by Victoria Zak
The three of ye? James’s heart seized as he paused to open the door.
“Go on,” Conall encouraged.
James looked behind him to find his brothers right there, just as eager to meet the wee bairn.
Rory shouldered his way past Conall and Magnus to James. “If ye’re no’ dragon enough to open the damn door, then I’ll do it.” Rory went for the door and was pulled back from it by the back of his tunic.
“Over me dead body ye will,” James threatened.
The men stepped back as James opened the door ever so gently and quietly. As if this massive brawny Highlander was a mouse, he peeked in the room then entered softly.
As he opened the door wider, the view in front of him was like none he had ever seen. Not even the most perfect sunrise over the mist covered Highlands came close to it. His beautiful wife lay on their bed, propped up by billowing pillows, watching his reaction. Her auburn hair, wet with sweat, stuck around her angelic face. Her blue eyes looked up at his as if she was seeking his approval.
He tried to make his feet move to her but the blasted things didn’t want to listen.
Effie walked towards him, holding a bundle swaddled in a white linen blanket. It didn’t move, nor make a sound. James started to sweat and panic began to rile up his nerves again.
“My Laird.” Effie nodded toward the bundle in her arms.
James swallowed heavily and took a step back like Effie held the plague in her arms. “I... I...” He looked at Abigale as if he was asking to be rescued. He was panicking, not sure what to do.
“James Douglas, dinnae ye want to meet yer daughter?” Abigale asked from across the room.
“A daughter?” James repeated. Not that he didn’t hear her the first time, but for some odd reason saying it out loud confirmed it. He had a daughter.
“Aye,” Abigale answered.
He stepped closer to Effie and peeked over her shoulder at the perfectly swaddled bundle. It was wrapped up tight, only her face was sticking out. The babe was peacefully sleeping as Effie gently bounced the bundle in her arms. Her eyes were closed and he caught himself wondering what color they might be. He stood smiling in awe. Aye, a perfect neatly wrapped package.
“I have to fetch the priest so he can start the baptism,” Effie announced and motioned for James to take the babe.
“Nay, I’ll go.” James sought out any excuse not to hold the babe. Fear overwhelmed him and he panicked. “Ye stay here with Abigale.” He wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’ll be back.”
And with that said he left the room without any further conversation.
Effie turned to Abigale and watched as tears streamed down her best friend’s face. “Oh, Abigale, I be so sorry.” She walked over and sat on the bed with the babe in her arms.
Abigale put her head in her hands. “I was afraid of this.”
For the past few weeks Abigale had been worried about James’s reaction to the babe. Even though he reassured her constantly that he loved her and was overjoyed about the babe, she still had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her James would react like this. She never knew when this side of the Black Douglas would rear itself.
Effie shushed the babe as she squirmed in her arms. “What do ye mean?”
“Oh, Effie, ye know how James is. ’Tis so hard to read that man sometimes.” Abigale sniffled and glanced up from her hands and took a deep breath. “I was afraid that the babe’s arrival would drive him daft.” Abigale shrugged her shoulders. “Mayhap he wanted a son.” Again the sobbing began.
“Nonsense. James loves ye, he’ll be back.” Effie tried to reassure Abigale, but no words were going to comfort her friend until James returned.
Chapter 24
Loathing himself for leaving like he had, James made his way to the kirk to fetch the priest. Normally the father and godparents were the ones to bring a newly born to the kirk for the baptism, however Abigale had been adamant that the babe remain in their bedchamber where it was warm.
He strode with heavy feet out of the great hall and into the cold night air. When he thought about holding that wee fragile babe, he panicked. Nay, he was scared, pure and simple. The wee babe had frightened him senseless. “Coward,” he spat.
He paused and looked down at his shaking hands. People had died by these hands. He knew what lived inside him; his strength alone could crush the babe without warning. “God’s Blood!” He was not worthy to hold such an innocent babe in his arms.
Fresh air was what he needed. Aye, fresh air and to calm his backside down. All day and into the long hours of the night he’d been on edge, from the moment Abigale doubled over in pain until just moments ago. Although seeing that Abigale had fared well through the labor indeed soothed him, it was seeing his own flesh and blood that had sent him over the edge. He had refused his daughter.
Aye, a coward. How quickly the wee babe had taken control of the situation, sending him running for the Highlands with his tail tucked between his legs. For Christ sake, he’d been through far worse.
Ashamed for acting like a fool, James quickened his pace, for he felt a strong need pulling him back to his wife and daughter.
A daughter? He stopped dead in his tracks. His heart warmed and a smile crept across his masculine face. A daughter? I have a daughter. It was as if the realization had just swung down like a broadsword from the enemy’s hand and hit him on the head; he had a wee daughter. If he was right, his daughter was as bonny as Abigale. Auburn hair... blue eyes... and a smile that could melt away hearts. Aye, she had to be bonny.
Dawn had awoken the morn sky over the Highlands as vibrant colors of orange and yellow warmed the blue above him. As James stood reveling in the fact he had a daughter, he felt the urge brewing inside of him to announce it. Not only to the town folk, but to all of Scotland. Hell, to the world.
Not being able to contain himself any longer, James stopped an auld man walking by him. “I have a daughter,” he announced.
“Och, laddie, a wee one is a precious gift. One word of advice, keep her locked up and away from the lads around here.” The man shook a finger at James. “They be rotten, I tell ye.”
James smiled and couldn’t halt his good news any longer.
On his way to the kirk with quickened steps, again he stopped to tell another clan member about the glorious event. This time it had been a woman; a woman resting a basket on her hip and looking as if she was readying her morn for washing clothes. “My daughter has been born.” James grabbed the basket from the woman and walked with her to her washing station. He placed the basket down and hugged the woman as if she was his next of kin.
The woman stood in shock as she was engulfed by the Dragonkine warrior. “Och, laird, if yer daughter be born why are ye oot here then?”
James let go of his hold on the woman and looked down at her. His smile was now a thin line and his forehead creased. With the way he had left the bedchamber, he could only hope that Abigale would forgive him for being such an arse.
Quickly he turned in the direction of the kirk and made haste. The priest had better be ready. There was no time to waste.
Chapter 25
As James entered the bedchamber, Abigale was holding their daughter and looked as if she had been pacing the room. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were rimmed red like she had been crying. His heart shattered.
He wanted to go to her and confess what a fool he had been but the room was full of people and the priest was on the way to perform the baptism.
Being as James was laird and, well, being feared by most men, he ordered for the room to be cleared. “Oot! Everyone oot!”
Abigale walked towards the door, flowing behind Effie.
“Abigale, lass, ye stay here.” The dominance in his voice made his wife abruptly stop.
As the door shut, James strode over to his wife and daughter and wrapped his massive arms around them. “I’m sorry, lass, I was scared. Please forgive me.” He held them tight and began to worry w
hen Abigale didn’t respond to his apology.
“Say something, lass, or hit me.”
Abigale’s face was buried in a wall of muscled flesh. “Love, I cannae breathe,” she said, her voice muffled.
James loosened his hold and looked down at his wife to meet the most beautiful blue eyes.
“I knew ye would come back to me, but ye did give me a wee bit of a scare.” She shouldered her husband aside and walked over to the bed to feed the babe.
“James, we need a name for this wee one.” The mother looked down at her beautiful daughter and yawned as the babe suckled at her breast. She was indeed beautiful.
“Aye.” Giving Abigale some privacy, James busied himself by tending to the fire in the hearth.
“Do ye have a name in mind?”
“Nay.”
There was a long uncomfortable stretch of silence. From the first time James had walked into the room Abigale had been worried about how he was going to react toward her and the babe. He had been too reserved, and reluctant to even hold his daughter. She had to wonder perhaps if he was disappointed in her that they did not have a son.
By the way her husband was acting, Abigale feared the worst.
The babe had suckled until satisfied and Abigale laced up the front of her shift. Lying the babe down on a blanket, she concentrated on how Alice had showed her how to swaddle the babe. With much focus and a second try, she’d successfully wrapped her babe up tight and held her at her chest as the wee one yawned and fell asleep.
Peacefully the babe slept as Abigale watched her daughter in awe. Gently she caressed her cherub cheeks, marveling in their perfection. The babe could not have been more perfect.
As she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up, she found that her husband was staring at her. Afraid to say a word, she held his gaze.
“Ye are a natural,” James said.
“Do ye want to hold yer daughter? Please,” she begged.
There was more silence as Abigale waited for an excuse from her husband. What was she going to do if James didnae want anything to do with his daughter? It would break her heart, crush her.
“I dinnae think I can hold her. I will break her.”
“Do no’ be silly. Ye’re her father, her protector,” Abigale reassured him with a tear in her eye.
Carefully and uncomfortably, James bent down and scooped the bundle up into his arms. The babe was so tiny and seemed to have disappeared into his hulking arms. Afraid of dropping her, James held her tight. She squirmed and James watched as the corners of her tiny mouth turned down and her once peaceful face wrinkled.
“No’ so tight. Relax,” Abigale said.
As he loosened his grip, Abigale noticed how he looked at her as if asking if he was holding their babe correctly. She smiled back at him as tears streamed down her cheeks.
James’s brows creased in confusion. “Happy tears, aye?”
“Happy tears,” she reassured him.
Abigale scooted over in the bed and motioned for him to come sit.
The bed gave a heavy moan in protest as he sat next to his wife. He leaned back, resting the babe on his chest. His daughter took in a deep breath and let it out as she drifted to sleep. She was an angel.
“See, she likes ye.” Abigale peeked over his massive bicep and touched her daughter’s cheek.
“Aye, I have that effect on the lassies,” he jested.
Abigale smiled and was relieved that James had stayed and wanted to hold his daughter.
James relaxed, as if for the first time all day he was able to breathe again. “Bele ange, I tried to come to ye, to help ye, but...”
“Shhh, I know.” She kissed his bicep and then laid her head down on his shoulder. “I thought perhaps ye were mad at me.”
“What? Abigale, why would ye think such a thing?” The babe fussed from the boisterous noise.
Abigale sat up and soothed her daughter by rubbing her back. “I was afraid that ye were disappointed that we didnae have a son.” She hung her head and peered into her lap. “Ye must admit ye’ve been acting a wee bit strange.”
“Abigale, I could not be more proud of ye than I am right now. I might be a bit nervous.”
His wife gave him a cross glare. A bit nervous, her arse.
“Shite, I will no’ lie. I’m scared as hell.”
“My love, it’s quite understandable to be scared. I am too.”
“Know this, Abigale. I love ye and I’m beyond the moon and stars excited that I have a daughter. We have plenty of time to try again for a son.” He winked at Abigale.
Blushing, Abigale snuggled next to her husband, never lifting her eyes from the babe. It was exactly what she wanted to hear. “So, we need a name for our beautiful daughter.”
At that moment the babe had woken and was staring into her mother’s eyes. Abigale stilled, for she could not move. Her heart melted right there in her chest. She knew those eyes, the same eyes that watched over her. “James, look at her eyes. They’re open.”
As he peered down at her, rich amber eyes stared back at him. A tear formed at the corner of his eye. He was speechless.
“She has yer eyes, love.”
“Aye.”
“I have the perfect name for her. Jaime.”
“Jaime? Dinnae ye want to name her Bonnie?”
“Nay, just one look at her and everyone will know she’s bonny. She looks just like her da. Just look at all that dark hair on her head.” Abigale smoothed over a few strands of hair upon her daughter’s head.
“Then Jaime it will be.” James smiled and kissed wee Jaime on the forehead.
“I think it’s time to let everyone in and do the baptism, aye?” Abigale said.
“Aye.” James moved to get off the bed, when Abigale grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned to face his wife smiling at him. “Thank ye, James Douglas, for giving me Jaime and loving me.”
“Och, lass I’ll give ye many more in due time.” He kissed his wife thoroughly. “I love ye more than ye could ever know, my belle ange.”
Abigale watched the two of them as they made their way to the bedchamber door. Her life felt complete, yet there was a nagging feeling that wouldn’t go away. The feeling that something was missing; her father. She wished her father could be here to meet his granddaughter. Mayhap she would send word to him. It was time she mended those old wounds and let the past be the past.
~~~~~
Instead of the baptism being held at the kirk, James demanded that the priest perform the ritual right here in James’s and Abigale’s bedchamber. The babe was to stay with her mother and not be dragged outside into the cold. Furthermore, he knew his wife would not let the babe out of her sight.
Abigale refused to listen to Alice and stay in bed. She was going to hold her daughter during the ceremony, regardless of her aching body.
As the ceremony started, James and Abigale stood in front of the priest. The babe’s Godparents, Effie and Conall, stood next to Abigale and James. Rory, Magnus and Alice stood off to the side, watching in splendor.
The priest blessed the babe and washed away sin, driving away evil from its body. James knew how important this was to Abigale, for the life of him he couldn’t understand the priest driving away evil from a more-than-pure newborn babe. The world had yet to taint her and he would make damn sure she’d stay like that for the rest of her life.
After the blessing was done, Effie passed Abigale a white woolen infant gown with a small black and red embroidered dragon on it. The image lay right below the neckline, small yet identifiable.
James looked down at the dragon and back up at Abigale. “’Tis for protection. A lass has to be protected, not only by her heavenly father but by her da.”
James smiled and mouthed the words ‘I love ye’.
As the ceremony came to an end, Alice and the Dragonkine warriors congratulated the new parents on their precious gift.
Sneaking up behind Effie, Conall wrapped his arms around her waist as t
hey watched the three of them for a moment.
“They look so happy,” Conall whispered in her ear.
Effie leaned back against his chest. “Aye, they do.” She rubbed her hands over Conall’s as he made small circles over her belly.
He kissed her neck and said, “I can no’ wait to meet our wee one.”
Effie smiled. “Aye, he’ll be just like his da.”
“A boy, aye?”
“I have a feeling.” She shrugged.
Chapter 26
“My lord, ye have a visitor.”
Marcus, wrapped in a light brown fur, looked up from the blaze he was staring into. A visitor? Who would have tracked up this god forsaken mountain, furthermore survived the blizzard conditions?
Marcus glared at the creeper in black mail. “Well, who is it?” he said in an irritated tone of voice.
Marcus was now stronger after the Dragonkine female had healed him. His body was restored, his mind was sharp, but most of all there were times he could feel the tiniest spark of his dragon. This gave him hope that maybe he could recover his beast. False hope, perhaps, but nonetheless, hope.
“He would no’ say, lord. Though he seems to be wounded and... ” There was a long pause.
“Well... what?” Marcus raised his voice, shaking the ice crystal stalactites dripping from the ceiling of the cave. His voice echoed, causing the Dragonkine female to cower as she huddled in the corner of the cave, hugging her knees to her chest.
“He’s no’ normal, deformed.” For the lack of better words, the messenger cringed.
Wrapping the fur tighter around his shoulders, Marcus stood. “Well, bring him here.”
“As ye wish, my lord.”
Within minutes, two creepers dragged the visitor by its arms in front of Marcus. Its body was limp and seemed to be not completely human. The lower body had human legs, but it was the upper body that had Marcus and the creepers’ skin crawling.
The visitor struggled to hold its head up. Its body gave way and it fell to its knees. As it picked its head up Marcus took a step back in disgust. The thing had two heads attached to two long slender necks. Christ, one of its heads was dangling off to the side as if it had been broken.
