Etched in Stone: Twilight Court Book 9

by Amy Sumida

  “You don't to be a mother?” Raza's lips twitched worriedly, and there was a tightness around his eyes.

  I had a feeling that I had just landed in dangerous waters.

  “I... I haven't thought about it,” I offered warily. “But if it's important to you, we can talk about it.”

  “All right,” he said. “Let's talk.”

  “Now?” I lifted my brows.

  “We have time.” He nodded after glancing at the clock on the wall. “I would like more children, Seren. It doesn't have to be soon, but I...”—he swallowed roughly—“I didn't have as large a role in the raising Rayetayah as I would have liked. I want to be there. I want to see my child grow and be a part of that.”

  I nodded.

  “You asked what would happen with our children before we got married,” he said. “You wondered what status they would have and in what kingdom. Do you recall?”

  “Of course,” I said. “Marriage brings the thought of children, but it was a distant thought. I asked because you were naming Raye your heir, and I wanted to know what that would mean for the future. I didn't want a child of ours fighting him for the throne.”

  “So, you have considered having a child with me,” he concluded with a smile.

  “Yes; in passing,” I said. “But I wasn't giving it serious thought. Children require serious thought. My life right now is not one I can share with a child. It's hard enough to spend quality time with my husbands; to add a child would make my life nearly impossible.”

  “But things will not always be this way,” he reasoned. “The kingdoms will settle—they already are heading that way—and so will Earth.”

  I gave him a look that said otherwise.

  “You don't intend to be Ambassador forever, do you?” Raza was shocked.

  “I don't know,” I said. “I intend to do it for as long as I'm needed. That's what Danu wants.”

  “Surely, Danu wants you to be a mother as well,” he said. “She brought us together with the Call.”

  “The Call was different for us.”

  “Was it?” Raza smirked.

  “I don't know; I thought so.” I sighed. “Can't we just see how our lives proceed, and then make the decision when it's more appropriate?”

  Raza stared thoughtfully at me for a moment; his gold eyes glittering in the fey lights. Then he nodded.

  “I'm sorry to push you,” Raza said softly. “I was just having daydreams of holding a little girl with star eyes.”

  I started to tear up, and then I saw his eyes flicker guiltily. Raza didn't like seeing my tears, but he'd only feel guilty about it if he knew he had deliberately caused them. I narrowed my watery eyes at him.

  “That was a low blow, dragon,” I growled. “You think you're slick, don't you?”

  “It doesn't mean that it wasn't the truth.” Raza chuckled.

  “Okay, here's some harsh truth for you; how would we know she was yours?”

  “We're magical beings, Seren.” Raza shook his head at me. “There are ways.”

  “Oh.”

  “Even if we didn't have magic available to verify paternity for us,”—Raza took my hand—“I would love any child you bore as if it were my own.”

  “Godsdamn it, Raza!” I shoved his hand away. “Stop trying to emotionally manipulate me.”

  “That's what children do,” he said smoothly. “I was just trying to prepare you for this afternoon.”

  “Uh-huh,” I huffed as I sat back and considered him. “We'll have a child one day, okay? I just can't foresee when that day will come.”

  “That is enough for me.” Raza smiled with satisfaction. “Thank you.”

  “This means I'll have to have children with the others as well,” I grumbled.

  “Why is that so horrible?” Raza laughed.

  “It's a lot of childbirth,” I said.

  “You're a warrior; I'm sure you'll be fine.”

  “Says the man who doesn't have to shove a baby out of a tiny hole,” I muttered.

  “Magic, sweetheart,” Raza reminded me. “It will help with the births as well. We have fairy midwives for that purpose alone.”

  “How much help?” I asked.

  “It will be practically painless,” he promised.

  “Humph. Practically, eh?” I grimaced. “Okay then.”

  “Your Majesties?” One of Raza's King's Guard members stuck his head through the doorway. “The adoptive parents have arrived and are gathering in the throne room.”

  “We'll be right there,” Raza said as he stood. “My Queen.” He held a hand out to me gallantly.

  Yep; my dragon was slick. It was probably all those shiny scales.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The excited parents-to-be filled the throne room. Several of them held gifts for the children; anxiously watching the doorway for their appearance. Raza and I walked down the open path between the couples; receiving deep bows and radiant smiles as we went. When we reached the thrones—set on the dais at the end of the room—Raza helped me into my seat before taking his.

  “Welcome, everyone,” Raza said in his deep, king-voice. “You have been chosen to be the first Unseelie fairies to adopt human children. Your queen and I are delighted to see your eagerness and have great hopes for her program. But before the children arrive, we wanted to remind you that some of them have been abused or neglected. Most are simply unwanted.”

  The fairies exchanged heartbroken and confused looks with each other. To them, the thought of giving birth to a child and then not wanting it was inconceivable. Abusing that child took it to a whole new level of horror. Not that child-abuse didn't happen in Fairy—my cousin Bress was proof that it did—but it was rare. Fairies waited till you were grown before they fucked with you.

  “They will need your patience and understanding,” I added. “This is a strange world for them, but children are resilient, and we have faith that they will adjust quickly. Just remember what they've been through when they mouth-off to you or defy you—because they will.”

  The parents laughed.

  “You think that I'm joking.” I chuckled. “There are very few infants coming over today; most of the children will be between the ages of five to seventeen. They have been unloved for most of their lives and will not know how to respond to someone suddenly offering them affection. This will not be easy for any of you, but I think that you'll agree with me when I say that it will be worth it. That being said, if any of you find that you are not up to the challenge and would like to bow out now, you may do so without judgment. Or if down the line, you find that you cannot handle the child you've been given, you may bring them back to Court, and I will find a new home for them.”

  “Your Majesty,” a man near the front interrupted. “We know the risks and the obstacles, and none of us will give up on these children—not after so many others have already done so.”

  The crowd nodded and murmured in agreement.

  “That's just what we wanted to hear,” Raza declared.

  I looked toward the doorway, where one of the Unseelie knights waited and nodded. The man rushed off.

  “The children are here and will be ushered in momentarily,” Raza continued. “Your child will be brought to you; please do not swarm the children and attempt to find them on your own.”

  There was a commotion of little feet and whispered voices at the door, and then a line of children—each escorted by a member of our Court—walked into the room. The fairy couples clung to each other eagerly as they searched the little faces. Each couple had been given a packet of information on their child which included a picture. Several started to cry as soon as they spotted their new son or daughter.

  The children were hesitant at first—especially the older ones—with somber expressions and hunched shoulders, but the glamour of a fairy court and the alien beauty of the fairies themselves were enough to move them past fear and into awe. Most met their new parents as eagerly as they were welcomed, or at least with as much wonder. Som
e of the teenagers watched everything warily and stiffened when hugged, but even they were not immune to magic. This was a bedtime story come to life for them, and that's a hard thing to reject.

  I had hoped that would be the case, but the reality was so much better. The journey through the raths had already impressed the children, but being in a fairy throne room, welcomed by fairies who wanted to be their parents, while their king and queen looked on, was like Willy Wonka had opened his Chocolate Factory to them indefinitely. Smiles soon spread across all the human faces, and fairy couples rejoiced as they started the first tenuous bonds with their children. Families were made before my eyes, where before there had only been loneliness.

  “Your attention, please, new parents and children,” Raza said as he stood.

  The room went quiet; the children staring up at the fairy king with rounded eyes.

  “Children of Earth, welcome to Fairy,” he started again. “I am King Raza, and this is my wife, Queen Seren. She is the one responsible for bringing you here, so if you're unhappy, you must blame her.”

  The kids gaped at him, and I shook my head.

  “Well, that joke failed horribly,” he murmured. He returned to his king-voice to say, “In truth, we are both overjoyed to have you in our kingdom. We hope that you will be very happy here, but if you are not, we will endeavor to make things better for you. If you need a new family or if you want to be returned to Earth, we will see it done.”

  “The hell with that,” one teenage boy muttered. “I ain't ever going back to that fucked up place.”

  “Charlie, we don't use such language; especially not in front of Their Majesties,” his new mother admonished.

  The boy's eyes widened, but then he ducked his head. “Sorry, Ma'am.”

  “Mom,” she corrected him—choking up on the word. “Call me 'Mom,' if you please.”

  “Sorry, Mom,” Charlie whispered.

  “Are you gonna send us back if you don't like us?” A little female voice floated up to us.

  The other children looked at Raza with a horrible, jaded acceptance. This was what they were expecting; to have something wonderful handed to them, and then watch helplessly as it was snatched away.

  “We like you already,” Raza declared. “You were not appreciated in your world, but here, you are all desperately wanted. No one is going to send you away. If anything, we are worried that you will not like us.”

  “You're fairies,” the same little girl said, “of course we like you.”

  “They could be bad fairies,” an older boy hissed at her.

  Raza's wings unfurled in a great rush of air, and the entire room went quiet.

  “We are both good and bad; just as humans are,” Raza declared. “But there are very few of us who would abuse the gift of a child. I know this is hard for you to understand, so let me be very clear. I am the most dangerous and powerful fairy in this kingdom. I won my throne through battle, in the form of a dragon, but I am also a father. I love my son and would do anything to protect him. And as your new king, I am like a father to you. I will be your guardian beyond your new parents; you are all under my protection. If anyone tries to hurt you, I will stop them, I will punish them, and I will make you safe again. Is that acceptable?”

  The children all nodded.

  “Good,” Raza said softly.

  King Raza smiled at the assemblage and then held his hand out to me. I took Raza's hand and stepped down to the floor with him. We went to each new family and spoke with them, to welcome their child and make sure that they were a good match for each other. When we were done, we invited them all to have lunch with us.

  As we strode from the room, Raza turned to me and whispered, “See? That wasn't so hard. Children are easy.”

  I rolled my eyes, and a teenage girl walking behind us caught it. She started giggling, and I sent her a conspiratorial wink.

  Chapter Seventeen

  As I mentioned to the adopting parents, children adjusted quickly, and by the time we sat down to eat with them, they were settling into a relaxed state; comfortable enough to cause trouble. There were several fights, four temper-tantrums, and one especially dumb young man who threatened another kid with his eating knife. That particular situation was handled by the knife-wielder's new parents; who disarmed the child and then punished him by putting him into a magical time-out. Basically, he was paralyzed for five minutes. That stopped any future attempt at violence.

  “I had thought it was going so well,” I said with dismay.

  “You warned them that this wouldn't be easy,” Raza had laughter in his tone.

  I grimaced at him.

  “It's fine, Seren,” Raza said. “Look at them; the fairies are enjoying parenting. Most have been parents before, and that was to fairy children. They know how to deal with this. Trust our people to guide these children firmly but with love.”

  “I do trust them,” I said. “I'm just going to have to wait awhile to bring proof to Tiernan that this is working out.”

  “Not that long, I'd say.” Raza looked pointedly around the calm hall.

  “Your Majesties?” A woman murmured respectfully.

  She was standing before the high table with a baby in her arms and her husband's arm around her shoulders. We had given the youngest children to couples who had problems conceiving and who had never had a child before. So, based on that and the look on her face, I knew that this was the first baby she could call her own.

  “Thank you,” she said through her tears. “Thank you so much for our daughter.”

  “We have never been so happy,” her husband added. “Although I feel like we got the easiest child.”

  “Babies pose their own problems,” Raza said. “But those are issues that the other parents have already experienced. We wish you the best with both the headaches and the delights of your first child.”

  “She's beautiful,” I noted with a smile.

  “She is,” her new mother agreed. “How anyone could have given her up is beyond me.”

  “Have you decided on a name?” I asked. “She was abandoned and only given the name of unidentified human females; Jane Doe.”

  “Oh, we thought that was her name,” the man said in surprise. “We'll have to give it some consideration.”

  “I get to name her too?” The woman asked joyfully. “What an honor.”

  “Well, for now, we'll call her Jane,” I said. “Baby Jane's mother was a drug addict, and she was born with several medical conditions that our healers were able to cure. She's healthy now, but originally, she was too much for her mother to care for, and her birth mother wasn't fit to raise her anyway.”

  “You poor thing,” the woman whispered down to the baby. “I'm sorry your life started so tragically.”

  “But she's actually very lucky,” I noted. “She was brought here, healed, and adopted by you. I'd call that a charmed life.”

  “It will be if I have anything to do with it,” the woman said with steel in her voice.

  The couple thanked us again and returned to their seats.

  “It's funny how quickly a woman can slide into the role of mother; even if she didn't bear the child herself,” I said to Raza.

  “It's no different than a father bonding with his child for the first time,” Raza said. “We don't hold them within our bodies, but once we hold them within our arms, something happens. You look into that tiny face and a shiver races down your spine. You think to yourself; this is a part of me, and yet it isn't me. You hope that it's the best part, but you know that even if it's the worst, you will still love and defend it until your last breath. There is something very primal in holding an infant.”

  “Raye is lucky to have you as his father,” I said softly. “It doesn't matter how much you were able to be around for his childhood; you love him fiercely, and that's what matters.”

  “He turned out well, didn't he?” Raza smiled gently. “But, as I said, that was more his mother's doing than mine.”

  “Ra
za, when the Raven-Mockers were in trouble, who came swooping in to help?”

  Raza's smile widened. “That worked out well for me.”

  “You didn't do all of that for me,” I chided him. “I watched you shift into a dragon because of a threat against Raye.”

  “No one threatens my son,” Raza growled.

  “And that right there makes you a great father.” I pointed at his angry face.

  “My tendency toward violence?” He teased.

  “Your tendency toward defense,” I corrected. “You're very protective, and I find that very sexy.”

  “Do you?” Raza took my hand and kissed it. “Is that how I swayed you?”

  “You know that there was a lot that went into my swaying,” I said with a smirk. “But I admit that when I saw you shift in defense of your son, I shivered; in a good way.”

  Raza growled low in his throat; an aroused sound.

  “We have guests, Your Majesty,” I reminded him.

  “They'll be leaving soon,” he countered. “And then, my queen, I intend to make you shiver again. In several good ways.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The shivering went on till late in the afternoon, but I had to crawl out of bed and away from my husband so I could go home to Twilight Castle with the dusk. My Star's Guard was already there; no doubt waiting impatiently for my return. We were heading out to visit the Elf Village in the morning and with the time difference, if I waited till dawn in Unseelie, I'd miss the morning in Twilight. I had already put off that visit for far too long; I couldn't do it again. There were fairies who were living in limbo while I did other things. Like my husband.

  So, before twilight arrived, I kissed Raza goodbye and then went to hover at the foot of our bed. He watched as the lavender light drifted around me, and I faded into the In-Between.

  “I love you, big Daddy Dragon,” I called out before I left.

  I wasn't able to hear Raza's reply, but his face said it all. Damn; I was a lucky woman. I guess my life was pretty charmed as well.