Read Online Dreaming of a Blood Red Christmas by Nicola Claire - Free Book Online

the wonder-struck look on her face.
    "Are you all right?" I ask eventually.
    "Never better," she says with a genuine smile.
    I shake my head, in awe of my wife all over again.
    "You were magnificent," I say, and dear God, my voice cracks.
    "So were you," she replies with such pride.
    "What on earth did I do?"
    "Aside from growling throughout the entire thing?" she teases and my vampyre reminds her he is present with a flash of magenta from my eyes. "You both did well." She amends her statement to appease the dragon-within. "You stuck it out. You do know that Marcus has lost a whole heap of money."
    I frown. What the hell?
    Lucinda chuckles, readjusts her hold on our daughter and explains.
    "He bet you'd have to leave the delivery room, because your vampyre would either attack the doctor or go crazy with all the blood."
    She is smiling a mile wide at the vision, little does she know how close we actually were.
    "I wouldn't leave you," I say instead of divulging that snippet.
    "No," she agrees simply. "And now we're a family."
    I have to kiss her, I only wish I could hold her in my arms. But for now a kiss will do.
    I move in, position the babies so they are safe, but included in our huddle, and then lower my lips to hers. She tastes of life. Of love and wild passion. Of miracles and wishes and Light and rainbows of colours. She tastes divine.
    " Je t'aime, ma douce ," I murmur against her soft lips.
    " Je t'aime, papa ," she whispers back, making me smile.
    We both look down at our miracle babies. I had forgotten to check, so with infinite care I lift the upper lip on my son. No fangs. Actually, no teeth at all.
    Lucinda snorts in amusement. "Thank God they're not toothy already." She shudders and presses her free hand to a breast. Ah.
    "But what are they?" I ask. "They have heartbeats."
    "And Light," she adds.
    I carefully unwrap my son's blanket and stare down at his naked form. He's asleep, but I am not sure how long he will suffer the indignity of being exposed. This one has loud vocals.
    "Look there," Lucinda says, voice hushed, possibly still in awe.
    I glance at where she is indicating and see a faint outline of something along his right arm. It is hard to tell what it is, it is almost translucent, extremely difficult to detect. Multiple colours are hinted at, in a Sigillum- like design, from his shoulder to his wrist.
    Lucinda has unwrapped our daughter and found a mirror image, vaguely visible on her left arm.
    " Sigillums ," I say.
    "Not the Lux Lucis Tribuo one," Lucinda points out. No, that is a star-shaped geometrical design. But I must admit these vague representations are similar in that they too are geometrical. But where the Lux Lucis Tribuo Sigillum is on the right cheek and a star, these are on the arms and, for now, indecipherable.
    I shrug my shoulders, I do not have an answer.
    "Maybe it's part of me and part of you," Lucinda suggests, lifting her hand to the Sigillum that appeared on her neck when I marked her with mine, erasing Gregor's. It is uncannily similar, but much brighter and obviously in a different location.
    "Yes," I agree. "It could well be." And it would make sense with the fact that her Light and my Sanguis Vitam became entwined during the deliveries.
    We have marked our children. Not only do they carry our genetics, but no matter what they end up being, they also carry our supernatural marks. Sigillums must be accepted, you cannot mark another as yours without their consent. These are wee babies, but as I look at their beautiful faces, watch their chests rise and fall with each breath. Hear their hearts beating in tandem, and feel that Light that fills them up wrap around my soul. I know they accepted ours.
    We are truly a family, bonded together, blood-kin in its truest, purest form.
    I smile. It feels too big for my face. My eyes lift to Lucinda's and I cannot express how elated I feel. The world is a most magnificent place.
    I look back down at my son, my heart fit to bursting, and with