Seraphina's eyes sparkled.
"Good."
She didn't say anything else right away. Her fingers stayed gently over his, her golden eyes never leaving his face.
Ethan could feel his heart thudding in his chest—not from fear or nerves, but because this moment was real.
It wasn't a joke or playful teasing like earlier in the day with the twins.
This was different.
Seraphina wasn't rushing anything. She wasn't pushing. But the message was clear.
She wanted him.
Not just because of what he could do or what he was becoming—but because he was Ethan. Her little brother who wasn't so little anymore.
The boy she watched grow up, the one she'd protected from a distance, guided him through life in her own quiet way.
Ethan swallowed, not moving his hand away from hers.
"You've always been ahead of everyone," he said softly. "And I've always felt like I was playing catch-up."
"You're not anymore," she said. "You've caught up, and soon you will pass me in some ways."
