37. Barrett
BARRETT
“ Y our due date’s right around the corner, isn’t it?
” I asked as I stepped through the doorway, looking around Lucia and Damien’s chambers.
They were decorated with a number of baby items, a bassinet tucked away in the corner, stuffed animals their servants had made, blankets, even some books, which looked suspiciously like some from the Archivallia.
How had she convinced the Astral Sprites to allow them to leave the library?
Lucia was staring out the window, a sense of longing in her gaze, and her brows rose as she turned to me. “Oh! Yes. We’ll see if I make it that far, though. She seems ready to get out. Just as impatient as her father.”
“You’ve made it further than many have,” I admitted, thinking of how many children had been orphaned in the battle, how many mothers, even those who had been with child, had been slaughtered when the darklings attacked the city.
Thalia had aided in helping mothers find assistance in ensuring their young were fed, some struggling to do that on what little rations we could provide.
Some mothers were going so far as to nurse not only their own babes, but orphaned infants just to help them survive.
“I heard you finally started building that house on the mountain,” I said, hoping to get her mind elsewhere, anywhere but where she’d remained for too long in her restless thoughts.
Perhaps I needed the distraction as much as she did when it came to the possibility of what was to come with her delivery.
“We did a few weeks ago—well, I guess Damien did. I haven’t been able to visit the site to see it.
It was beautiful when we first picked the land earlier this year,” she said, her smile somber, as if she longed to go there.
“It’s not far from where the humans are discussing building a mountainside rail system to transport people from the valley to the top of the mountain in cases of emergency. The view is going to be incredible.”
“Damien told me how excited you’ve been to design the house.”
She nodded. “I wanted to plant some maple trees in the front yard for shade, maybe some beds of foxglove. They’re my favorite.
” Her voice trailed off, as if envisioning it.
“Have a nice big porch with one of those beautiful bay windows to sit and read in.” A sigh slipped from her lips.
“There are so many homes to rebuild, though, so it likely won’t be finished until next year. ”
Her gaze wandered to the window again, and I watched her for a moment. The air should be full of excitement, of happiness for what was to come...so why did I smell sadness, like the scent of freshly fallen rain, in the air? Why was it faintly laced with fear?
“How long has it been since you left this house?” I asked as I approached her bedside, following her gaze to the outside gardens. “Been in your garden?”
Her silver eyes dulled. “I haven’t had the strength to.”
“Would you like to go outside?” I asked. “Get some fresh air?”
She perked up and hesitated a moment before looking back at me. “I’m supposed to be taking it easy and lying down.”
“If I carry you, you’re technically not walking,” I said, offering her a smile.
She arched a brow at me, the corner of her lips kicking up into a half grin. “Barrett Stratos, are you suggesting I not listen to the midwives?”
“I never said anything of the sort. You’d still be taking it easy and lying down ,” I said, leaning onto the bed.
“Come on. Let’s break the rules one more time before you have to be a responsible mother and I’m left to get into trouble on my own.
I’ll carry you wherever you’d like so you aren’t exerting yourself. ”
Her laughter bubbled up her throat, and it warmed my heart to see her smile again. “You’re a terrible influence.”
“Would you prefer me any other way?” I asked, cocking a brow.
She wiped a stray tear from her eye before shaking her head.
“Where to, Your Majesty ?” I asked, opening my arms to her .
“The gardens would be nice, and there’s a bench so you don’t have to carry me the entire time,” she said as she pulled the blanket away before I scooped her into my arms.
“Are you implying I’m too weak to carry you?” I asked, in an insulted tone as I cradled her.
“I’m implying ,” she clarified, stifling her laughter, “that I’m not exactly light right now. I feel like a sky whale.”
I scoffed, flexing and lifting her higher in my arms. “Light as a feather, Your Majesty .”
She snickered as I started for the doorway, but I froze the moment I stepped into the hallway as we found ourselves face to face with their head caretaker, Isla.
Fuck.
Isla blinked, her blue eyes widening as they flitted between Lucia and me.
I opened and closed my mouth, trying to find words. “Isla, I can?—”
“Some fresh air will do ye some good,” she said with a smile before glancing over her shoulder to the hall behind her. “But ye’ll want tae go out the back entrance to avoid the other servants so they donnae make a fuss.”
“Thank you, Isla,” Lucia whispered, and I nodded before carefully hurrying in the opposite direction to slip out into the garden unnoticed.
“Zephyr and Damien told me you started feeling some contractions yesterday,” I said.
“They’ve been here and there, but nothing too severe,” she said as I nudged the rear door open. “I had one before you came back into the room.”
“If it gets to be too much excitement, let me know, and I’ll take you back to bed,” I said, all joking aside.
“Oh, please,” she groaned, letting her head fall against my chest in defeat. “Between Damien and Zephyr, I have enough males doting on me. I don’t need you in on it too.”
“Apologies for caring,” I chided as we walked through the garden, taking in the pinks and blues painting both sides of the stony path.
“And here I thought you were a hardened criminal,” she teased before drawing a deep breath of fresh air. “I guess I’ve finally rubbed off on you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
Her gaze swept across the garden, beyond to the valley in the distance. While it had come a long way in the clean-up, the city looked nothing like it had before the battle, and I hated the darklings and their queen for the destruction they had left in their wake.
“How are the humans holding up?” Lucia asked as I eased her onto the stone bench amidst a bed of foxgloves under a large maple tree. “Damien tells me of the recovery efforts, but I’m always afraid I might’ve messed something up while controlling their minds and altering their memories. ”
“The mental manipulation is holding up,” I assured her. “You wouldn’t know any of them had witnessed such horrors.”
“We weren’t able to save them from the sorrow of loss, though,” she said, her smile fading.
I couldn’t deny her statement. “We’ve all lost something in this battle, but it doesn’t mean we can’t recover from it.”
She didn’t speak for a moment, her gaze lingering on the city in the distance.
This was how she had been since the battle, losing herself to her thoughts, falling into silence and leaving us wondering what troubled her so deeply.
We all had suffered the pain and nightmares left in the aftermath of the battle; the horrors of war were still freshly engraved in our minds.
Some were handling it worse than others—Salwa was working overtime offering her services to those who needed of therapy.
Lucia had declined her assistance, though, claiming there were others who needed her help more.
“It seems like only yesterday I was pulling you out of that cell,” she said, and a snicker bubbled up her throat. “You made it so hard to maintain any sort of composure with how you riled the guard.”
I gave her a disapproving look. “And you were foolish enough to dismiss him and be left alone with a criminal who didn’t care if he hurt you. Honestly, I don’t understand why we leave you unattended. You’re just begging to get into trouble.”
“You didn’t hurt me, though,” she said, tilting her head to glance at me from the corner of her eye. “I handled you just fine.”
“You were just lucky,” I said, easing back against the back of the bench.
Her hand rosed to hover over her mouth as she laughed. “Keep telling yourself that, hothead.”
The birds sang in the nearby trees, hopping from branch to branch as they danced with one another. A gentle breeze caressed our skin, and it was a nice reprieve from the hot August air.
“How are you, Thalia, and Micah getting along?” she asked.
I arched a brow. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to set me up with them.”
Her dark brows rose, and she blinked for a moment. I couldn’t miss the way her lips twitched as she resisted the smile. “Is that what you want?”
I frowned. “Why would I want that?”
She shrugged. “You said it, not me.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but she winced, her hands gripping the edge of the bench.
My heart lurched, and I shot to my feet, hands jolting to hover around her in case she fell.
She waved me off, offering me a pained smile as she let out a controlled breath. “It’s just another contraction. ”
“Should I get Damien?” I asked, unsure of what to do. Fuck, maybe I shouldn’t have taken her out of the house.
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. It was just one. They’ve been coming and going more today. It’s all part of the process.”
I eyed her wearily, and eventually, she eased, her fingers loosening from the stone before her shoulders relaxed and she let out a breath of relief. Minutes passed in silence as I allowed her the room to relax, her eyes closed, head resting against the stone as she seemed to gather herself.
“Those look rough,” I said.
“They’re not too bad; I’ve dealt with worse pain,” she said with a smile as she rested her hand on her stomach.
“No need to act tough on my account,” I said.