There was a knock on the back door before it opened, and Blue and I pulled away from each other and looked that way. "Knock, knock," Michael said, entering the house with Dia in his arms and Avery by his side. "I have two kids that want the lady of the house's presence."

Karen scoffed and rolled her eyes, scowling, and Michael looked at her. "I am the lady of the house, Michael," she scolded, and I bit back a small smirk while Michael looked between the two of us. "Anastasia is not."

"Mama!" my daughter exclaimed and reached toward me, and I smiled, my heart growing warm and becoming more filled with love.

"Yes, but they are her children, Karen," Michael said while I walked over to them. He flashed Karen a small wink before he looked at me, and Karen bit back a small scoff while she rolled her eyes and scowled. "Here, you go." He handed me my daughter and frowned when he saw that my cheeks were red from crying. "What happened?" he asked, his voice turning darker and becoming filled with protectiveness. "Who hurt you?"

My throat closed, and I shook my head, not knowing if Alexia would be fine with him knowing that she was there. "No one hurt me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, and Isen scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Un huh," he said and took a sip of his drink. "That's bull s-" He stopped and looked at Avery with wide eyes, not finishing his sentence, but it didn't look like Avery was paying him any attention but staring at the spot where Alexia stood with furrowed brows and a look of confusion on her face.

He didn't say a word and glanced at me, raising his eyebrow in question while he took another sip of his drink.

Could she see her mother..?

I cleared my throat and looked at my sister before I looked at Isen, silently telling him that I would check later. "I'm surprised that you aren't looking at Dia," I said and pressed a small kiss to my daughter's cheek, and she squealed happily and pushed my face away while she leaned away from me. "Hi, Baby," I cooed

"Mama!" she exclaimed and gave me a hug. "Hi."

I bit back a small chuckle and hugged her back, closing my eyes a little. "Hi, Avery," I said and opened my eyes while I looked at her, pressing my lips into a thin line and cocked my head while I studied her. "Are you ok?"

Avery stirred when I said her name and looked at me, but I didn't know if she could see me or not. "Huh?" she asked as if I had woken her from her deep thoughts. She blinked and blinked again before she shook her head and looked at me again, her gaze clearer. "What is it?"

I frowned, growing concerned. "Are you ok?" I asked and closed the distance between us, shifting Alexandria so that I could have one hand free. "Are you feeling ok?" I placed my hand on her forehead to make sure that she didn't have a temperature, and Avery wrinkled her nose but stayed put until I took my hand off her head.

"I'm fine, M- Ans," she said, and my heart broke just a little, even though I made sure that my face was still neutral.

"She can't see me, but she can sense me," Alexia said, her voice barely above a whisper and filled with guilt. "I'm sorry that she s-"

I flicked my fingers that were under Alexandria's butt to stop her from talking before I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to Avery. "Are you sure?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question. "You froze."

"Down," Alexandria said and took her legs from around my waist. "Down, down, down." She kicked and bounced a little, and I bit back a small laugh but set her on the ground, grateful that Karen had baby proofed her house before we came because I knew that Dia would try to get into trouble if she was allowed to.

"Come here, Baby," Isen cooed, turning his attention to the toddler on the ground with a smile on his face. He held out his hands and gestured for her to come to him while he stayed seated in his seat. "Let me see you."

"No," Dia said and shook her head. She looked around before she started to walk toward Alexia, even though I had no idea if she was able to see her.

Alexia took a deep, shuddering breath before she cleared her throat, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. Pain and sadness filled her eyes while she stared at my daughter. "She is beautiful, Ans," Alexia said before she looked at me, forcing a small smile on her face, even though it didn't reach her eyes. "You did good."

I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line while my cheeks turned red. I didn't say a word while I watched my daughter before I looked at my sister again.

Dia stopped in front of Alexia and furrowed her brows. She cocked her head and stared at my sister as if she could see that something was there, even though a part of me knew that she couldn't.

Michael cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, and I looked at him and raised an eyebrow in question. "Should... I be worried?" Michael asked with furrowed brows while he looked between the two of us. He cocked his head and studied them before he looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question.

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head, not able to meet his gaze any longer. "No," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, not knowing what to do and not knowing if I could tell him about Alexia. "You don't need to be worried, Michael."

Dia reached out toward Alexia, and her hand went through my sister and touched the wall behind her. She bit back a small whine before she looked at me with a pout on her face. "Mean," she said while she pointed at my sister, and I bit back a small snort and rolled my eyes while I scowled.

"So you can feel it, too, Dia?" Avery asked, her voice barely above a whisper while she pressed her lips into a thin line. She hesitated and took a step forward while she looked at Alexia, her brows furrowed. "You can feel this presence near us, too?"

"Ghost," Dia said and looked at Avery with intelligent eyes before she looked at me and then at my sister again. "Ghost go boo."

"Ghost?" Michael asked and furrowed his brows while he cocked his head and studied me. He looked around before he looked at me again, looking very nervous for some reason. "What does she mean by ghost? Is there a ghost in the room with us?"

I held back an eye roll and bit back a small scowl, amused. "Even if there was a ghost, why are you so nervous?"

"I don't like ghosts," Michael admitted before he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, his cheeks turning red. "They scare me."

"How?" I asked and furrowed my brows in confusion while I cocked my head and studied him. "How do they scare you when you can grow literal claws and can shift into a wolf? You are a creature of the night, Michael. You shouldn't be scared of some ghost."

"Well, they can go through walls and stuff like that," Michael said, and my sister bit back a small snort. "How are you not scared of ghosts?"

"Uhhh..." Isen raised his hand, and Michael looked at him while I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "She deals with me on a daily basis."

"Yes, but you aren't a ghost," Michael said, shaking his head, and I bit back a small snort while I rolled my eyes and scowled. "You're a Dryad, or have you forgotten?" He raised an eyebrow in question, and Isen scowled and narrowed his eyes.

"I have not forgotten that I am a Dryad," Isen said with a small snip in his voice, and I rolled my eyes and bit back a small snort. He gestured to me, and I set my jaw, biting the inside of my lip. "She reminds me every single day that I am a Dryad."

"I do not," I said before I sighed and shook my head. "I remind you that I can kill you, but I don't remind you that you are a Dryad." I gave him a pointed look, and Isen grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

Dia turned toward me and frowned, narrowing her eyes with a small scowl on her face. "No killing, Mama!" she said with a small snap in her voice, and Alexia instantly barked out a small laugh as if she was shocked and amused. "No."

I bit back a small smile and shook my head. "I am not going to kill Isen. I'm sure that it would kill me too if I did."

"I don't know..." Alexia said and shook her head, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. She offered me a tight smile and folded her arms across her chest before she looked between Isen and I before she looked at me. "I don't think that is going to happen. If you kill them, then I am sure that there would be a good reason and then stay alive afterward."

I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line. "Isen is safe, Dia," I said and looked at her. "He's family remember?" I raised an eyebrow in question, and Dia grinned and nodded.

"Yes," she said. She pointed toward Alexia, and Alexia took a deep, shuddering breath with a look of pain and sadness filling her face. "Family."

"So, wait, is anything there, or is Dia needing help?" Michael asked and furrowed his brows. He pressed his lips into a thin line and looked between the other adults and then at me.

I scowled and narrowed my eyes while I stared at him, and Michael gulped and took a step back while he bowed his head a little. "Dia doesn't need help, Michael," I said coldly, "not on that."

"You can tell him if you want to," Alexia said, her voice barely above a whisper. There was a pained look on her face while she stared at her friend before she looked at Avery. "However, I don't know how Avery is going to handle it." She took a step toward Avery, pain and guilt flashing across her face before she took that step back and went back to the wall again.

"Anastasia?" Avery asked and looked at me, and I bit the inside of my lip because I hated that she called me Anastasia instead of Mom like she had been doing, but I understood and didn't comment on it. She furrowed her brows and cocked her head while she studied me, and I looked at her and offered her a tight smile. "Is someone there? Is there a ghost?"

I bit back a small sigh and slowly nodded. "Yes," I confirmed before I cleared my throat, and Avery took a deep, shuddering breath while a look of pain and sadness flashed across her face while she stared at me. "Come, let's sit and I can talk about it, ok? There is going to be stuff that you don't have to worry about, but I will explain to you why someone is back and what's happening, ok?"

"Who?" Michael asked and looked at the area where Alexia stood before he looked at me. He cocked his head and furrowed his brows while he pursed his lips in annoyance. "Who is back, Anastasia?"

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "Alexia," I said and looked at Avery to see how she would react. "Alexia is back as a ghost."