Her tiny, scrunched-up face with rounded cheeks was downright the most adorable thing I had ever seen. That, paired with the curled locks of auburn and ebony hair atop her head, was enough to make my heart burst with love.
“What are you going to name her?” I asked.
Idris looked at Adohan before answering. “Ember,” Idris said with a wide smile. “Because she is our little light, our hope in this new world to come.”
“Fine name,” Daxton said, clasping Adohan on the shoulder. “I don’t think any other would suffice.”
“Would you like to hold her, Sky?” Idris asked me as she tucked the now-sleeping Ember into a soft blanket.
“Yes!” I answered, overjoyed to embrace the newest life in our world.
Idris handed me Ember, and right away, I became entranced in the sense of hope this tiny infant sparked. I realized that this, right here, was the reason. For every child born and those still to come, unlocking the Heart of Valdor and freeing our world would give Ember and countless others a new life. A life free of fear, free of the wilt, and if the Gods willed it, free of Minaeve’s rule.
Ember cooed in my arms, making tiny noises and grunts as she nuzzled into my chest. I held her close, inhaling her scent and placing it in my memory so I could carry it with me.
To my dismay, however, she began crying. I tried to rock her back to sleep, but I wasn’t experienced with caring for younglings.
“Give her to me,” Dax said.
“Really?”
“Yes.” Daxton chuckled softly. “I have a gift. Besides, you should eat something to replenish your strength after healing me and Idris. I can hear your stomach growling.”
“A gift?” I repeated, placing Ember in his waiting hands.
One of the servants brought a tray of cold meats and cheeses, and I snagged a handful. I’d used a decent piece of my magic, but now that I was alpha, it was nothing a good meal couldn’t fix. I sat down and devoured the first few bites, already feeling my reserves fill.
“He does,” Idris scoffed. “I swear, when Finn was born, he wouldn’t stop crying. I thought we would lose our minds until Uncle Daxton came to our rescue.”
“We didn’t let him leave for a solid month,” Adohan added. “He has a special way with the young ones.”
“Babies like me,” Daxton whispered, followed by a softshhhhto Ember.“Why is that so hard to believe?”
“You do own a mirror, right?” Astro asked. “Half the time your face says, ‘Look at me wrong and I’ll end you.’”
“Babies never look at me wrong.” Daxton smiled as he gently touched Ember’s nose with his finger before bouncing in place with her secured in his arms. Then, he began humming.
“Oh,thatsong.” Astro grinned. “I still remember it.”
“It was the only thing that silenced you and your brother’s wailings when you had nightmares,” Idris said, accepting a glass of water from Zola as we all tuned into Daxton’s baritone melody.
Chapter Fifty
Skylar Cathal
I froze in place, recognizing the special music that drifted across time and space to shield me from my pain in the hunters’ lair.
The same harmony that I swore I could hear whenever Daxton was near me. The same melody he sang to me on the green sand beach, he was singing to Ember.
“It’s the song their mother sang to them,” Zola said, coming to my side.
Startled, I blinked and turned to face her. “I’ve heard it.”
“He’s sung it to you?”
“Yes.” I smiled softly as I continued to stare in awe at my mate with Ember gently cradled against his chest.
My heart caved as a deep longing began to fill in my middle. Seeing Daxton holding the baby made me realize how much I truly wanted to share this experience with him. For him to be singing this song toour childsomeday, for us to—
