"You will not see Linna," Riley said. "You will not be alone with her. Not ever again."
"She's my granddaughter." Dumadi's voice was soft, his eyes sad.
We stepped back to let Riley handle this part. We couldn't make this decision for her. She and Linna’s fathers were the ones who would have to figure out if and how much to let Dumadi see the little girl.
"I know," Riley said. "But after everything that's happened, I can't let you just have free reign with my baby." She sighed. "What if, at first, as a trial, you are allowed magical visitations? The things the witches can do are amazing. We'd be safe in our home, and you'd be at the safe house. If things go well, we can graduate to visitations at the safe house without touching. We can progress from there as long as your behavior is good, and you help us with the babies."
Dumadi sat back down and stared at the wall. "I'm not sure I agree with this, but I will go along with it for now." He sighed. "I do want to help those children. What was done to them is despicable."
"Thank you," Riley said. "I think this is for the best."
Roan stopped as we all filed out. "Who is the leader of the, so to speak, bad Leyak?"
"Hilary," Dumadi replied. "Hilary Collins. She's the only person with enough power and enough evil in her heart to be able to do this."
I had no idea who she was, but Dumadi shuddered. If a man like that didn't like this Hilary person, maybe she needed to be taken care of.
We left, leaving Dumadi to his thoughts.
7
"Shh."Mrs. Grunst tiptoed out of the nursery. "He's out like a light. I got that new formula in him. He ate half his normal bottle and just went to sleep." She beamed at us. "I think it's going to do the trick."
I let out a sigh of relief and rubbed my tired eyes. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Grunst. I don't know what we would've done without you today."
"Oh, it's no bother at all," she said. "I love those boys as if they were my own and now I will love little Alex."
I smiled. "Thank you."
She headed down the hallway to return to her home in the village, and I tiptoed to the nursery to check on Alex. As she'd said, he was sound asleep in his crib, finally at peace after a long, hungry day.
I turned to go back to my room and found Doryu smiling at me from the doorway. He motioned for me to follow him, and I did, quietly closing the door behind me.
"I'm glad he's asleep," Doryu said.
"Me too," I replied. "I was getting worried."
He nodded. "It's been a long day." He paused. "I'm really glad we have some time together."
Zander was still at his office at the Junta headquarters working on everything. Roan had stayed back with him. Before we'd come, they'd asked Doryu to move here semi-permanently. We'd eventually have to get back to the school, but for now, with the babies and the threat of war, we were needed right where we were.
"I am too," I said. "It feels like it's been forever since we've been alone." It'd only been a couple of days, really. It felt like weeks.
He took my hand and led me to the bed. We sat down, close together, and I rested my head on his shoulder. It felt so good to be in his arms. As always, he made me feel comfort. Like nothing bad could ever happen.
Like I was home.
But then, something more... tingly began to creep through the feelings of comfort. Desire spiked as Doryu's hands traced up and down my back. We hadn't been together yet, but I'd been aching to when I wasn't distracted by saving an entire race of babies.
"Jen," Doryu whispered. "Do you—"
"Yes," I gasped, cutting him off. "I do."
I pressed myself against him, kissing him deeply. His hands ran over my back again and moved to kiss his neck. He moaned softly into my ear, sending vibrations through my body.
"I want you," I whispered. "I want you now."
"Yes," he murmured, and before he could say another word, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before. Warmth flooded through my body, like a tidal wave. And I knew, I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing. I'd been looking for this all my life, and now that I'd found it, I didn't ever want to let it go.
