Chapter 44
Forty-Four
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
I wake up with a chubby hand pressed against my cheek.
Last night, after all we witnessed and the conversation with Castiel, Cheryl and I didn’t want to sleep away from the children, so we brought them to our room.
Ollie and Rio slept snuggled between us.
The traumatic events at Lord Valkor’s manor probably still haunt poor Ollie. I know they plague me.
My eyes open just a fraction, and Ollie’s big blue eyes stare right back at me. “Are you awake yet?”
“I am now.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Oh, okay, okay.” I sit up and glance at Cheryl, who’s still sound asleep holding Rio against her chest. She woke up a few times to feed him—I woke up too, but she refused to let me help. I couldn’t feed him anyway; it’s better for newborns if they only drink blood from females.
“Let’s try to be super quiet, okay?” I tell Ollie.
“Okay.” She slides off the bed and runs to the window. It’s morning now, and the sunlight peers through the opening in the curtains. It’s still surreal to me to be awake when the sun is out.
Ollie has never learned to fear the sun, something we’ll have to teach her before we return to the human world.
I put on my shoes, then take Ollie’s hand in mine to return to the children’s bedroom, where blood has been provided for her by the queen’s lady-in-waiting in charge.
There’s no electricity in Ellnesari—everything is powered by magic here, including the icebox on top of the counter.
It’s cool inside even though there isn’t any ice in it.
Ollie’s blue eyes turn crimson when she zeroes in on the small bottle containing blood. I remove the cap and hand it to her. “There you go, sweetie.”
“Thank you.”
She takes large gulps, and some of the blood drips down her chin.
It’s Nightingale blood—the only kind she’s ever had since weaning off her mother’s blood.
I wonder what years of consuming only that will do to her later in life.
Will she be immune to the disease plaguing vampires?
Hell… I don’t know if there will be any of us left if we don’t return Nightingale magic to the human world.
In no time, she empties the bottle, and her eyes return to blue.
“Do you want another?” I ask, not knowing how much a child her age should drink.
“No, I’m full.” She returns the empty bottle to me, already eyeing the toys in the room. Before she walks away, I wipe her face with the tissue that was conveniently left next to the icebox.
“Where’s Luna?” she asks.
“I don’t know. Probably with the queen.”
“Oh. Can I go visit her?”
“Hmmm… probably not a good idea right now. It’s early. I’m sure Luna will come visit you later.” Satisfied I didn’t miss any of the blood smears, I toss the tissue into the trash can.
“I like her. Do you like wolves too?”
Her question brings a smile to my face. “I love them.”
“Cheryl is a wolf too,” Ollie says. “The other females in the great house were afraid of her, but I wasn’t.”
Sadness overtakes me as I imagine what Ollie’s life would have been like if Castiel hadn’t rescued us.
“You are a very brave little girl. But there’s no need to fear Cheryl. She’ll never harm you.”
Ollie’s eyes become brighter as they fill with tears, and her lips tremble, making my heart clench. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“I miss Mama.”
I pull Ollie into a tight hug and kiss the top of her head. “I know. I’m so sorry we were too late.”
Ollie shakes in my arms, crying. It isn’t an ugly, loud sob, but quiet, and somehow more painful.
There’s nothing I can say that will make things better, so I just keep hugging her until she quiets down.
After a while, she pulls back, and I dry her wet cheeks with my thumbs.
“I won’t let any harm come to you, Ollie. I promise.”
“Can I come live with you and Cheryl?”
Cheryl and I haven’t talked about our future yet, or the children, but in that moment, there’s only one right answer. “Yes, of course.”
Ollie rewards me with a sweet smile, and my heart overflows with emotion. “And Rio too?”
“Yes.”
She cocks her head in a most adorable way, narrowing her delicate eyebrows. “Are you going to make more babies with Cheryl?”
Heat spreads across my cheeks as I grasp for words, something that has never happened to me before. “Uh…”
“Hmmm… making babies sounds fun,” Cheryl replies from the connecting door, cradling Rio. Her eyes dance with amusement, to my further mortification.
Ollie runs to give her a hug. “You’re awake. Come play with us.”
“What are you playing?”
“We haven’t decided yet,” I reply.
“How about you help Ronan change Rio’s diaper?” The corners of her eyes crinkle.
I put my hands on my hips, faking indigitation. “Oh, now you want my help.”
She shrugs. “Naturally. I’m responsible for what goes in, and you’re responsible for what comes out.”
Shaking my head, I walk over and kiss her before taking Rio. “All right, little guy. It’s you and me now.”
“Have you ever changed a diaper before?”
I pause, then look over my shoulder. “No. How hard can it be?”
“Famous last words.” She laughs, but then Ollie tugs her sleeve, drawing her attention.
“Can you change into a wolf so we can play?”
“Yeah, I suppose I can.”
Ollie claps her hands and does little jumps that fills me with joy. “Yay!”
Cheryl lifts her gaze to mine, and I can see my happiness mirrored in her eyes.
Not that I had any doubt she’s moved by this moment too.
Her emotions swirl in my chest, and I can’t wait for our time in Ellnesari to be over.
First, though, we must successfully accomplish what we came for.
Dethrone a psychotic queen, rescue Manu and Karl, and save our world. Piece of cake.