I closely watched as Vera fed the baby, my eyes lingering on the small rhythmic movents of her mouth as she aggressively sucked from the feeding bottle. The baby's cheeks puffed slightly with each pull, her tiny hands curling and uncurling as though the act itself demanded her full attention. At first glance, it looked normal, but then I realized Vera wasn't holding the bottle in the usual way. She had made a small, careful opening in her blouse, just enough for the mouthpiece of the feeding bottle to slip through. From where I stood, it almost looked like the baby was nursing directly from her, the bottle cleverly hidden, mimicking the shape and position of a nipple. Vera's posture was calm and practiced, her expression soft but focused, as if she was afraid even a slight distraction might interrupt the baby's feeding.
I tilted my head, curiosity getting the better of . "Why are you doing it like that?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. "Why not just feed her directly with the bottle?"
Before Vera could open her mouth to respond, Misty beat her to it. "Because your baby is stubborn," she said with a small huff, folding her arms. "She didn't want to drink from the feeding bottle at all. She kept rejecting it. So we had to disguise it."
I couldn't help myself. A chuckle slipped out of before I even realized it. "Already taking after , huh?" I muttered, shaking my head lightly. The idea that our baby already had such a strong will was oddly amusing and oddly terrifying at the sa ti.
While I was still smiling, Jill suddenly spoke up. "So," she said, glancing between Vera and , "what are we going to na her?"
Her question hit harder than I expected. I scratched the back of my head, instinctively turning to look at Vera. She was still holding the baby, but when our eyes t, she froze slightly. Her cheeks flushed red almost instantly, and she looked away, pretending to focus on adjusting the bottle. She didn't say a word.
I cleared my throat. "Uh… we haven't really talked about it yet."
Jill raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with that answer.
Then, almost out of nowhere, she sighed dramatically. "You two should stop looking at each other like that," she said. "Anyone would think you're about to make out right here."
That earned her a few snickers from the others. Vera's blush deepened, and I felt my own face heat up in response.
"Decide the baby's na privately," Jill added, waving a hand dismissively. "This is sothing for the two of you."
"Okay," I muttered, nodding. I took a mont to look around at everyone gathered in the room. Vera, Aurora, Misty, Elza, Lilith, Jill, Stella, Zamira, Amber, and Kira. The sight of them all together was overwhelming in its own way. Each of them was important to , each of them carrying their own stories, emotions, and expectations.
My gaze lingered briefly on Kira. I hadn't expected her to be here at all. She must have learned how to use the warper from Myra, because that was the only way she could've arrived on her own. She looked relieved when she noticed watching her, her shoulders relaxing slightly. At the sa ti, there was sothing else in her eyes, like she wanted to tell sothing important but couldn't, not with everyone else around and everything happening at once.
Then it hit . Anne, Hayes, and Blair weren't here.
A bit of worry tightened in my chest, especially when I thought about Blair. She was already heavy with child, and any day now could be the day she would go into labour.
"Where did Anne and Hayes go?" I asked, my voice more serious than before.
Almost in unison, several of the won answered. "Hayes had sothing important to take care of in her clan," one of them said.
"And Anne went with her," another added. "She wanted to help."
I nodded slowly, then looked around again. "What about Blair?"
"Oh, her?" Misty said casually. "She went to visit her parents."
"Her parents?" I repeated.
"She's been craving strange human food," Jill explained. "Stuff we can't really cook properly. Since we're vampires and all. So she went to her parents' place to see if being there would help calm her cravings."
I couldn't stop myself from laughing lightly at that. "That sounds like Blair," I said, shaking my head. The tension in my chest eased a little knowing she was fine, safe, and indulging her strange cravings.
Still, as the laughter faded, frustration crept in. At this point, it was getting harder and harder to keep track of everyone. My won were scattered across different places, different worlds even, each with their own responsibilities and needs. I needed more warpers. More than that, I needed a way to keep everyone together, or at least connected enough that I wouldn't constantly feel like I was missing sothing important.
As I took a keener look around the room, another realization hit . None of Vera's family mbers were here. The absence felt heavy, and a familiar sadness settled in my chest. I hadn't really paid attention to that before, too distracted with everything else. Truth be told, I hadn't been paying enough attention to Vera lately at all. Between trying to settle the rift between her and Misty and bringing her to live with us, I had sohow overlooked her as an individual. I didn't know much about her background, her family, or what this mont truly ant to her beyond what I could see on the surface.
By the ti these thoughts finished circling my mind, the baby had almost finished the bottle. Her sucking slowed, her grip loosening, until finally she drifted off to sleep. Jill gently took the baby from Vera's arms, cradling her carefully.
"She's out cold," Jill said with a soft smile. Then she looked at and Vera. "You two should have so private ti. Talk things out."
Vera hesitated for just a second before nodding. I nodded too. I reached out, taking her hand, feeling the warmth of her fingers in mine. Slowly, I helped her up, mindful of her tiredness, and led her toward one of the bedrooms.
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