Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Delilah and Leticia show me a spell to seal the bottle and keep the wine fresh so I can take it home to have with the chocolate later once I decide what I want to do. I'm surprised how easily I can perform the spell. It feels effortless and natural. Leticia rolls her eyes in frustration, insisting this is basic stuff compared to the magic I have performed in the past.

The rest of the night goes without incident and we have a fun time getting to know Leticia better. She and Delilah discuss current trends in magic and explain important details to me. The more they speak, the more it feels like we are rehashing a conversation I've already had. Bits and pieces of spells and incantations formulate in my mind. At the end of the evening, the server comes over and announces that the bill has already been taken care of. Carly already called the restaurant and took care of the charges.

"Bronxy paid for dinner? Oh my Goddess, that's so sweet!" Leticia gushes, "You know what this means?"

"That my husband is being extra controlling again?" I roll my eyes.

"Well, yeah, but we've all met him. Everyone knows he would spend every penny he has on you if you would let him, Kas. But that isn't what I was going to say." happiness to one that is cold and calculated. She looks pointedly at

Delilah, "If Bronx paid for dinner, Delilah still needs to make up for throwing a spell at me."

I feel myself tense at the change in mood. Lex takes notice and prepares herself in case she needs to come to the front.

For a moment Delilah looks taken aback, but she quickly composes herself. Her eyes turn a royal blue and her voice sounds like little bells when she speaks, "I am sure I will find a way, Leticia. In fact, as long as it doesn't involve dark magic, I give you my word."

"Oh, you gave your actual word," Leticia raises her eyebrow. Her smile turns smug, "That's some real magic shit right there, Kas.”

When we finish eating, the server brings out Leticia's to-go box of chicken fingers. She gives me a kiss on the cheek and shakes Delilah's hand before she leaves while Delilah and I wait for Marco to come let us know the car is ready for us.

"Alright, madame. Home to meditate. We need to cleanse our spirits. Then you're going to tell me how you plan to deal with the wine and chocolate situation," Delilah lectures with a faux stern look, "I could practically see your gears churning all night. I know you've thought about it already."

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"Never," she smiles, leaning her shoulder into me with a laugh as Marco approaches the table.

"Ladies, your car is waiting in the back. We'll leave through the kitchen," he advises, "Kas, no stopping to talk to the chef."

“I'm I that much of an open book to you two?" I giggle. °

"Yes," they respond at the same time. When we get back to the apartment, Delilah and I make a list of ingredients so we can experiment with recipes all day tomorrow. Marco takes it to his makeshift office in the living room to plan for the delivery.

Delilah and I sit on the bed in her room and take an hour to meditate. Instead of actually meditating, I use that hour to go to the apartment to speak to Leticia. Hopefully Delilah won't know the difference when we wake up.

I stand in the apartment's hall and put my hand around my neck. The necklace did not transport with my consciousness. I open the door to the apartment and hear Leticia come running down the hall and to greet me with a strong hug, "Kas, you're here? I didn't know I was going to get to see you so much today!"

"I don't have much time but I wanted to thank you for coming to dinner, Darling," I return her crushing hug, "I'm so glad you and Delilah could come to a truce. Also, it was so weird seeing you in a different form. I don't have time now, but you are going to teach me how to do that, right?"

"Kas, I keep telling you, you already know how to do all this stuff. We just have to unlock it inside of you," she insists, "Have you decided what to do about Zeus?"

"I have to keep it quick, Letica. I have less than an hour. Were you able to get the meeting I asked for?" I ask, trying not to sound too excited. She doesn't know about my deal with the God of Thunder, and I'm not trying to tell her either. °

"Not yet, but I'm still working on it. You're lucky your name carries some weight. Name dropping the youngest Manae gives me some leverage. It's making it easier to get on the inside," she points at me with her fingers in the shape of a gun and gives me an exaggerated wink, "Give me another few days. I will send a message. Just look for it."

"Thank you, Leticia. I couldn't do this without you. How many other Mavri Magea have you been able to track down?"

"Six at the ready so far. Julia and Ellen are notoriously difficult to find, but I have feelers out. They will come out of hiding soon. I have put the word out for everyone to convene here by your orders. They're all so excited to see you."

"I'm excited to meet them too," I can't help but smile at the prospect of meeting my sisters. The ones who are actually looking forward to meeting me instead of wanting me to be caged until

I die, "Remind me, what are Julia and Ellen's abilities again? I want to make sure ] have everyone straight in my head before I meet them."

"Julia has pyrokinesis and Ellen, well she's not a gorgon, but she can turn people to stone. It's not permanent, they turn back but, well, the person just isn't the same after. She hates it. The Manae seem to be the only ones immune to it. Both of them think it's too dangerous to be around people, so they choose to stay hidden. Best to not draw attention to themselves. Can't blame them, right?"

"I understand. Well, thank you for trying your best, Leticia. Iam lucky to have you on my side," I smile at her warmly, "I have to go. Delilah is waiting for me."

"I love you, Kas and I'm so proud of you," she says, gripping me tightly, "Things are really going to change now. I can feel it."

"Yeah. Things are definitely going to change, darling. For all of us," I sigh, before I kiss her cheek and leave the apartment.

When I open my eyes, Delilah is sitting up, smiling at me happily, "Feel better?"

"Yeah, things are good now," I smile back, hoping she doesn't catch on that I am talking about something completely different from what she is talking about. "Want to feel something that is going to make you even better?"

"What do you mean?" I feel my brows knit as she grabs my hands and puts them on her belly. I can sense Alexander's heartbeat, but as I let my hands settle on Delilah's shirt, I feel a slight but distinctive thump against my hands. My whole body jumps back, startled.

"He-he's kicking you?" I look at her belly with surprise, "I know that happened when Lenora was pregnant with Codi, but I didn't know what to expect with your pregnancy. I figured it would be different since Alexander will be a hybrid."

"Kas, it happens with all pregnancies. I'm a little surprised it's so soon. It's so exciting. Maybe it means it won't be seven months after all. I can't wait until he does it for James," she gushes.

I look at her with tears in my eyes, "So y- you can really feel him in there?"

She nods and the pillow next to her, "I bet he would love a few words of encouragement from his Luna. My heart practically beats out of my chestas I lay down next to her and coo close to her belly at Alexander. I tell him how outstanding his mom and dad are and how excited I am to meet him ina few months. I watch Delilah blush as] tell him how he's going to be a great warrior like James and, based on how person who doesn't know about my first conversation with Zeus. I decide not to tell her. I don't want to get her hopes up in case I don't live long enough to have a pup of my own. Instead, J tell her I met with Zeus in person and he must want to discuss our initial conversation more in depth. Delilah looks at me carefully, "I will not press you for more detail on that initial conversation, but please remember you can tell me anything, Kas."

"I know, Delilah. As far as the wine and chocolate, I'm going to hold on to it for now. I want to tell Bronx before I use it. He knows about the first meeting," I confide, "Also, I'm not sure if it will transport me somewhere or if it will be like it was last time where my body was napping with Codi while my consciousness was somewhere else. I don't want to trigger the necklace to go off without him knowing."

"Kas, of all the things that you have said over the past two days, that is probably the most reasonable," she says as she lays back on the pillow and looks at me. Her eyes slowly turn from soft baby blue eye to a darker shade.

"What's wrong, mon ami?" I ask her, patting my hand gently on the side of her face.

"I know it's only been two days, but I miss James so much. I mean, more than when I am usually away from him," she says, wiping tears away before they fall.

"They say the mate bond is a lot stronger when you're pregnant," I tell her. I roll on my back and pull her down so she can snuggle against me, while I wrap my arms around her to comfort her.

"Will you stay in here with me tonight?" she asks softly.

"Of course, Delilah," I hug her a little tighter, so she knows I mean it.

I hold her protectively as we talk about mundane things until she falls asleep.

I open up a mind link to my guards, " Hey guys, if you need me, I'm in Delilah's room. She fell asleep, but she's feeling a little homesick. She really misses James. I want to make sure I'm here if she wakes up

upset."

"No problem, Kas," Marco replies, "I just spoke to Musu. She's really missing me too. Being away from her right now is kinda killin' me."

"Don't worry, Marco," Tyree chimes in, " This is the last trip until your pups are born."

"Yeah, I know," Marco replies, "Good night Kas. Let us know if you need us."

"Will do. Good night guys," I feel myself smiling, knowing Bronx will be here tomorrow evening.

I let my eyes get heavy. Delilah's slow, even breaths lull me into a sleep. In my dream, Milo pulling covers off of me. I feel weak and can't move, barely able to open my eyes to look at him. He is whispering something, but he sounds like he is underwater, so I don't know what he's saying. Reggie is standing in the doorway. Anger coming off of him.

Finally, I hear Bronx whispering to me, pulling me into his arms. I can't understand his words but I can feel his sadness and worry. I smell his coffee and dark chocolate scent while I try to look him in the eyes, but I fall back into the dreamlessness of deep sleep.