The Magic of Hecate
Chapter 18 Chapter 18

An hour later, Luca had to leave so it was just Leo, the kids and Isnuggled up on the sofa.

"Daddy, can we play donkeys?" Cato questioned tugging at Leo's hair."Yesss, Daddy pwease pwease pwease,” Mathias pleaded.

"Okay, okay," Leo said.

"Donkeys?"

"Cato and Mathias's new favourite game," Leo replied handing me

Lili and putting Francesca, who had been on his lap, beside me.

He then got onto his hands and knees on the floor and our two three-year-olds, Cato and Mathias, scrambled onto his back.

"Ohhh," I said, realising hitting me. "I see.”

"Go donkey! Go!" Cato squealed as Leo began to crawl around theliving room floor.

"Hold on tight boys," I said as Cato threw his hands up in the air withglee. "We don't want a trip to the ER this evening.”

Cato, in his short life, had already been to the ER four times on accountof accidents. On one occasion he fell off a chair, another he swalloweda lego brick, the third time involved little fingers and a heavy door andthe fourth was an incident that followed spinning round in circles in afurniture filled room whilst Mommy was in the shower. And I dread tothink what went on whilst I've been away.

In other words, I was very cautious of him ending up there again forfear of Doctor Amanda beginning to question our parenting skills. Iblame it on the Alpha blood in him. He has too much energy and I can'tkeep up.

"Mama, look! I can stand!" Cato said slowly getting to his feet.

"Cato, no," I said sternly. "I just said that we don't want to see DoctorAmanda tonight, do we?"

He looked slightly disappointed for a second before sitting back downnext to Mathias and squealing with joy again.

After Leo had been made to carry his sons on his back for what felt likehours, they were finally beginning to tire. We fed them some dinnerand began the marathon that is bedtime.

"Cato!" I called as he ran down the hallway still dripping from his bath."I swear that kid has ADHD," I muttered under my breath and Leostifled a laugh.

"I was the same at that age and my mother used to call it “future Alphasyndrome’. I'll get him,” Leo replied heading out of the bathroom wherethe twins and Silas were still bathing and Mathias was brushing theirteeth.

A minute later, Leo returned with Cato slung over his shoulder.

"No more running away, okay?" He scolded sternly as he put him downon the closed toilet seat and handed him his pyjamas.

"But Mama's allowed to," he protested and I immediately pausedmidway through changing Lili's diaper.

There were a few agonisingly quiet moments where the only soundswere the splashing of the twins in the bath.

"Mama is a lot older than you Cato. She can defend herself,” Leoreplied.

"So why were you so angry when she went away?"

"Because I was worried about her. Just like I would be worried if you ranaway," Leo said lifting Cato into a hug.

"I pwomise I won't ever ever ever run away, Daddy," he stated as hewrapped his arms around Leo's neck and hugged his father. "Neverever."

"Good boy," Leo said kissing him on the cheek. "Now, who wants abedtime story?”

"Me, me, me!" Cato shouted very loudly causing Leo to wince and puthis hand to his left ear where Cato’s mouth was still situated.

"Me!" Mathias added through toothpaste.

"M!" Silas squealed from the bath, who not even being two old yearsold, was still at the making mostly noises that vaguely sound like wordsstage.

When Mathias was finished with his teeth and Silas's was finished in thebath, Leo took the three of them upstairs for their favourite story “thenoisy dinosaur’ whilst I got the younger ones ready for bed.

There were no tears tonight. Just giggles, laughter and tiredness. Thetwins and Lili fell asleep the seconds I put them in their cribs which wasaround the same time that Leo came back from reading to the boys."6/6 in their own beds and asleep before 7 o clock. No tears, notantrums,” he said laying back on our bed with a satisfied sigh. "Wehave this parenting thing under control.”

"It's tiring and exhausting but I've missed this the most. Them and youand all this harmless chaos,” I said resting my head on his chest.

"I've missed doing it with you. Luca isn't a good substitute when tryingto conduct six kids."

I giggled and snuggled further into his warmth

"They love him though. I saw the drawing that Mathias drew on thefridge earlier. The one of you and Luca at the park with him and all fiveof his siblings. It's adorable,” I said.

"That day a woman mistook Luca and me for a gay couple with our sixadopted kids," Leo said with a sigh. "It was mortifying.”

I tried to withhold the laughter in my throat but it broke out in themost tremendous way.

"There is nothing wrong with that,” I giggled resting my hand on hischest.

"Yeah...if we were a gay couple. But we are not and how someone couldimagine Luca and me together, I do not know. The thought of it makesme feel sick to the stomach,” Leo said.

"Why on earth would she think that?" I asked.

"I don't know!" Leo replied before narrowing his eyes in thought. "Imean at the time, we were holding hands BUT only because the boyswanted to play circle games and-"

"You were holding hands with Luca?" I said cracking up.

"Yes, but she still jumped about three miles to a conclusion!"...

I looked up at him as he continued to rant and just watched his face ashe formed words and delivered them. It was so defined and carved andhis features were so bold and perfect. No matter how long I spendaway from home, I will never forget his pure beauty.

"What?" he asked bringing me out of my trance. "Are you evenlistening?”

"You are just so beautiful. I doubt I will ever get used to it," I repliedwith a sigh. "And I've missed listening to your voice so much.”

He smiled and leant into my lips before kissing me gently. His handslowly drifted down my side until it reached my hips and his eyesfollowed.

"And I've missed that ass," he whispered in my ear.

"Charming," I replied after he grabbed my butt. "Way to ruin a heartfeltmoment."

"I'm sorry but I've got serious blue balls after 94 nights without any ofthis," he replied before rolling on top of me and kissing mepassionately and roughly.

"Not like you've been counting or anything though,” I said trying towithhold another giggle.

His hands found their way down to my pyjama shorts and for amoment he withdrew from the kiss and paused.

"Can I?" he asked looking me in the eye.

I chuckled and nodded before running my hands through his hair as hekissed me again.

He always insisted on asking no matter how obvious it was and Irespected that. If only all men, *cough cough* Luciano, were more likehim.