“I should have prepared myself for it. You were bound to ask it sooner or later. You know what they say about curiosity though, right?”
“That it killed the cat?”
“No, it ate the pussy,” he said slyly and winked.
“That’s so not what they say, Demon,” I laughed.
“No, the truth is, I don’t like to talk about it.”
“Why would he do such a horrible thing, though?”
“For years, I thought it was because he, like many, didn’t like Demons. He wanted the alliance with the Demons, he just didn’t like them. The wings are dangerous, like the Horde King’s are, but not all feathery like his,” he said abruptly. “I used to think he took my mother’s tail because he didn’t want to chance it taking off his cock,” he hooted with laughter as I made a sour face and winced until I caught his eyebrow raised with interest. “I could have done a lot with my tail, you know,” he said suggestively, making me snicker at him. This beautiful creature with a tail would have been dangerous to womankind.
“But years later I met my maternal grandfather when I was acting as an emissary with Ryder. I got to meet my mother’s people,” he looked sad as he mentioned them, but he kept going. “I found out then that losing the trademarks of what makes a Demon is considered a shame to them. Someone to be pitied,” he spat angrily. “It’s one of the reasons my mother didn’t want to return to her family when Ryder released the women from the pavilion,” he took a long, deep breath and continued. “Anyhow, it was a time long ago and nothing can be done about it. There are worse things he could have done to us, but he chose to take what marked us as something other than what he wanted us to be. Fae,” he said gutturally.
“Like what?” I asked wondering what the hell could be worse than to take away what had marked him a Demon. He looked at me for a few moments and nodded, as if accepting something.
“I’ll show you. Someone you should have met already, I think; it’s about time you do anyway.” He pulled my hand with purpose as he walked us down the long hallway in the direction of the pavilion.
We entered the woman’s pavilion and he didn’t stop until we stood in front of a door with no name on it or people around it. Inside, I could hear the faint moaning and cries from a woman. “Who is it?” I asked as a shiver ran up my spine.
“Kiera; she’s Ryder’s mother.”
I pulled my hand away from his. “I thought she was mental,” I mumbled as he ignored me and opened the door.
Kiera was on the bed, chained to it. She had golden eyes, and wild, midnight hair like Ryder’s. There was a wild look in her eyes, as if she’d been tortured and had endured unimaginable pain. I swallowed
“Kiera, this is Synthia Raine, the mother to your grandchildren,” Ristan said, and she turned those unseeing eyes to me. They lowered to my growing midsection with a look of disdain.
“Horde King’s bastards,” she mumbled. “Kill them,” she whimpered as a single tear slid from her eyes.
“She and Ryder are happy, and welcome their children,” Ristan said as he placed a hand on my swollen womb. “Twins, Kiera. She’s given him twins to heal the world. To undo what Alazander has done.”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ryder growled from the doorway.
“My son,” Kiera said with a vacant look as she turned to Ryder’s voice. “My beautiful, little boy,” she cried, a gentle sob escaping her lips.
I felt as if I was intruding as Ryder walked in and placed his hand in her outstretched one. “Mother,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth to kiss her palm—as he often did with mine.
“You made a life,” she accused. “To secure the line, one that will end us,” she whispered brokenly.
“I chose a mate, one who can help me to bring forth the prophecy to heal the lands,” he said in a calming tone as he went to his knees at the side of the bed. Her chains sounded as she turned to look at him. “The beast chose her and planted his seed in her womb, mother.”
Talk about medieval talk! Seed, womb, all we needed now was a knight to walk in, rattling his shield and chest plate.
“Beasts,” she whispered as her eyes looked over to me. “And she lived.”
“She’s his mate, in every way.”
Ryder and I both turned to look at Ristan, who had spoken softly behind us.
“Impossible,” she screeched, which caused the babes to move deep in my stomach. I felt a sharp pain and cried out, which sent Ryder into overdrive as he moved to me and lifted me in his arms.
“Get Eliran, and I swear, Ristan, if they come to harm for this…” He let his threat go unsaid.
Chapter Three
I was in a nightgown and resting in my bed when Danu showed up. She was dressed in black leather pants with a tight ruby red halter top. “Sorry about that, Synthia. You carry my grandchildren, so we will have to be more careful moving forward,” she said thoughtfully.
“Thanks for the reminder, but it wasn’t like I walked in there expecting the poor woman to take me for a ride through crazy town.” I’d mumbled it and knew she was going into another lecture as her eyes flew back to me.
“I’m serious. You may have my blood and the Fae’s, but Fae women and infants can die in childbirth—and they do, a lot more now than they once did.”
“Is that why you came?” I asked with more attitude than was necessary.
“I came because you’re my daughter and I needed to know you were all right. You need to worry about yourself, Synthia. Besides, I asked Ristan to show you Ryder’s mother. I thought you might be able to reach her where I had failed to, but it’s apparent now that she’s a lost cause.”
“Lost cause?” I asked as I turned on my side, trying to ignore the twins who were practicing their kicking skills on my ribcage.
Danu’s eyes lowered to my stomach where it moved in a frenzy of activity. “Nothing has gotten through to her and worse, based on what she did today, she’s becoming more unstable. Alazander crushed her mind and he had finally broken her just before he died. Now she goes into fight mode when others get too close to her, and I’m not sure she’s strong enough to come back from that. I had thought maybe she’d see you as a victim as she was, but I was wrong.”
“That’s bullshit,” I whispered, remembering coming back from Larissa’s death. I didn’t want to; in fact I’d been inside my mind, and it had taken Ryder coming in to get me. She just needed someone to do the same for her. “It’s easier to hide from our feelings, from reality. She was abused mentally and physically. It makes perfect sense to give up when you can’t see light at the end of the tunnel, but there’s light now. She can come back from it, she just needs help.”
“He comes,” she said as her silhouette shimmered and then faded. I looked at the spot where she had just been and turned in time to see the door open as Ryder walked through it. He was beautiful, with his large velvet wings that swept the frame with their width.
“Pet, how do you feel?” he asked as he took me in with his golden eyes. He looked tired from playing war games with the Mages, and I felt bad for disturbing him from them. He’d missed being with me and Eliran for the quick check up after the disturbance with his mother, as something had called him away.
“I feel fine. Eliran said it was just Braxton Hicks contractions, which is a fancy way to say my body is preparing for birth, but he said they can be just as scary and painful as regular labor contractions,” I said feeling a twinge of embarrassment at knowing beforehand what was wrong with my own body. “It had nothing to do with your mother,” I said softly as tried to keep the blush from taking color on my cheeks.
“Do you need anything?” he asked, but I could see he was torn between staying with me and preparing his kingdom for their survival.
“Mmm, I’m good. I’m going to rest, but can you please
send Darynda in after she’s done with Faelyn?” He tucked the blankets around my body and gave me a chaste kiss on the forehead, and held up a cup for me to sip. It was filled with an herb drink that Eliran said would help with pain. It relieved the pain, but it also made me sleep like the dead.
“Synthia,” Darynda’s voice penetrated my sleep-riddled mind. I looked up to find her green eyes peering with concern at me. “Are you well?”
“I’m fine,” I said as I turned over and winced as one of the babies protested at the slight movement. “I think they are training for the Elite Guard already.”
Darynda smiled as she brought over a crystalline container full of blue liquid. “This is from the Fairy Pools in Scotland; well, from our side of it anyway. “There’s a story that says Danu blessed the waters of the pools for the Fae, and mothers would drink it to give their unborn babe strength for his journey into his new world.”
“Is that so,” I asked the air, hoping for some sort of confirmation to this old wives tale from the person in question, and then noted that Danu wasn’t here. Normally she was around when my eyes first opened in the morning, and today she wasn’t.
Judging from the bright shade of blue that filled the sky outside the window, I’d slept through the entire rest of the day as well as part of the night. “What time is it?” I asked.
“It’s later than you usually nap, but Ryder said to let you sleep. He said that you had taken some of Eliran’s herbs yesterday. With everything going on today, and what he’s done…well,” she tilted her head with a knowing smile, “I knew you’d want to be woken up.”
“What’s he done now?” I asked deciding her words were worth waking up for. I accepted the glass with a thank you and drained the blessed water without blinking. “Well?” I asked again when she just smiled.
“I had mentioned to the King about our lack of female books, and well, he misunderstood me and ordered them all. I think you now own every romance novel ever written.”
“Every romance novel ever written,” I whispered with a small grin spreading across my lips. “That’s a lot of books. It would take forever to just make a dent in that many novels.”
“Synthia, you’re immortal now and time is something you have in abundance. Ristan also suggested we get you some books on mothering, and birthing as well. He also said to give you this,” she whispered wickedly as she glamoured a doll.
“A baby doll—this is a joke, right?” I asked, confusion stamped on my face. She handed me the small newborn-sized doll, which started shrieking with an ear piercing cry the moment I held it. “How the hell do you shut it off?” I shouted over the wailing thing, which I held up by its leg.
“Try cuddling with it, Flower,” Ristan said from the door. I turned a horrified look up at him.
“You ass,” I growled as I tried to comfort the doll and failed. I had zero knowledge of how to calm a screaming baby; it wasn’t as if we had child raising classes at the Guild.
“Here, like this,” he said as he sifted to the bed and took hold of the doll. “Gentleness is universal. Even Fae babes love a cuddle to feel secure; smart little things also like breasts.”
I lifted a brow as he swaddled the doll in a blanket he glamoured, and rocked the lifelike doll in his arms. It instantly stopped crying and made gentle mewling sounds. I groaned. “I’m probably going to be the worst mother ever known to Fae and mankind alike.”
“No, you just need to practice making Bob here, happy,” Ristan said as he eyed my growing belly. He, out of everyone here spent the most time watching my tummy, as if he expected the twins to show him the future, or theirs maybe. “Every mother fears that she will be a bad one. It’s what makes them a parent.”
“And you think handing me a doll who hates me, will help? I’ve never had a mother, not one that I remember anyway, except for my foster mother, but those memories are mostly faded now. I’ve never even held an infant.”
“Flower, those babes will have an entire Caste of Fae watching over them and protecting them. You won’t be raising them alone. A wise woman once told me that it takes a village to raise a child. You’ll be a fierce mother, and no other children will ever be as loved as yours.”
That was if they lived. No one said it out loud, but we all thought it. It weighed on everyone’s mind as each minute passed and the birth grew closer. Faery was sick, and there was a real possibility my children would die because of it. It was a threat we couldn’t protect against, even though Darynda had been giving me every remedy known to the Fae race.
I knew he was here before he peered inside the door. Adam looked good in his new role as the official Dark Prince. His hair was a little longer than I was used to, and his brands were more pronounced in contrast against his smooth skin.
“There’s my girl,” he said as he leaned his tall body against the door. “How’re you feeling?”
“I’m doing pretty good considering I’m the size of a small house. Well, minus the strange cravings and the persistent crying at random times.” I smiled as he shook his head.
“Synthia, you’re pregnant. Crying is allowed.”
“I feel like my entire body has been taken over by aliens,” I admitted.
“Flower, it’s time to join Ryder in the throne room. Your presence has been requested,” Ristan said as he lifted his head. I’d known for a while now that he, his brothers, and Ryder were able to communicate telepathically, just like Ryder had done with me on occasion. I wasn’t sure if this was one of those times, as he didn’t seem to have the telltale cocking of his head to the side, as they normally did when they listened to someone using that channel of communication.
I waved my hand, ‘showering’ with a single thought. The magic washed over me and Ristan nodded and glamoured a dress over my bursting curves. I’d curbed using the more strenuous magic, since we were unsure if it would draw from the babies. Eliran had been unable to answer that question, and since then I hadn’t sifted, or dressed myself unless it was done as a normal Human. I didn’t mind it, but others here thought it was weird.
I was dressed in a striped blue and white chevron maxi dress. It was comfortable, and Ristan had even added accessories to the wardrobe, including bracelets and a crystal necklace. I slipped my feet into the fur trimmed slipper boots he’d glamoured for me. My feet had been swelling off and on, and the slippers seemed to be the only thing I could wear comfortably these days.
“Here,” Adam said as he held out his hand to help me up.
“Thanks,” I said and accepted his extended offering. He smiled as he effortlessly brought me to my feet.
“Shit, Synthia, have you even gained any weight?” he asked with concern lighting his emerald eyes. “Well, besides for the bulging midsection that is.”
“A few pounds, but I feel like I have gained a lot more. Ryder doesn’t want me to continue training so I’m feeling the neglect in my muscles,” I frowned. “I’d prefer to keep training and with a war coming, it only makes sense to be ready for anything.”
“Sorry, but I have to go with Ryder on this one. You need to be careful of what you do, and be mindful of my nieces,” he replied with a smug grin.
“Nieces…?” I asked.
“They’d drive Ryder insane, so yes, my nieces,” he replied just as smugly. “It’s something I would get much entertainment out of watching.”
The doll that had been discarded on the bed chose that moment to squawk. Adam’s eyes flew to it as if it was an unknown threat. Oh yeah; he was going to take being an uncle just great! I looked to Ristan, and smiled as he winked at me. As I watched him, his face fell as if he heard something we couldn’t.
“Flower, have Adam escort you to the hall. I need to go help Alden, he’s in trouble,” Ristan as he sifted without waiting for an answer.
“Demon,” I growled, feeling as if the rug had been pulled
from beneath my feet. “You can’t just say something like that and sift out!”
“Alden is smart, Syn. If he has the Demon on his side, he’ll be fine,” Adam supplied as he offered me his hand and then tucked mine into his elbow. Together we made our way through the halls discussing his new role, and mine as well.
Darynda was silently brooding behind us, but had refused to speak of why she was brooding. I knew it had to do with something that had gone down between her and Zahruk, but I also knew she’d tell me when she was ready to. I wasn’t the prying type, and being a friend meant waiting until she was ready to talk about it.
“So, has he said the big L word to you, yet?” Adam continued talking, unaware of the woman moping right behind us.
“Labor?” I asked with a serious face even though it was hard to keep it straight.
“Smart ass, you know that’s not the word.”
“Nope, but he’s Fae and stubborn as fuck,” I whispered with a soft frown on my lips. “I hope it’s not serious with Alden. He should have come here with us, where it’s safe.”
“It’s Alden; did you actually expect him to come here after he’d been sending kids to their death unknowingly?”
“It wasn’t his fault, he’s been sending us out on missions forever, and it wasn’t like he knew the last few assignments had been like sending sheep to the slaughter. He couldn’t have known that many of those times he was following orders from Mages. He has nothing to prove to us. We know it was the Mages, and so does everyone who matters,” I argued.
“Synthia, had it been you who’d sent those Witches off to the slaughter, you’d hunt everyone responsible down, and you wouldn’t show them a single grain of mercy. I’d be the crazy best friend right beside you, holding them down.”