Epilogue
Ryker
Four months later…
My heart hammered against my chest as I raced up the stairs towards my chambers. Nausea roiled in my gut, and I screeched to a halt as I doubled over.
A second later, I heard Riordan’s footsteps falter, and I peered over my shoulder to see he had fared no better. Clutching his stomach, he leaned over the banister and retched violently.
Shocked gasps and cries of disgust rose from below, and I thanked the gods that it hadn’t been me.
“Sorry,” he mumbled as he straightened, wiping his mouth with the his hand.
I didn’t wait for him to recover as I sprinted up the last few steps and rounded the corner to my chambers. As I crossed the threshold, Cadence lifted her head to glare at me. She was on her hands and knees, hovering over a bowl filled with something I wasn’t volunteering to examine.
“You,” she snarled, and I retreated a step. “You did this to me.”
Riordan slammed into my back, propelling me farther into the room, and I raised my palms in submission.
“I hate you, Ryker. Do you know that? I fucking hate you!”
Another wave of agony racked her slight frame, and she groaned, breathing through the worst of it. I took her moment of distraction to slip in behind her, rubbing soothing circles over her lower back as my own screamed in pain.
“Holy fuck! Gods. What is this?” Riordan said through gritted teeth as he leaned over his knees. His breath came in ragged, gasping pants as Callum chastised him for making too much noise. “You don’t know what it’s like, Killer. Why isn’t she using her power? Where the hell are the healers?”
“She doesn’t want anyone else present for the birth, and her magic is unreliable right now. She wants the baby to be born in a calm environment, so do whatever you have to do to pull yourself together, but do it quietly.”
Cadence whimpered as the pain receded. “I’m sorry, I don’t hate you,” she said, gripping my hand.
“I think I might hate myself,” I murmured, not sure who I was talking to.
“I definitely hate you,” Riordan said as he flopped down into a chair. “Next time, keep your cock in your pants because I am not doing this again.”
“We’re just getting to the good bit.” Callum clapped my brother on the shoulder, and he let out a sound that was both a groan and a whine.
Before he could respond, the door crashed open, and Cadence’s parents rushed in. “We’re here,” her mother said as she caught her breath.
“Take the boys out and keep the noise down.” She pointed at her husband, who promptly followed her instructions, herding Callum and Riordan into the adjoining room.
Then she turned to face me. “Ryker, help me get her in the tub.” Her tone brooked no argument, and honestly, I was so out of my depth I was happy to follow her lead.
I lifted my wife into my arms and strode toward the bathing chamber.
Just as I settled her into the warm water, a faint tightening began in my lower abdomen.
Sweat beaded my brow, and I swallowed roughly, not at all eager for what came next.
Pressure built, and Cadence reached for me, her grip hard enough to break bones.
“Your —” I closed my mouth, fighting back the urge to vomit. But one look from Cadence’s mother had me releasing a controlled breath. “Doing… so well.”
As the seconds ticked by, the pressure increased, drawing all my muscles inward. The intensity spread across my stomach, stronger, tighter, deeper, until I was certain my body was about to be torn in two. Riordan yelled from the other room, and I could hardly blame him.
I was going to die. No one could withstand such torture.
The pain reached an unholy peak, and Cadence gritted her teeth until the urge to scream took over.
I did what I could to offer support, wiping her forehead and smoothing her hair, but I was barely hanging on myself.
Then, the gods themselves must have heard my plea because the pressure ebbed, and my muscles relaxed, granting blessed relief.
“Ryker. Ryker.”
My head whipped up, and narrowed brown eyes glared back at me. “Huh?”
“I asked you to get in behind Cadence and lift her hips. I need to check if she’s ready to push.”
“Get in, as in, naked?”
Cadence’s mother paused, raising her gaze to meet mine. My throat bobbed without my permission, and I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but words failed me.
“Why would you be naked when Cadence is dressed?” she asked, her tone too calm to be genuine.
I glanced down at my wife. Her black nightgown was soaked through, but very much still covering her body.
“Right. Of course.” My wife’s mother muttered under her breath as I got into the tub.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Cadence said, her voice hoarse.
“That means you’re close,” her mother told her as she carried on with… whatever it was she was doing. I wasn’t brave enough to ask.
“Shh, Temptress, just rest.” I stroked her hair and rubbed her shoulders, but all too soon, that godsforsaken tightening started up again.
Cadence’s mother must have spotted my grimace because she said, “What you’re feeling is a muted version of what your wife is experiencing. You need to suck it up and be ready to support her. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
Worse! How the fuck could it get any worse?
I wasn’t stupid enough to voice that out loud, however. Instead, I gave her a curt nod and clenched my jaw.
“My darling girl, you’re going to push now, all right.” Her mother shifted her gaze to me. “Take her hands. She’ll need something to hold on to.”
I did as I was instructed, the pressure already building to a fever pitch. Cadence released an animalistic growl, and I barely held my own at bay.
I heard Riordan in the other room, but the pain tearing through my body drowned him out. All the while, I tried to soothe my wife as she fought to bring our child into the world.
As the torture receded, I sucked in a lungful of air, thankful for the reprieve.
Only it didn’t last.
Wave after wave of pure, blinding agony crashed over me, offering no hint of relief. Just as I thought I’d pass out, everything stopped. I didn’t realize my eyes were closed until I gingerly opened one, then the other.
Nope. Hadn’t died.
A piercing shriek cut through the silence, and I almost jumped out of my skin.
“Show me,” Cadence said, her voice strained but strong. Her mother placed a tiny, wrinkled bundle into her arms, and she cradled it against her chest. “Hi there, little one. I’m your mama.”
I felt as if I were moving through quicksand, my mind taking too long to catch up. The bathing chamber door burst open, and my head snapped toward it. Riordan stood in the doorway, flanked by Cadence’s father and brother.
“What is it?” Riordan asked, his voice full of wonder.
What was what?
“The baby,” he said, reading my confusion.
I peered over my wife’s shoulder, first taking in the mop of dark brown curls. Storm-grey eyes peeked up at me, and an emotion I didn’t understand gripped me.
Pride. Fear. Protectiveness. I couldn’t tell.
“It’s a…” I trailed off.
Oh, shit.
“A girl,” Cadence finished for me.
My skin flared with heat, and my collar felt as if it were choking me.
“I think he’s having a panic attack,” Callum said, but his words were drowned out by the ringing in my ears.
“Ryker.” Cadence grasped my chin, tilting my head down to meet her gaze. “Look at our daughter. Isn’t she beautiful?”
A lump formed in my throat as I stared at the tiny bundle. She peered back up at me, her eyes full of trust.
“I don’t know what to do with a daughter,” I whispered. “How do I keep her safe?”
“By teaching her how to take care of herself.”
My gaze flicked to Cadence, and the confidence I saw reflected there strengthened my resolve. “I can do that.”
“We’ll do it together.”
“What will you name her?” Callum asked, and panic clawed at me anew.
We hadn’t talked about it, and I was drawing a blank.
Cadence, sensing my distress, smiled gently. “Valeria.”
My chest tightened, and this time it was for an entirely different reason.
“After our mother?” Riordan asked.
“If that’s all right with you?” My wife’s eyes shone with warmth as she looked at me.
“It’s perfect. Welcome to the family, little Valeria.”