Page 36 of Black Hearted (Cursed Fae #4)

Dawn

I awoke to find it was already midday. I had slept for sixteen hours straight.

My body felt weak and exhausted, as though all the life had been drained from me.

Rolling over, I spotted Eowyn tending to the little bubbles surrounding the babies.

She waved her hands in the air over them, smiling and nodding as if she was pleased with her work.

“Are they okay?” I croaked, my throat dry and desperate for water. A bath would have been heaven.

The healer turned to me and nodded, her eyes misty with emotion. “You are very strong, my lady.”

I gave her a sheepish smile. “And we owe you our lives. Thank you.” I reached for her hand and she took mine and gave it a light squeeze.

Eowyn helped me sit up and handed me a cup of water. As I sipped, I looked around the room, relieved to see we were alone. I wanted to clean up before seeing Zander again. I felt disgusting.

“Will I always sleep this much? And feel so weak?” I asked.

Her expression softened with understanding and sympathy as she nodded.

“You’ll feel extra tired and fatigued until the bubbles pop, which will happen naturally when the babies are healthy enough to live outside the womb.

You’ll regain some strength in a few days, though.

You’re just extra weary now because you birthed four babies in one day. ”

“Well, you saved four lives yesterday. You’re incredible,” I said, meaning every word.

Eowyn ducked her head, clearly embarrassed by the praise, but I caught the pride in her gaze and the small smile on her face. I hoped something inside her had healed. Perhaps, whatever fear she’d carried about delivering babies after the ones she’d lost years ago had been erased by this triumph.

“I’m happy to help, my lady. Would you like me to call your maid so you can have a bath?”

I nodded eagerly. “I would love that. Can they …” I gestured toward the babies in their bubbles. “Can they move with me?”

She nodded. “Once your maid arrives, I’ll wheel them in after you.”

It took some effort to fit myself, the long table with the babies, and my lady’s maid, Flora, into the bathroom, but we managed. Flora washed my hair as I soaked in the tub. I was so weak that I couldn’t even hold my arms up long enough to do it myself.

“I’m sorry I’m so weak,” I murmured, ashamed. Flora wasn’t usually required to help me bathe.

“It’s perfectly fine, my lady. I’m just glad you and the babies are okay,” she replied with a warm smile.

I glanced over my shoulder and found her beaming at the quads, who lay peacefully in their bassinets with their eyes closed, their tiny mouths sucking at the air.

Eowyn had told me they didn’t need food or water.

While in the bubbles, they would take nourishment from me magically, just as they had in my belly.

“The entire realm is making their way to the castle gates, leaving flowers and gifts for the little lords and ladies,” Flora said, her voice filled with delight.

Her words made me smile. It felt as though the births were a bright spot in an otherwise dark time.

After helping me from the bath, Flora assisted me in dressing—a task I usually preferred to do on my own. She then braided my hair, adding a few small blue flowers that matched the pale blue dressing gown I wore.

“Where is my husband?” I finally asked.

“He’s having lunch with his brothers and their wives. Shall I fetch him?” Flora offered.

“No, thank you. I’d love a walk.” I was feeling a bit stronger after the bath.

Using the babies’ table for support, I leaned on it slightly, taking my time as I walked down the long corridor to the dining room. My legs wobbled occasionally, but the walk was good for me, so I moved slowly. Flora followed quietly behind me and opened the door when we reached the dining hall.

The moment the babies and I entered the room, Zander’s gaze found mine. “Dawn,” he exclaimed, leaping up and rushing over to help me. He pressed a soft kiss to my mouth when he reached me, his eyes full of unveiled love and devotion. I’m sure I was giving him the same look.

“Dawn, you should be lying down,” Isolde scolded as she came up next to us.

Aribella, Stryker, and Adrien chimed in, telling me I shouldn’t be up as well.

I waved them all off as Zander and Isolde led me to a seat at the table. Isolde returned to her spot next to Adrien, and Zander hovered over my shoulders near the babies. I could hear him coo softly at them, and it made my heart melt.

“I needed to stretch my legs,” I told them all. “Besides, I just slept sixteen hours. I’m famished.”

Without another word, Stryker handed me a huge turkey leg from his plate.

“Honey, she’s not going to want your—” Aribella began, but I grabbed it and took a huge bite, moaning in joy as the salty sweetness hit my tongue. It was coated in honey.

“Never mind,” Aribella chuckled as I devoured the leg.

“I’ll be right back,” Zander said, disappearing into the kitchen. He returned shortly with a heaping plate full of all my favorites.

He sat down next to me, and I, abandoning all decorum and princess manners, dug into the food like a starved dog.

“She hasn’t eaten in two days,” Zander explained, trying to justify my behavior. “They don’t let you eat during labor. Did you know that?”

Stryker must have felt bad for me because he slid his plate of chocolate cake onto my side of the table. I accepted it gratefully, taking four big bites.

“Oh, forget that. I’m not having kids if they starve you,” Isolde commented.

Adrien laughed. “Are you saying you wouldn’t sacrifice a few meals for one of those little bundles of joy?”

“Well, when you put it like that …” Isolde trailed off.

Adrien got up and walked over to the babies, making baby noises and scrunching his face to try to get them to laugh. I didn’t have the heart to tell him their eyes weren’t developed enough yet to make out his features.

I shared a grin with Isolde. “You’re next.” I winked at her.

She stuck her tongue out at me playfully.

Then I noticed Aribella was unusually quiet. When I looked her way, she quickly pulled her hair forward, trying to hide a purple bruise on her temple I hadn’t noticed before.

I froze, pausing mid-bite, and pinned her with a soul-searching gaze.

“Aribella,” I said calmly.

She chewed at her lip, casting a nervous glance at Stryker.

Surely he wouldn’t hurt her … right?

“Yes?” she squeaked.

“What happened to your face?” I pressed.

“Nothing,” she said far too quickly.

My gaze flicked to Stryker, whose expression darkened. “I would never,” he growled, snatching his half-eaten chocolate cake back as though punishing me for even thinking it.

I turned to my husband, who had “guilty” written all over his face.

“Why in the stars are you treating me like a child?” I snapped. “Who bruised Aribella?”

“I got into a little scuffle in town when I was buying a gift for the babies,” Aribella answered, her voice sing-song and far too sweet. “Do you want to see what I got?”

Her deflection only fueled my irritation. Isolde had mentioned seeing my mother on the train, and this was too coincidental.

I leveled Aribella with a serious look. “No. I want to know why you’re hiding that bruise from me.”

Stryker laid a giant hand over his wife’s. “Don’t worry. When I find who did it, I will disembowel them,” he said, his gaze still dark. “You just focus on healing.”

I relaxed a little. “So you don’t know who it was? A random angry citizen?”

The brothers exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them that told me I wasn’t getting the whole story.

I spun toward Zander. “Zander Warrick, don’t you lie to me. Who hurt Aribella?”

Zander frowned, a pained expression taking over his face. “Your mother did, my love. I’m sorry, but she’s here. Somehow.”

No.

Anger rushed through me, and I instinctively reached for my magic. But as I did, a wave of sudden weakness overcame me. One of the babies began to cry, and my head jerked toward them. It was one of the baby girls—the last one to be born.

“Stay calm, Dawn. Just focus on the babies. We’ll handle your mother,” Isolde said firmly. “If you use any magic, it takes from them.”

She was right. I’d reached for my magic without thinking.

Closing my eyes, I took three deep breaths. Slowly, my daughter’s cries subsided, and I opened my eyes to find her calm again.

I turned to Zander. “We need to name them. I can’t keep calling them girl one and two and boy one and two.”

Zander leaped at the distraction, his face softening. “Yes. Do you have any thoughts?”

Standing, I walked over to our first son, the slightly larger of the boys.

He was sucking his tiny thumb, his head adorned with a shock of dark brown hair the same shade as Zander’s.

The baby’s light blue-gray eyes reminded me of Stryker’s, though, I could see Zane and Adrien in his perfect little face, too.

“I think we should call him Callum,” I said, wanting to honor the beloved Warrick brother Zander and the others lost before I met them.

“I’d love that,” Zander said, his gaze falling on our son with nothing short of complete devotion.

“That’s very kind of you,” Stryker added, his voice thick with emotion. When I glanced at him, I saw his eyes glistening.

Stryker, the most fearsome and prickly of the brothers, often came across as a hardened warrior. But in moments like this, his softer side shone through—a side that few ever got to see.

“Good choice,” Adrien chimed in with a grin.

I moved to the next boy. His hair was lighter, closer to my own color, but he had Zander’s striking blue gaze. I loved how I could see a piece of Zander in each of our sons. “Aric,” I said softly, “after my father.”

Tears misted my eyes as I glanced up at Zander. My father had died when I was just a baby. I’d been told he was a great man and that he and my mother had been deeply in love. Losing him had taken a part of her, and I couldn’t help but wonder how different my home might have been if he’d lived.

“Another fine choice,” Zander said as he pulled me into his arms, his voice gentle. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, “Your father would be proud of you.”

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.

Zander and the others gave me a moment to collect myself.

When I finally did, I cleared my throat, and Zander’s arm dropped from around me to take my hand.

He let me stand on my own strength while still letting me know he was there for me. I loved him even more for it.

“And for the girls, I have no idea,” I admitted with a laugh. “Any requests?”

“Izzy and Ari?” Isolde suggested, and everyone burst into laughter.

“I have an idea,” Aribella said, her tone soft. She gazed at her nieces from across the table, then looked up at me and Zander with a warm smile. “Fay and Ethie,” she suggested. “Short for Faerie and Ethereum, which these girls now represent.”

My breath caught. It was perfect.

The baby girls were a beautiful blend of Zander and me, just as their names reflected both of our worlds. Fay, with her bright green eyes and corn-silk hair, was the spitting image of me. Ethie, with her dark brown curls and soulful blue gaze, looked so much like Zander.

“I love that,” I said, my voice full of emotion. Zander nodded in agreement.

“It’s official. Callum, Aric, Fay, and Ethie,” I declared.

But even as I spoke, my thoughts turned elsewhere. “Any word on Lorelei and Zane? If my mother’s here—”

“She had Lorelei’s dagger,” Aribella said, cutting in.

My heart stopped. “Her faestone dagger?” I asked, hoping I’d misunderstood her.

Isolde moved to my side, taking one of my hands in hers. “Yes, which is how we think she was able to get here early. We don’t know everything about the daggers, but if anyone could find a way to use one of them to get to Ethereum before the Spring equinox, it would be your mother.”

“Do you think she harmed Lorelei?” I asked, panic rising. Lorelei was the gentlest of us all. I wanted to believe my mother wouldn’t harm someone so innocent, but the truth was, she would go to any lengths to stop the curse.

Zander stood and took my hand, drawing my attention. “No, we don’t believe she did. Zane wouldn’t allow that. And we know he’s still alive. We’d feel it if he weren’t.”

I stared at my husband in surprise. It was the first time he’d told me that, though I wasn’t shocked. The brothers were connected— I’d seen them use their magic to communicate over long distances. It wasn’t a stretch to think their magic linked them in other ways as well.

Glancing down at my babies, I wondered if they would share the same magical connection.

“So what’s the plan? If my mother is here, it means she’s after one of your hearts,” I said, directing my words at the lords in the room.

A horrible thought struck me, chilling my blood. Did my mother hate this world so much that she’d stoop so low as to harm her own grandchildren because they could one day become lords or ladies of Ethereum?

Dizziness washed over me, and my knees buckled. Zander reached out, catching me before I fell, his worried gaze filling my vision.

“Get her to bed, Zander,” Isolde said firmly. “We’ll take care of everything else.”

He nodded, scooping me into his arms. I wanted to protest, but I was too weak to even try. I rested my head against his neck as he carried me, hearing the soft creak of the babies’ bassinets being wheeled behind us.

“At least I got food before I fell back asleep,” I murmured, the weight of exhaustion pulling at me.

Zander smiled down at me. “Next time you wake, I’ll have an entire buffet waiting for you.”

I gazed up at him, my heart swelling with love for the man who held me so tenderly. “Zander, my mom’s sick in the head. If you see her, don’t make the mistake of thinking you can reason with her.”

A flash of fear crossed his face, and I frowned. Zander didn’t fear much—he certainly wouldn’t fear my mother.

Then realization hit me. I understood what was troubling him.

“I’ll understand if you have to kill her,” I said softly. The words hurt to say, but they were true. If my mother had fully lost herself in her mission to save Faerie and was willing to harm Zander, knowing he was my mate … She needed to be stopped.

Relief flickered in his eyes. “I’ll try not to, my love,” he promised.

He kissed my forehead, and as his warmth surrounded me, sleep claimed me once more.