Finding the Blood Assassin [Lords of the Expanse 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) (18 page)

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She grinned as he began to stir and moved closer, her leg over his and a hand on his chest. “Are you finally beginning to wake, husband?” she whispered with a smile on her face and love in her voice. “You need to feed, sweetheart, and I fed heavily so that you can feed from me so you won’t have to get up, but you need to open your eyes and look at me, darling.”

Wincing he scrunched his eyes tighter. “Shh,” he whispered, making a face. “My head is killing me.” Rolling toward her very slowly, he opened an eye partially. “Is she all right?” he asked softly, pulling her closer to him.

“She is perfect, Raven,” she whispered and stroked her fingers over his cheek. “You have been asleep for nearly a full day. She’s right now in the basket beside us all nice and clean, fed and worn out.” She smiled softly. “Seems our little Emily is a hit with the staff. They’ve all come to coo and sigh over her all day long while you rested.”

“Good,” he whispered softly, hugging her closer to him. “I’m sorry I had to leave you alone with her, that took more than I realized,” he explained, pulling back just enough to see her face. “How are you doing, Jamison?” He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek with a light touch.

“I’m wonderful, Raven. Don’t be sorry, Ra, you healed our little girl. It was more than her shoulder. You took care of all of the muscles and ligaments in her shoulder and back, too. Of course you dropped off, darling.” Her hand stroked his cheek in turn as she added, “I told the staff you dropped because of all the blood you saw on me. Not very much like you, I know, but I figured you would rather them think that than know your secret.”

He made a face at her explanation. “So I pass out when my wife gives birth,” he muttered darkly and eyed her with an evil glint. “You will make that up to me later,” he said, pulling her a little closer and kissing her. “Are you sure she’s really okay?”

“Very. She hasn’t stopped chattering since you healed her.” And the little girl was talking to Raven, but to the world she was chattering. Her lips moved, and sounds came out as if she were creating them on purpose and with knowledge. “And I will gladly make that up to you as often as you would like, Raven.” Her eyes danced in joy and in need.

“What’s she saying?” he asked, closing his eyes as he breathed out a soft thanks to the universe for looking after his baby girl. “Is she talking to you or just talking?” he murmured against her cheek.

“Just talking.” She chuckled. “She’s—” There was a hefty pause before Jamison continued. “If I didn’t know better, Ra, I would swear she was born with an ability already. Silly sounding, I know, but it’s so odd. You know Merta in the kitchens, right? How upset she was because of losing a bet to her sister? Silly I know, but it was really making Merta emotional and unhappy. It was so odd because Merta held Emily for a little while, and when she gave her back, it was as if the cloud over Merta was gone. It was the strangest thing.” She shrugged. “And Emily just babbled and spit up on the woman, blew spit bubbles, and was just as she is now.”

“Odd, but I’ve heard babies can pick up on others emotions, that they are extremely sensitive to them,” he said softly even as he looked past her to the crib.

Jamison paused and then said quietly, “But Emily had felt the woman’s turmoil, because she asked me about it, Ra. She’s not supposed to do things like that, is she?”

“I don’t know, Jami,” he said with a slight frown and pushed up onto his elbow. Moving slowly, still feeling a little wobbly, he slid off the bed and moved to the side of the crib. Staring down at her, he lightly touched her cheek. “Hello, baby,” he whispered softly, afraid of scaring her with his voice, knowing it wasn’t as gentle as it should be.

Emily turned toward his voice and smiled even as she kicked her legs. Little hands reached up for her father and clasped onto his finger. The small warm rush he felt was from her and it was unmistakable.

Staring down at her, he was stunned. There was no other word for it. “Oh gods,” he whispered softly. Shifting, he picked her up carefully, not wanting to aggravate her shoulder more than he had to. Cradling her to him, her head on his shoulder, he pressed a hand to her back as he turned to face Jamison. “She does have an ability, love,” he said as he moved back and sat on the bed shifting to get closer to her. 

Jamison went perfectly still before looking at him, terror written on her face. “That’s not possible, Raven. I was an oddity because I went through puberty and came out with an ability so young, but to be born with one. If the Council finds out, Ra, they will—” She shook her head, pain in her eyes.

“Hey,” he whispered. Turning toward her, he carefully shifted Emily to his other shoulder and pulled Jamison close with his free arm. “I protect my own, love, you know that,” he said as he kissed her cheek. “Unless she decides to tell someone, no one will ever know of her gift,” he told her quietly, dropping another kiss this time to her lips.

Jamison nodded. “I believe you, and I trust you. I know that you more than anyone could keep her safe, Ra.” They both looked down to where Emily was carefully watching her mother. Raven could almost swear the little green-eyed, red-haired darling was sizing up her mother.

“I’m going to keep you both safe, Jamison, not just our little girl, but you as well, my love,” he said, kissing her again. “I love you, Jamison. She’s beautiful, my lady, you did so amazingly well.” He smiled for her, slowly rubbing his nose to hers gently.

Jami took the comfort that he offered and found herself sighing happily. “I love you so much, Raven, but I didn’t do this alone. You helped, if I remember correctly.” Her fingers stroked over his cheek. “So what do you think of your little Emily Raina, my lord?” She wanted to ask what kind of ability their daughter had but was honestly a little afraid of asking.

Looking to his daughter, Raven shifted her so he was holding her before him. “She is beautiful, Jamison,” he whispered softly. “She is perfect,” he added with a smile. “She is going to give me so much trouble when she gets older.”

Emily just smiled at her father, a wide toothless smile that had her head bobbing. Jamison grinned. “I’m sure, sweetheart. However, you need to know that she might give you trouble, but it will be nothing less than what you can handle.”

“Somehow I seriously doubt that,” he murmured, staring down at his baby girl. “She’s already plotting and planning isn’t she?” he asked, looking to Jamison curiously.

Jami shrugged and admitted, “It could be she is just sitting there trying to figure out when you are going to tell me what her ability is. So.” She took a deep breath. “Do you know what her ability is, Raven? What do you think it is?”

“You little rat,” he murmured with a smile to his child. “She gave me a show when I went to pick her up,” he told Jamison as he shifted Emily to lie against his heart. Jamison watched him cradling Emily in his large hands, her attention returning to him when he let out a soft sigh. “She’s a healer of the spirit, the soul, basically all the internal aches of a person.”

“Oh.” Jamison’s eyes went wide. “I’ve never heard of that one before, Ra.” She grinned at Emily as she asked of Raven, “And did she help you at all, love, or was her show merely for just that, show? She’s already learning how to turn her daddy around her pinky, isn’t she?”

“And she does not need any more help,” he told Jamison with a pointed look since they both knew that he was wrapped around Jamison’s finger. “No, it wasn’t merely for show,” he said, looking back to Emily. Stroking a finger down her cheek, he let out a sigh. “She felt my worry about her, and she helped ease it with her little display.”

“And yet she doesn’t seem to be any worse for it,” Jamison said as she stroked a finger down their daughter’s other cheek. “She’s amazing, Raven, to have an ability like that,” she whispered. “I love you both. You are both my heroes, my loves, and everything to me.”

Startled at her words, he looked to her sharply and frowned. “What do you mean by that?” he asked quietly. Watching her, he gently rubbed a light hand over Emily’s leg gently, his eyes focused on her face.

“Mean by what, Raven? I love you both, you are everything to me. I adore you both, and you are both my heroes.” Jamison frowned at him in confusion.

Shaking his head, he smiled faintly. “Why are you referring to me as a hero?” he asked. He could accept and understand her saying that of Emily, her gift from birth was an amazing thing and was truly stunning to him.

“Because you saved us, Raven. You brought us home, you saved me from a life of being alone, and you saved me even before we became intimate. You might not want to believe it, darling, but you are a hero, you are mine, and I refuse to allow you to think anything less than what I am telling you. I love you, Raven, but don’t think I won’t beat you if you even dare say that you’re not.”

Raven couldn’t say a thing, he was too stunned to let his mind even contemplate words. But he did know that his cheeks were heating and, out of defense, he lifted Emily up so he could bury his nose against her belly. Breathing her in, he fought for something to say as he lost himself in her baby scent.

“All right, enough of that, my dear one.” Jamison rubbed a hand up and down his arm. “I think that we need to go and have something to eat, Ra. I’m getting hungry and we need to let Emily have some more time with her adoring masses, I do believe.”

“They had better behave around her,” he muttered. He didn’t want anyone influencing his baby girl in anything but the very best of ways or he’d be breaking skulls. Lifting his head, he looked to Jamison and, in a quick move, leaned over to kiss her. “I love you.”

She smiled and licked her lips. “I love you, too, Raven, very much.” Pulling back she nodded slowly. “And they will behave, my lord, I promise you that they will behave. Already our people absolutely adore her, Raven, and they will always protect her.”

“And so they should, she’s perfect,” he said, looking to Emily with a feeling of love trying to rip from his skin it felt so large and amazing. She was his little girl and, in his eyes, perfect already. She could do no wrong, and he knew that was going to get him into serious trouble when she got older. “Come on, my lady, let’s go and get ourselves some food,” he said.

“I think that is a brilliant idea,” she said and moved with him. “You have the most precious part of this expedition in your arms, Ra. Lead on, dear man. I’m right beside you.”

Smiling at her, Raven made sure she was moving and then stayed at her pace as he led them through the halls and down to the kitchens. He was ever more conscious of where every person was in the house and all in relation to his daughter. He knew that could be a problem if he didn’t get it under control. The beast was and always had been extremely strong inside of him.

Jami listened to the chatter of Emily and frowned at something. “Raven, honey, are you all right?” She stopped them just outside of the dining hall. “Em says you are squeezing, tense.” She placed her hands on his and looked down to see their daughter looking up at him with love and hope in her eyes. She adored her father, it was as clear as the day was long.

He looked to her and then around, rolling his shoulders in an obvious attempt to relax. “I am just having the oddest reaction to everyone in the house being so close to her. It will be fine, I’ll work on it, Jamison, I promise.”

“I know, Ra.” She leaned into him and propped her chin on his shoulder. “I know because I’m feeling the same way. I love her, too, Raven. She’s our first child, our daughter, and it is our right to protect her from any and all. You are feeling the way you are because you are a father now, Ra. Your protective instincts are kicking into turbo because right now she is vulnerable, and all the protection she has is us.”

Leaning his cheek to her forehead, he let out a tired sigh. “Do you think it ever gets better?” he asked softly. She was glad that he finally realized he could pose questions to her and she would take them seriously. She only very rarely laughed at the ideas he got into his head, some were actually quite amusing she found. “Do you think that the clamp around my heart when I think of her in the world will ever ease?”

“Not completely,” she admitted honestly. “It will always be there, Raven, no matter how many children that you and I have, and she will always be your firstborn. She is your first girl, and she will forever have her name on that iron vise holding your heart, squeezing the breath from you.” She looked up at him and smiled, patting his arm. “It’s how we deal with it that matters, Ra. We let her have a life, be there when she needs us, and protect her as we are supposed to.”

“And what of the chastity belt?” he asked, his tone intensely serious. Then he glared at her when her lips twitched in her amusement. “I’m serious, love. I think she should have to wear one from the day she’s beginning to get looks until the day I die.”

“Not going to happen, my lord husband.” She chuckled, all smiles now. “She will one day find love, but in the process she will have her heart broken or break hearts. A part of growing up is experiencing physical love.” She squeezed his arm as she reminded him. “I didn’t come to you with a chastity belt on. If I remember right I wanted you to toss me against the bulkhead and make your wicked and delicious way with me. Our girl will have life, she will be intimate with men, but it’s up to you and I to give her the morals that we have, to ensure that she only chooses the best of men to share herself with.”

He growled at her, not a very nice sound. But given the look on his face, Jami was guessing that what she’d said was not the answer he’d been looking for. “Any man touches her that is not her soul mate and I swear I’ll tear their hearts out.” Jamison caught the shocked expression on Emily’s face before Raven lifted her to press a kiss to her cheek. “I’m sorry, baby girl. I didn’t mean to scare you.”