Page 16 of Shadows Ascend (Remnant Archives #2)

W ill you tell me a story?" Riella sighed softly as we tucked her into our bed. She had spent most of the evening chasing the camphor with my brother, and now she had declared the beasts were her new favorite but was quite disappointed she did not get to see any nuckelavee.

I couldn’t help but share her disappointment..

She fidgeted nervously, her hands twisting in her lap while her swirling green and gold eyes watched us both carefully, biting her lip waiting for our answer.

Glancing over at my shifter soulmate, I saw his eyes soften watching her, realizing, just as I did, that it was likely she had never had a tale told to her in the seven years she has graced this life.

"Of course," I said, tucking her in more, to hide my sadness, "I hear that your father is an excellent archiver of stories, perhaps he has a few stories he'd share."

Emon pounced on the bed then, sending us both bouncing with squeals of laughter that echoed in the great open room. It was a beautiful sound, a sound to be cherished in these darker times.

"What kind of story does my little cub want to hear I wonder?" Emon purred, flourishing his hands dramatically, his brows raised, "Tales of her mother’s great battles or of her father's unparalleled strength?"

I snickered, "unparalleled?"

"Apologies soulmate, of course Riella is the most powerful one here." Emon flopped onto his back, placing his hands behind his head, and grinning when Riella covered her mouth snorting with laughter.

Laying down on her other side laughing, I tickled the beautiful creature that was the truest and purest form of the two of us. "Of course she is."

Giggling, she thrashed to escape the tickles, her small body flailing wildly only to smack Emon straight across the face.

My soul mated shifter, with his unparalleled strength, howled, clutching his nose, groaning with watering eyes, "goddess."

Riella stilled, her lip trembling. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, shrinking into me.

Emon quickly stopped rubbing the bridge of his nose and blinked hard at our cowering daughter. "Do not cry my cub, I know it was an accident," he winked at her, "I think all I need is a kiss right here. Then my nose will finally be cured and straight again."

Riella's lip trembled more, her eyes full of alarm. "I broke it, I made it crooked," she gasped.

I snorted and hugged Riella into me, kissing the top of her head. "Your father's nose was already crooked, little chickadee, he is just acting like a baby nymph right now."

Emon shot me an innocent look, "heartless soulmate, I am practically wounded by our daughter's unparalleled strength and this is how you care?

Comparing me to those terrorizing beasts," he gave her a grin, "our daughter has the power to fix me, what say you my cub?

Will you heal me with a sweet kiss? Just here," he pointed at the slight wayward slant of his nose.

I rolled my eyes but our daughter nodded, a stern concentrated look on her face as she leaned in to place a sweet delicate kiss on the bridge of her fathers nose. I prayed I would never forget this moment.

Looking up at me, his chocolate brown hair fell in his mischievous golden eyes. "What do you think soulmate,” he angled his head for me, “am I handsome, has our daughter cured my un-fae like imperfection?"

Riella's face fell in dismay. "But father I did not fix you, it is still crooked."

Emon ruffled her head and leaned back with a sigh. "Worry not my cub, I am truly cursed to spend an eternity with this crooked nose!" He raised his hands up to the glass ceiling where stars showered above us. "Why has the goddess forsaken me so?"

I laughed and reached over to swat the dramatic shifter on his bare chest, the slap loud in the quiet twilight of the room. "Hush shifter. You are upsetting our daughter, she does not understand."

Emon chuckled and caught my swatting hand, kissing it softly, then glanced at our daughter questioningly, "Shall that be your story tonight? The tale of how, your father, the strongest shifter, with unparallelled strength, ended up with a permanent crooked nose?"

My brows rose and I looked down at Riella. "What do you think, is this the tale you would like to hear tonight?"

Our daughter bit at her lip worriedly. "It is not my fault then?"

Emon chuckled, "Nay, it is not your fault."

Releasing her lip she grinned widely, relief shining in her eyes, "Yes please, I want that story!”

I grinned, finding I too desperately wanted to know this story. Penina had teased that I should ask him sometime…and now that time was finally here. I only wish I could share my reaction with her in hearing it, she would likely laugh at every expression crossing my face.

Emon lifted up the covers that had fallen off of Riella. "Snuggle in my cub."

Instantly diving in with her overly large nightshirt, Riella curled her small body into his large frame. Laying down alongside her once again, Emon and I faced each other with our heads propped on our hands while our daughter’s rapt attention never left Emon's face.

Brushing her hair back from her sweet innocent face, Emon's voice rumbled as he quietly began his tale. "This story starts, how all stories start. With a curious little faeling…"

Riella purred, "Like me?"

Emon smirked, "Just like you because that faeling was me.

" He tapped her nose and then continued to stroke her hair away from her face, his eyes taking on a distant look, lost in the memories of his tale.

"When I was young, I would run wild in the wilderness of The West Isles, dreaming of the days I would become a true shifter and roam my country just like my father did before me.

I wanted to know everything about it, just like the back of my own hand.

" Emon held up his hand in front of him and frowned. "Huh, what are these things, I wonder?"

Riella giggled, "Silly father! That is your hand!"

I shook my head, my shifter soulmate was in his element…

he was meant for this. Not only for the way he strung his words, commanding a room with just a tone of his voice both in jest and in importance but also he was meant to be a father.

Just like his role as my mate, he slid into fatherhood with ease while I? I struggled to see past my fear.

Deirdre's haunting voice echoed in my mind. " Do you honestly think you can be her mother? You who does nothing but destroy everyone and everything around you? You are death and you'll never be more than that."

“Where have you gone, my little umbra. Stay here, stay present.” Emon’s voice called out to me, shattering the hold Deridre’s hauntings had ensnared me in all while continuing his story.

"Oh, yes of course." Emon continued, narrowing his eyes at this hand, "I almost forgot what my own hand looked like.

" Winking at her, he laid it softly on her shoulder.

"One day during my travels I lost track of time and was not home in time for our mandatory family dinner. My father was furious—"

"Papa Asher," Riella interrupted.

Emon smiled patiently. "Yes, Papa Asher was not happy with me. I think that I had scared him. This was not the first time I had disappeared for days and so they thought of the most heinous unthinkable punishment. Can you guess what that was?"

Riella bit at her lip, whispering, "What did Papa Asher do?"

Emon gave her a serious look, "I was sent to bed without any dinner."

"No!" Riella gasped and I snorted, the drama demonstrated by both of them was too much, but also if there was one thing that our child inherited from both of us it was an appreciation of food.

After she had returned from sightseeing and joined us again at the table, Riella had begged Kade to tell her about every piece of food and made a point to sample it all.

There was not a single thing she did not like, and the rest of our entertainment for the evening was watching our daughter explore.

Everything was new to her above the surface and to watch her live our world in a way we had long forgotten was beautiful and humbling.

"My thoughts exactly, my cub. Fortunately for me, I was a skilled climber and escaped my prison in search of food…

and there was only one place that I knew would be close enough to home for me to sneak in and out unnoticed before my parents missed me, and it had the best baked desserts for its morning customers when the sun would rise. "

"Were there chocolate cakes?" Riella's eyes glazed over.

Emon hummed, "Oh yes. The best cakes, but also cookies, ice cream, and your mother’s favorite...pastries."

Riella pouted, "I haven't had pastries yet."

Reaching out I entwined her fingers with my own. "When we return to Finlandia, I will take you to Griffins Gateau. Drake the baker there will likely make a very special pastry in honor of you."

Riella rolled over to smile up at me. "Really?"

I kissed her sweet little hand, knowing it had the makings of a future pastry pincher. "I don't see why not."

Emon watched us, his gold eyes brightening in the dim light and I was suddenly ensnared by the pure beauty of him.

"What happened next, father?"

Realizing he had become just as ensnared, he shook his head.

"Where was I? Oh yes. Pastries." He shot me a heated look before continuing.

"I was resolved that if I could not have my dinner then I would take matters into my own hands and have dessert instead.

So I snuck out and broke into the bakery where I knew the desserts were there waiting for me. "

"That is bad right?" Riella looked between us both, “It's not good to break into things and steal."

My soulmate snorted and tapped her nose again.

"It is very naughty but it also depends on why you are breaking in.

That is the hard part about learning right from wrong, my cub, sometimes they look exactly the same and are, at times, just as sweet.

" Chuckling at the way she pondered his words, he continued, "unfortunately, I did not know that earlier that day the baker had asked a powerful warder to protect his shop against rodents that were stealing his baked goods nightly. "

I raised a brow, "Rodents?"

Emon smirked, "Yes rodents, what could possibly make you think otherwise, little umbra?"

I shook my head and Riella laughed.

"To catch these rodents," Emon shot us both a sharp look, "the baker had it warded so anything or anyone trespassing would be frozen still under its spell.

Even that would have been fine, except the baker also placed a slippery trap, one that caused me to fall face first into the floor the moment the wards were activated.

I was found that morning, my face smashed still on the floor in my own blood, with a crushed nose, and a half eaten pastry in my hand. "

I sputtered before bursting out in laughter at the same time as Riella gasped with alarm. "Did it hurt, father? Were you okay?"

Emon leaned forward and kissed her head softly.

"Yes, of course I was okay. Remember I am the strongest shifter in the universe.

It was my ego that hurt more than my nose ever did that morning.

" He stroked her hair again with a fond smile on his face.

"The baker was horrified that he had caused harm to the golden prince though and he did not hesitate to find help, which included my parents.

When the wards were finally lifted, some of the spell lingered because it had mixed with my own blood, leaving my nose to heal out of alignment.

" Emon wrinkled his perfectly imperfect nose, but to me, the defect, had only made his roguish charm even more alluring.

I laughed softly. "Daemon Ash Strider, King of Shifters, Thief of Pastries."

Riella rose up suddenly and kissed Emon's nose one more time and he blinked down at her with surprise, "What was that for, my cub?"

She smiled shyly at her father, lowering herself back down into the covers and snuggling against his chest. "Making sure my kiss will be frozen on your nose forever."

I swallowed hard against the burning emotion rising in my throat and for the sweet innocence that was our daughter. Such a goddess blessed miracle that I was just honored to be in the presence of, let alone be allowed to grow a bond with her and to be a part of her family…to be her mother.

Emon gruffly cleared his throat, "Thank you, my cub. It will always be with me now."

Riella yawned, her eyes closing, lashes fluttering over her bronze cheeks, "I never had a bedtime story before," she admitted.

Blindly reaching back, she pulled me closer to her, sandwiching her body between the two of us.

"They are just how I imagined them to be. I think I will want one every night."

My eyes blurred as they met Emon's. Tears of both sorrow and joy threatened to spill over my cheeks. "Then you shall have them every night for as long as you wish, my chickadee," I choked out.

She yawned again, her voice barely a whisper as she fell asleep. "Then I wish to have them every night for forever."

Emon kissed her softly, "Wish granted, my cub."