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          It is summer again, the months have flown by since Seraphine so valiantly pushed our son into the world. The sun beams overhead and a gentle breeze whistles through the branches of lush trees. Noxodion is shaded at his mother's breasts, having pulled up to nurse. I watch our boy as he feeds on wobbly legs, like a little fawn. His hands clutching Sera's blouse and his favorite lock of hair. A grey checked blanket is spread beneath us, and a basket of foods Seraphine I repaired sits opened from our lunch.

          I had suggested a picnic to lighten her mood. She has been down hearted all morning since Axar went to stay the week Ezekiel. He's becoming quite smitten with females, and he begged me in private for a week away from mama Sera's watchful eye. Seraphine is still not completely trusting of Ezekiel alone with the kids, and her nerves have been frayed every since. She believes he is pulling away, and worries he feels left out. The reality is that he is getting older, and Seraphine's suffocating him with her love and constant affection. I had to get aggressive with her to get her to let him go.

          My family's sudden interest in Noxodion and attempts to visit have shaken her up as well. She has zero trust in any of them, and she stands guard by them when they play with the baby. Not even letting them leave the room with him. My mother is devasted that she cannot have him over to sit him, but nobody presses the subject. All in silent agreement, and fear of Seraphine's wrath. She would fight till her death before she allowed a solitary soul to leave with the boy. I practically had to pry Axar from her over protective claws.

        I was glad to have a little privacy though, there has been very little privacy for Seraphine and I lately. With one less set of eyes, I figured I could make the most of it. I eye Seraphine's marvelous figure as she nibbles on a pretzel, almost unphased by the tiny titty monster nursing below.

         He pops the breast out and smiles at me, a milk mustache on his mouth. His hair is dark as mine, and a shaggy on top with a little raven lock touching his brow. His eyes are also mine, jade and golden in the sun. He inherited his mother's freckles and small birthmark under his eye. He has been crawling into everything, pulling up on anything he can get his hands on. He babbles at me and I know what he wants. Daddy's demon. He gets delighted when he sees my other form. He loves the horns and eyes, and has even grabbed my face and thrusted those wee fingers into my mouth to snag a tooth.

           I let him have my form, unsure if he can see it at will yet or not. Most his incubi tendencies will hit later on in life, but I have little to no knowledge on children of any species. This is all entirely foreign to me. I rely on Seraphine for most things parenting or child related. He laughs out loud and crinkles his nose and eyes, but what he does next stuns us both. I crouch low on the blanket, acting as if I might pounce on him and he let's go of his mama and he wobbles on shaky legs to me. My mouth hangs and Seraphine hovers close behind with an enormous grin. Nerves flexing as she stalks him, ready to seize him up should he lean the wrong way or lose balance. I go to my knees, leaning out with outstretched hands awaiting him. He finally makes it, gibbering all the way in broken bits of words and syllables I don't quite comprehend. Sera swears this is normal. He takes my hands to steady himself and I lift him up as Seraphine dotes and praises his first steps.

         Her eyes are glowing with love as she takes us in, and I spend too much time just staring at her. I motion her to sit closer to me, and we lay down on the blanket with Noxodi between us, pet name courtesy of his mother. He walks a few steps back and fourth in the small space between us before curling up against her stomach and falling asleep.

         "You look good enough to eat, lover." I emphasize that later word as I trail a clawed finger down the bit of exposed skin on Seraphine's side. She pulls the hand to her face and kisses it.

         "Thank you." She smiles.

         "Would you be taken aback if I told you you'd look even better with another child?" She snorts.

         "I'm still traumatized from his birth. I'm afraid the answer is no, Nox." I stand and go to lay behind her, and I decide to mess with her. I snatch her hair roughly and crane her head back to me.

          "What if I wasn't asking?" I snarl. She nearly loses it, trying to figure out what I'm up to. She has long since learned not to take me seriously, welcoming my new carefree demeanor with open arms.

           "What are you going to do about it?" She growls back, still slightly smiling.
     
           "You want to know?" I release my grip on her hair and I bury my face in her neck.

             "Tell me." She taunts in her low, seductive voice.

              "I'll beg, I'll cry. I'll do whatever the emerald goddess asks of me, should I be worthy of receiving another blessing from her womb." I reach over her to tuck hair behind Noxodion's ear. "I've seen the fruit of her womb, and it's the most beautiful thing." I gesture at the napping baby.

              "You're terrible. Just terrible, trying to sway me like that. I hope you swallow a fly." She gently covers my mouth to hush me and I lick her hand. Her entire face wrinkles and I chuckle, having remembered Noxodion making the same face earlier.

               "He needs someone to play with. Someone he can chase and wrestle. Someone he can confide in that's closer in age. It's an added perk that you look ravishing with your stomach round with my child." She blushes and shakes her head.

               "Is that all you think about?"

               "I am what I am, Seraphine. Now, what do you say?" I nip her ear and she gently rolls to her back careful not to disturb the baby.

               "Yes, daddy." She taunts as she flicks my nose. We scoot a little farther away, and we take advantage of the moment. Slow and quiet, terrified of waking the baby.
    
                Once back in the house we crawl across the floor, chasing the baby as he crawls and walks here and there. He loves the attention, cooing and babbling at us with a broad grin. We wrestle eachother and play, amusing ourselves just as much as him until three in the morning, when he takes his last nurse and falls asleep.

              Noxodion sleeps in our room in his crib, the nursery only a playroom since Seraphine cannot bear him out of sight. Laying him down and doing his bedtime care, Sera and I slip away to shower. We take our time, enjoying one another for a while before we step out. Seraphine dons her robe, and she cracks the door to check on the resting baby.

               "Nox! Nox look!" Seraphine whisper yells, and I peer out of the crack.

              Above Noxodion, Ivara and Samael look down at their grandson with the light of the window shining through them. Samael's hand covers Ivara's on the crib railing and his chin on her head as they take him in. Ivara leans down to kiss his head and Seraphine swings the door open.

              "Mom! Dad!" They smile at her before dissipating, only able to hold form for so long. Sersphine dashes to the crib, solemn after not getting to say more to them. At Noxodion's feet lay Ivara's necklace that Samael had kept, and the strange knife that Sera had taken from Asmodeus. She moves them away from the baby, and into the nightstand drawer.

              "They were together." I whisper to her, arms around her shoulders to soothe her. "I think they wanted you to see, and feel peace. Samael's dying wish was reconcile with Ivara, and he has done that in his afterlife. Should we ever die, I want that to be us in the next life. Traveling the unknown together, and watching our hopefully great, great grandchildren like some degenerates." She elbows me and I laugh.

              "I love you Seraphine, but I'm starving. I think it's time to go to bed." I wink, nudging her behind. She turns and softly leaps into the bed, and I go after her.

              The restless hunger, and feelings of emptiness long since extinguished. Those feelings now replaced with joy and content. My body warm and alive with Sera's vivacious energy and her love. I will never have my fill. I crave all of her. Her mind, her approval, her body, her weird midnight conversations about outlandish things and ideas. She crossed my path that day, and from that point on she had slowly begun her demolition of my old life. In it's place, she has given me a brand new existence complete with family and purpose. Love and appreciation. Morals and personality. And lust, lots and lots lust. I notice she's lost in thought too.

            "What are you thinking about?" I inquire. She always keeps her mind blocked now. Still feeling exposed at the thought of my picking her thoughts. She looks up through dark lashes below me. That low familiar hum vibrates my chest again as I watch her with adoring eyes. She sighs as I rest my head on hers.

             "I was thinking about you." I cover her mouth with mine and entwine our fingers together.

            "I love you, Seraphine." And I mean it with everything in me. Seraphine is mine. She'll never experience life without me.