her up and shushed her softly, kissing her sweetly on her little forehead as she calmed down. Her sea green eyes shined bright against her ginger red hair. "I think we got a pair of ornery twins, don't you?"

He laughed. "Yes, they are a little ornery. But I wonder where they got that from."

"Well, they didn't get it from me!" I grinned, walking over to the rocking chair so I could feed Chelsea.

Easing down, I pulled my bra off, helping Chelsea nurse. "And besides, we both know we're stubborn, so I wouldn't be surprised if one of them got that trait."

"True," Delmare commented, looking up from his son to look over at me.

"We still haven't talked about your trip," I said as Chelsea finished nursing. I stood, handing Chelsea and a spit rag to Delmare as he handed Ronan to me so I could feed him as well. "Did you solve our Syren problem? Did you find Ondina and your aunt?"

"Well, we found Ondina and my aunt. She's in the dungeon. But unfortunately, we weren't able to get rid of all the Syrens. Some of them escaped."

"Wait, if you found Ondina, why hasn't she come to see me? Is she okay?" I asked, patting Ronan on his back as he burped up his remaining milk before setting him back down in his crib.

"Well." He paused, walking over to me to set Chelsea back down. "Ondina is my cousin."

"What?"

"The only thing about her that was true was her name. Her mother wasn't killed by Syrens; she was killed by Keilani. She has been living under our roof for years and we had no idea who she really was!"

"I want to talk to her," I said firmly, meeting Delmare's gaze.

He shook his head. "No/ I know she's your friend, but she isn't who she says she is." He paused, grabbing hold of my hands. "She's dangerous."

"I'll be careful. You can come with me, but I'm sure she's secure in the dungeon. She can't hurt me," I reassured him, getting dressed in one of my many dresses and combing my hair with a brush before placing a crown on my head. "She will realize that she has not only committed treason, but she has jeopardized the safety of our people and my family. She will be judged to the full extent of the law, but I want to hear her say it. I want to meet the real Ondina."