Looking up, she met Valteri’s proud gaze. “Daciana.”
The baby cried in protest and Acheron gently rocked her.
She wrinkled her nose. “She has her father’s lungs.”
Valteri smiled. “A good thing, that. Should anyone ever bother my girl, I want everyone to know and come running.”
Laughing, Acheron soothed Daciana with an unnatural ease. “Maybe next time you’ll have that son you wanted.”
Valteri screwed his face up. “Bah, I have no complaints with what I have. Besides, I’ll have my Alexander eventually.”
Ariel laughed. “I’m sure you will.”
He winked at her. “But ’tis a pity that you have no Arel powers left.”
She raised a brow, curious about his words. “And why is that?”
“I’ve a feeling that our girl shall need more than one of us to watch over her.”
Ariel laughed. “If she’s anything like her father, ’twill take an army to guard her.” She reached for her daughter.
“Which is why I’m here.” Acheron surrendered her.
Shadow stopped beside them, then stepped back. “I think that kid has passed her expiration date.”
She scowled. “Pardon?”
“She’s rotten. What did you feed her to make her smell like that? Sheez! I’ve smelled two-year-old garbage that was less foul.”
Mildred tsked as she stepped forward. “Here, milady. I’ll change her.” She skimmed a peeved grimace over Shadow. “And I don’t want to be knowing how it is that you were sniffing around two-year-old garbage.”
Acheron laughed.
Shadow was not so amused. “Go ahead and laugh, you Atlantean asshole. Have you checkedyourdaughter lately?”
Acheron sobered. “Where’s Simi?”
“Yeah… Valteri’s probably missing some horses.”
“Oh dear God.” He went running for the doors.
Ariel shook her head at Shadow’s play as she handed Daciana over. “You’re terrible. Thank you, Mildred.”
Mildred took the baby and headed off to change her swaddling.
Shadow passed a smirk toward Valteri. “You say that, but last I saw, Simi was getting ready to eat a couple of those, and this is a direct quote, ‘yummy beasties that Akri didn’t say weren’t on Simi’s no-eat list.’”
Valteri turned pale. “I best go check on Ganille.”
“Yeah, big guy. You go do that. He was probably the first one she went for.”
He rushed for the door.
Ariel shook her head. “You are such a beast, Shadow. Why do you love to rib people so?”
“I have no idea, but it’s so much fun.” His gaze went to an attractive maid who was eyeing him. “Speaking of…”
Ariel laughed as he made straight for the poor woman.
