Seducing Destiny(11)
“I’m fine,” I said as I turned over and winced as one of the babies protested at the slight movement. “I think they are training for the Elite Guard already.”
Darynda smiled as she brought over a crystalline container full of blue liquid. “This is from the Fairy Pools in Scotland; well, from our side of it anyway. “There’s a story that says Danu blessed the waters of the pools for the Fae, and mothers would drink it to give their unborn babe strength for his journey into his new world.”
“Is that so,” I asked the air, hoping for some sort of confirmation to this old wives tale from the person in question, and then noted that Danu wasn’t here. Normally she was around when my eyes first opened in the morning, and today she wasn’t.
Judging from the bright shade of blue that filled the sky outside the window, I’d slept through the entire rest of the day as well as part of the night. “What time is it?” I asked.
“It’s later than you usually nap, but Ryder said to let you sleep. He said that you had taken some of Eliran’s herbs yesterday. With everything going on today, and what he’s done…well,” she tilted her head with a knowing smile, “I knew you’d want to be woken up.”
“What’s he done now?” I asked deciding her words were worth waking up for. I accepted the glass with a thank you and drained the blessed water without blinking. “Well?” I asked again when she just smiled.
“I had mentioned to the King about our lack of female books, and well, he misunderstood me and ordered them all. I think you now own every romance novel ever written.”
“Every romance novel ever written,” I whispered with a small grin spreading across my lips. “That’s a lot of books. It would take forever to just make a dent in that many novels.”
“Synthia, you’re immortal now and time is something you have in abundance. Ristan also suggested we get you some books on mothering, and birthing as well. He also said to give you this,” she whispered wickedly as she glamoured a doll.
“A baby doll—this is a joke, right?” I asked, confusion stamped on my face. She handed me the small newborn-sized doll, which started shrieking with an ear piercing cry the moment I held it. “How the hell do you shut it off?” I shouted over the wailing thing, which I held up by its leg.
“Try cuddling with it, Flower,” Ristan said from the door. I turned a horrified look up at him.
“You ass,” I growled as I tried to comfort the doll and failed. I had zero knowledge of how to calm a screaming baby; it wasn’t as if we had child raising classes at the Guild.
“Here, like this,” he said as he sifted to the bed and took hold of the doll. “Gentleness is universal. Even Fae babes love a cuddle to feel secure; smart little things also like breasts.”
I lifted a brow as he swaddled the doll in a blanket he glamoured, and rocked the lifelike doll in his arms. It instantly stopped crying and made gentle mewling sounds. I groaned. “I’m probably going to be the worst mother ever known to Fae and mankind alike.”
“No, you just need to practice making Bob here, happy,” Ristan said as he eyed my growing belly. He, out of everyone here spent the most time watching my tummy, as if he expected the twins to show him the future, or theirs maybe. “Every mother fears that she will be a bad one. It’s what makes them a parent.”
“And you think handing me a doll who hates me, will help? I’ve never had a mother, not one that I remember anyway, except for my foster mother, but those memories are mostly faded now. I’ve never even held an infant.”