As the babe’s head crowned, she spared him a weary smile. “Faolan. The wolf. For he will be the leader of this small pack and his fierce courage will be known throughout the land once hebecomes a man.” With one last, long groan, wee Faolan slid into Florie's towel wrapped hands.
Rachel fell back against Caelan’s chest, breathing hard with her eyes shut. He wiped her face with the damp cloth Emrys handed him, then gently kissed her forehead as Florie placed wriggling, squalling Faolan on her chest.
“Quickly greet your brave little wolf, for the other two will knock at the doorway soon,” Florie advised with a nod.
Rachel lifted her head, smiling as she traced a finger along his velvety cheek. He rootled and squawked in search of her breast. “Not just yet, my son. Your brothers have to come into the world first.”
“Come here, my fine lad.” Caelan scooped up the babe, held him close, and hummed a nameless tune while rocking the little one against his chest. “I love you, Rachel,” he said, almost unable to speak through the tide of emotions.
She wrinkled her face in a grimace of pain. “And I love you. Get ready to meet Ronan.” She knotted her hands in the sheets again and drew her knees to her chest.
From the window, where he stood mumbling spells, Emrys called out, “Ronan? The seal? Are ye cursing the lad to a life at sea?”
“It is his destiny,” she growled while still breathing hard. “He’ll be more at home on the sea than on the land.” She groaned loud and long, then pushed. Ronan came out smoothly as though he were as slick as a seal, landing in Florie’s waiting towel.
“Be at peace though, Caelan,” Rachel said with a squeeze of his hand as he peered down at his second son. “Ronan will have dominion over the sea, and all the creatures in it. That is his gift from the Goddess.”
Caelan cast a shocked look at Emrys, then stared back at the tiny babe sucking his fist in Florie's arms. “Dominion overthe sea,” he repeated in a reverent whisper before returning his attention to Rachel. Panic filled him at the sight of her sagged back into the pillows, exhausted but smiling.
Florie held up his third son. “This wee bairn will bear watching. Crafty, he is! Came right out before giving us time to notice him.”
Rachel shoved her damp hair back from her face and smiled at the babe. “Caelan, I’d like to introduce you to Latharn, the fox. This son will by far be the one who will keep us all on our toes because he will be sly and cunning, yet from what I have been able to see, he will also be honest and true.”
Caelan took the wee one into his arms, cocking his head to one side while studying the innocent’s face. He narrowed his eyes and looked closer, recognizing Latharn’s enormous eyes that stared up into his own. “Aye, the fox is a fine name for this wee lad.” He turned to Emrys and held out his son while nodding at the old druid. “Look at the cut of his mouth. The line of his nose. Even the way the lad already narrows his eyes as if he’s sizing up the room. Who does that remind ye of?”
Chuckling in instant recognition, Emrys held out his arms to take Latharn. “Aye, he is your grandsire made over. Perhaps the old fox has returned to us through his great-grandson.”
“Oh, give me the lad, and let me take him to his mother,” Florie said. “She’ll need to stave their hunger for a wee bit until the wet nurse gets here.” She returned Latharn to Rachel’s arms where he immediately latched on to her breast.
“Give me Faolan as well,” Rachel said. “He was starving before his brothers arrived.” She reached for him with her free arm, smiling wearily as Florie settled the firstborn son against her.
“Poor Ronan,” Caelan said. “Come here, lad. Dinna fash yourself. Your mother will take ye soon.” Caelan held the wriggling bundle close, bouncing as he walked, and gently pattedRonan’s wee rump. After the babe calmed, he settled on the bed beside Rachel and gently rested his chin on her shoulder.
“I canna begin to thank ye for all ye have given me,” he hoarsely whispered, his heart about to burst from pure joy.
“Trust me, it doesn’t compare with all you’ve given me.” She smiled up at him, her eyes overflowing with happy tears.
EPILOGUE
Aloud laugh of pure contentment and joy rumbled free of Caelan and echoed off the surrounding cliffs as he helped Rachel and Florie attempt to keep the rowdy trio of inquisitive babies confined to the heavy plaid spread across the sand.
“Have ye ever seen such fine, lively lads?” Bending to catch Faolan as he rolled off the blanket, Caelan rotated the determined little crawler and headed him back toward his brothers who were making for the other border of the spread facing the sea.
“Ronan will be in the water if ye dinna latch onto him,” Emrys said while keeping a finger in his worn leather tome to hold his place. “I told ye the bairns were too young to be this close to the sea!”
Florie blew her hair out of her face as she fished a shell out of Latharn’s mouth and threw it far out into the water.
“Watch him.” Rachel nodded at Ronan as the wee one glanced back at the group of adults and then furiously started scooting toward the tempting sound of the waves.
“I’ll get him.” Caelan plopped Latharn down in Emrys’ lap, knocking the book from the startled old man’s hands.
“No. Let him go down to the water. He needs to be closer. Just watch him.” Rachel smiled, her dark hair blowing in the wind as she balanced Faolan on one hip and slowly meandered behind the determined Ronan who crawled with his head down as though ready to plow through anything that might get in his way.
“I canna bear this. The laddie will drown.” Florie buried her face in Fergus’s chest as Ronan drew closer to the water’s edge.
“Rachel will not let her son drown. We agreed to trust her, aye?” Fergus patted Florie, his words belying the look of unease on his face.
Caelan went to Rachel’s side, cast a nervous glance at her serene expression, and then turned back to his single-minded son. “Rachel—my love—the water is verra deep here.”
