“I know. But we can't expect my father to watch a newborn.”
“What about her feedings?” He waved limply at my breasts.
“I can leave bottles with you and come back daily to refill them or even to feed her myself.”
Sever sighed. “I guess it's not so bad if you return every day.”
“Then you're okay with this?”
“I'm not okay, but I will handle it.”
“Thank you.” I looked at Killian.
“I guess we're going to Korea,” Kill said. “I'd better brush up on my K-Pop.”
“What the fuck is a K-Pop?” Raza asked.
Tiernan said, “I believe it's a type of street food eaten on a stick.”
Chapter Nine
Leaving children behind is difficult. Leaving behind a newborn baby the day after giving birth is torturous.
“Mo shíorghrá.” Hands as black as jet, tipped with deadly claws, slid gently over my shoulders, then down my arms. Raza surrounded me from behind with his massive body and wings, closing them around Mirielle and me. “Please, stop. You're breaking my heart.”
I sniffed and turned my face into his shoulder, letting his skin soak up my tears. He was bare chested, having come straight from bed, and I was in my nightdress because of the same. We had converted my office into a nursery, and that's where I was, cradling Miri after feeding her. She was asleep which was why I was crying. I couldn't do it with her looking at me. I still wasn't sure what she could see or understand, but I didn't want her to see me cry. That shouldn't be a part of her first memories, even if it was just a feeling.
“Am I a bad mother?” I whispered.
“No, of course not,” he whispered back. “You'll be back every day. Some royal women have others take care of their children from the very first day and only see them for feedings.”
I looked up at him. “Isn't that what I'm doing?”
Raza's striking, severe face wrinkled into a smile. “Only for a short time. I meant that they passed off such duties and thought little of it while you are here, weeping. You are not like that. You love your children.”
“I'm going to miss her first week of life, maybe longer.”
“No, you won't. You will return every day and spend some time with her. Miri will see your face and feed from your breast and you will bond.”
“What if I only have time to drop off bottles?”
“Seren, stop it,” Raza said sternly. “You've decided to help the Gorgons, and we all support it.”
“Sever doesn't,” I said a bit petulantly.
“Yes, I do,” Sever said.
Raza lowered his wings to reveal Severriel standing in the doorway. He kissed my cheek and let me go—something that must have been difficult for him to do. But he knew Sever was the one who needed this time with me. So, Raza stood up, nodded to Sever, and left as Sever stepped in.
Sever closed the door behind Raza. He didn't take Raza's place, kneeling behind my chair. Instead, he sat on the floor to my right and settled one wing behind me, the other stretching out on the floor.
What an incredible sight Sever made—the lavender of his eyes brightened by the deep purple ring around them and glittering with the silver striations my soul had given him. The color was sprinkled over his wings as well, setting the black feathers to shimmering. His lion's mane of hair cascaded over his broad shoulders, the golden tan of his skin darker but ofthe same family. Against the backdrop of his dark wings, Sever shone as if spotlit. A true Angel. He didn't need Anu's blessing to glow. And then there was his halo, tinted with violet from my aura. I admired it for a moment before releasing my second sight. I couldn't focus on his halo when his expression was strained, those classic features stretched tight and eyes filled with worry.
Sever leaned against my thigh and slid an arm behind me, between my back and the chair. The other hand went to our daughter. He stroked her dark tuft of hair, then rested his hand there, and looked up at me. “I do support you in this.”
“No, you don't. And that's all right,” I said.
“Don't tell me how I feel.” His hand slid away from Miri to lie on my knee. “I may not be happy that you're leaving, but I understand what it means to rule, and I know how it feels to have a subject ask more of you than you'd like to give.”
