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The OP MC 11 Chapter 2
🕑 Added 2022-02-07 03:05:51 +0000 UTC“Thank you for all your hard work” I clapped the head of the Builder’s Guild on the shoulder and flashed him a broad smile. “We’ll begin moving in tomorrow.”
The man smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but the girls came over before he could get it out.
“What’s going on?” Elissa asked as she crossed the distance to us, and Mahini and Eva were merely a pace behind the red-haired beauty. “The castle is ready?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, and I wrapped my arms around two of my women. “We can officially move in tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful news.” Eva grinned. “It’s a few days ahead of schedule, so I’m pleasantly surprised.”
“Does that mean the armory is ready for us to stash our gear in it?” Mahini arched an eyebrow as she directed the question to the head engineer.
“Absolutely,” he replied with a bob of his head. “Every room of the castle is complete, and some furniture has already been assembled for your use. You should start hiring your staff now, you’ll need all the help you can get with the little one’s arrival.”
“Good point,” I chuckled. “Between Nameless, Sorena, and the other babies on the way, this is going to be one busy household. We’ll need the extra space.”
The small iridescent dragon had spent most of the evening roosted in the rafters above the grand dining hall, but he squawked when I mentioned his name. I sent a mental image of me scratching his chin, and I received a purring sound in return.
The telepathic connection between Nameless and me was getting stronger with each day, but I’d been busy bringing peace to the Kotar Desert and hadn’t spent much time practicing talking to him. I was looking forward to having some wind down time in Bastianville to settle into the new castle, but I’d left some loose ends back in the southern realm.
“I won’t keep you,” the head engineer said after discussing various other points of the castle’s construction with my wives. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
We all said our farewells and parted ways, but that only opened the floodgates for all the other party goers to come talk to my family and me. We spent the rest of the night mingling with the people of Bastianville, but everyone’s spirits were high, and the alcohol continued to flow freely.
It was several hours later when Sorena began to cry again, but this time Elissa decided it was time to put her to bed for the night. She’d had a busy first day of existence, but that would be the life of a god’s daughter.
I said goodnight to all the well wishers on our way out, and then all five of my women and I walked back to our small house. It seemed dwarfed by the castle now, and I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to wake up in a bed fit for royalty every day.
After everything I’d accomplished, I deserved the best sleep available.
Elissa and Sorena slept in the nursery that night, and I curled into bed with the other four women. Zenda nuzzled her nose against my neck as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but Mahini was on my other side, and she caressed my chest with long, gentle strokes. Caelia snuggled against the desert goddess’s back, and Eva occupied the far side of the bed behind the blue-skinned historian.
We all took turns assisting Elissa with Sorena throughout the night, and by morning we were all still bleary eyed and sleepy, so we opted for breakfast in bed and a slow start to the day.
“What do you think about our life now?” I asked Zenda later that day as we were moving crates full of books into the castle’s library.
The entire town turned out to help us move our belongings into the new building, and many hands made for light work, so I volunteered to help the beautiful Zaborian historian organize her volumes among the shelves.
“It’s quite lovely,” my blue-skinned lover said as she flashed me a sideways smile. “Although I miss traveling already. There’s so much to learn on the road, adventures to be had, people to meet…”
“I get it,” I said. “I guess that means you want to go with me when I return to the Kotar Desert?”
“You’re going back?” Zenda paused to give me a curious head tilt. “But I thought you got what you wanted: the midwife.”
“We did, but we left a mess and my army behind when we blipped home.” I shrugged. “There’s still a lot of work to do in the south before I feel comfortable leaving it entirely up to the tribes to handle.”
“I will follow you anywhere, Bash,” the Zaborian princess said, but a coy smile twisted her lips.
“Is that so?” I lowered my voice to a husky level. “Well, what about here?”
Then I slowly leaned in and brushed my lips across hers, and a small moan escaped with her exhale. We absently shoved the books in our hands onto a nearby shelf, and our hands leapt to each other’s faces as the kiss deepened. Her tongue roved across mine, and I explored her depths with moist twists and flicks. The kiss ended all too soon as we pulled back with a sharp inhale of oxygen, but a purplish hue darkened my lover’s cheeks.
“Don’t be shy,” I said in a reassuring tone. “This is your home now. I want you to feel comfortable here.”
“Thank you, Bash.” Zenda’s blush deepened, but the smile she flashed me was full of love and happiness.
I went to check on Elissa and Sorena when we finished with the books, and I found my two lovely ladies lounging on the couch in the castle’s sitting room. Recently hired servants and other townsfolk moved about the room adding the last touches of decor, but it already looked warm and inviting.
“Looking great in here,” I said before I kissed both of their foreheads softly. “Are you supervising?”
“We were just looking for a quiet place to nurse,” Elissa said as she cuddled our daughter close. “This room has the least amount of activity in it, but the old house is so empty it feels colder.”
“We haven’t been maintaining the fire over there today,” I pointed out, but then I checked to make sure the fire in the grate here was burning efficiently.
A blanket was slung over the back of the couch nearby, but it was warm enough in the room for my tastes, so I figured the pair were doing fine. I wanted them to be as comfortable as possible as they recovered from the birthing process, but I had to remember not to worry over every detail either.
“We are fine,” Elissa said in a patient tone as she noticed me checking on them. “I wouldn’t let little Sorena get uncomfortable at all.”
“Alright,” I chuckled, and I took a seat under her stretched out feet. Then I rubbed her toes between my fingers absently as I gazed around at the inviting sitting room, and I had to admit, it looked like someplace a king would relax. “I’m glad you two found someplace quiet to nurse. The whole castle has been a bustle of activity all day.”
“There’s something else on your mind, though,” Elissa said with a shrewd look in her gemstone eyes. “What has you concerned?”
“The Kotar Desert,” I admitted, and I raked a hand through my hair. “The army is there with all the tribes on the peninsula, and I’m worried about what they’re up to in my absence.”
“You aren’t finished with the southern realm, are you?” Elissa cocked one eyebrow, but then Sorena began to fuss and kick her feet, so the red-haired beauty readjusted the babe to her other breast. “You don’t like leaving things unfinished.”
“I really don’t,” I sighed. “Just because the warlord is dead doesn’t mean there will be peace in the south. The tribes barely got along with a common enemy. I can’t imagine the peace standing for long without some kind of long term agreement. Plus, there’s still a couple of mysteries to solve.”
“Like the catacombs,” Elissa said with an understanding bob of her head.
“Exactly.” I grinned.
I was a lucky man to have such understanding and intelligent women at my side, and I could feel the tension evaporating from my shoulders as I laid out all my thoughts to my first wife. Elissa and I discussed all the pros and cons of returning to the desert, but in the end, she encouraged me to talk with the other girls as well.
I bade farewell to Elissa and Sorena with soft kisses on each of their foreheads, but I covered them up in the blanket before I made my departure from the sitting room. The sconces in the hallway were all brightly lit, and people traversed the corridor with boxes full of our possessions in their arms, but I ducked between the bodies in search of Mahini.
I found the raven-haired beauty in the armory organizing her weapons onto racks, and I managed to sneak up behind her without her noticing. I had to use all my stealth skills, but then I squeezed her butt between my fingers and elicited a loud yelp.
The pregnant desert goddess jumped around with a gasp, but when she realized it was me, she merely melted into my arms. We kissed long and deep, and she nuzzled her nose against my neck as we embraced. I felt a little jolt from her belly against my abdomen, and I chuckled as I reached down to rub her growing stomach. Our youngster was active and strong inside Mahini’s womb, and I could only imagine the handful we’d have in a few months.
“How goes the unpacking?” I asked as I stroked her shoulder length hair away from her face so I could peer into her ice-blue eyes. “Everything finding a proper place?”
“I feel so spoiled to have such a fine place to store my weapons and armor,” Mahini said, and a wry smile twisted the corners of her lips. “I feel like royalty.”
“You deserve it.” I grinned. “Come on, show me around.”
Mahini nodded, and she took my hand as she pulled me around the room to show me various things. She had a sword rack hung on one wall and a hook for her bow along another. A mannequin in the corner held her leather armor, and a glass paned cabinet held other knick knacks and special objects she’d acquired throughout her travels.
“There’s plenty of space for you to add your treasures, too,” the desert goddess informed me. “We’re having another mannequin made for your first few sets of armor that you don’t use anymore.”
“It seems like a lifetime ago that I made the dragon scale armor.” I smirked. “Now, I can’t imagine wearing anything else.”
“You certainly strike an imposing figure in your new armor,” my wife agreed.
“It may get some more use here soon,” I said as I thought about my itch to return to the desert realm.
“What do you mean?” Mahini asked as she placed a hand on a cocked hip. “Is there a threat?”
“Sort of.” I frowned. “I don’t like how things were left in the Kotar Desert. I don’t think the tribes will stay peaceful with each other for long, and there’s a huge power vacuum now that the warlord is dead.”
“Not to mention the mystery of whoever created the sandworms and the Naga,” my wife pointed out. “If there is still a powerful sorcerer wandering the desert, then my people are far from safe. You may have shown them they can defeat the monsters, but they’re not gods like you. Many lives will be lost in the process.”
“That’s all true,” I said. “I don’t want anyone to be in any more danger than is necessary, but you know how perilous the life of the desert dwellers can be. It won’t just be monsters threatening their safety. The earth itself seems determined to break spines.”
“Yet not a single soldier defected from your army,” Mahini reminded me with a proud smile.
“They’re good men and women,” I agreed. “I’m proud of how far they followed us across the desert terrain. Lesser people would have turned back toward home after the first cold night.”
“You inspire loyalty in your followers,” Mahini said. “They no doubt miss your presence among them. You should return to the desert and finish what you started.”
“Will you come with me, then?” I arched an eyebrow in a questioning manner.
“My mother is here in Bastianville now.” Mahini shook her head and placed a hand on her round belly. “And our baby will be coming soon, so I feel like it will be best for me to stay here this time.”
“I’ll always be able to blip back home to visit with you and our little one,” I said as I rubbed her growing belly affectionately.
“We will miss you,” Mahini admitted with a half-smile. “But it’s important you stick to your word. You promised the desert dwellers a better life, and killing the warlord was only the first of many steps in that process.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth,” I said, and I kissed her deeply as my heart swelled with love for the intelligent, stoic warrior woman I’d married.
We embraced each other for a long, silent moment, but we were both smiling softly when we pulled apart. There was a mutual understanding between us that strengthened our bond, and I couldn’t imagine a life without her in it. The fact she was carrying my baby only enhanced the love I felt for her, and I couldn’t wait to meet the future warrior she was growing.
“What does Eva think about your upcoming quest?” Mahini asked. “And the others? Or am I the first to hear of it?”
“I haven’t spoken to Eva or Caelia yet, but Elissa and Zenda are on board with my plan to return to the desert.” I tucked Mahini’s jet-black locks behind her ear, but that merely elicited an adorable blush, so I had to graze my lips across her darkened cheeks. “Zenda is going with me, but Elissa wants to stay home for obvious reasons.”
“I’m sure Sorena will join you on quests eventually,” Mahini chuckled. “But, yes, I understand why Elissa would want to stay home. I’ll watch over her and make sure neither she nor Sorena want for anything.”
“Thank you, Mahini,” I said, and I kissed her one more time before we parted ways. “I should go find Eva and Caelia so I can discuss my plans with them, too.”
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Mahini said, and she twiddled her fingers in farewell before she turned back to her weapons and armor.
On my way out, I passed by several townsfolk hauling my gear into the armory, but I knew Mahini would show them where to put everything, so I set off in search of the duke’s daughter.
I found Evangeline in the kitchens directing her new staff in the pantry, but pots were already bubbling on the massive ten burner wood stove. The blonde bombshell held one hand on her cocked hip as she pointed to where things needed to go with the other, and I slid my arms around her waist as I walked up behind her.
“Mmm, hello, husband.” Eva immediately melted backward into my arms. “I missed you.”
“Do you have a minute?” I asked as I nuzzled her earlobes with my nose and inhaled her flowery aroma. The noble bred beauty always smelled fresh and clean even after working hard and getting sweaty, but it was only one of many things I adored about her. “There’s something I want to run by you.”
“I always have time for my handsome husband,” my beautiful wife said as she slid around in my arms to face me, and she tilted her head up to give me full access to her lips. We kissed deeply and passionately for a long moment, but when we came up for air, her smoky gray eyes were twinkling with delight. “What has you seeking me out in the middle of all this activity? You must have a million things to do still.”
“I have some things I want to take care of,” I agreed. “But I can’t shake these thoughts about the Kotar Desert. I feel like I left some unfinished business down in the south, and I want to return to complete what I started.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Eva said instantly. “We are far from done in the south. The tribes will go back to their inner fighting any moment. We have to establish a new order of governing to keep them at peace with each other. Timing is of the essence, too, because we will want to capitalize on their recent unity against the warlord and his tribes.”
“Exactly.” I laughed out loud. “That’s precisely what I was thinking.”
“I like to get to the point,” Eva chuckled, but then a serious expression crossed her face. “You know I’m going with you, right?”
“You don’t think you’ll be suffering from morning sickness still?” A worried frown knitted my eyebrows together into a stiff line. “I want you to be comfortable, and we just moved into the castle, so I thought you might like to spend some time enjoying yourself here.”
“Don’t even think about leaving me behind,” Eva said, and she wagged a finger in my face. “I’m going with you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of trying to stop you once you set your mind to something.” I smirked. “I still remember your father trying to tell you no. I’m not a fool.”
“Smart man.” Her gray eyes twinkled with amusement. “Now, kiss me again, husband.”
“Gladly,” I said as I pulled her against me once more.
Our lips met easily like the familiar lovers we were, and her mouth opened to give me access to her delicious tongue. I enjoyed delving deeper into her, and I closed my eyes as I lost myself in the moment. My hands roamed southward to cup her ass cheeks, and she moaned into my mouth.
Then Eva’s hands buried themselves in my hair, and she pulled me tightly against her as she kissed me with every bit of passion she possessed. Her tongue danced with mine like two swans swirling across the surface of a pond, and my groin twitched as my entire body responded to her desire.
“Fuck,” I breathed when we finally came up for air. “How do you just continue to get hotter?”
“I think this pregnancy is making me want you even more,” Eva admitted with a sheepish grin. “I find myself thinking about your cock every minute of every day. I just want you constantly.”
“That’s sexy as hell,” I informed her in a serious tone. “Never stop.”
“It would be nice to be able to think of other things sometimes,” Eva laughed. “But you’re always my first priority. I want to please you, so you let me know when you need me.”
“I most certainly will,” I promised. “But I need to discuss my plans with Caelia still, so I’ll take you up on that promise later.”
“Caelia should be down at the store,” Eva said. “She left a short while ago.”
“Cool.” I grinned. “I need a walk through the cold air to chill me off after that kiss.”
“Don’t get too chilled,” Eva teased. “We can’t have the God of Time getting sick, can we?”
“Gods don’t get sick,” I said. “Don’t you worry about me.”
I had no way of knowing if my words were true or not, but so far, I hadn’t caught any bugs or illnesses since coming to this medieval fantasy world. I had always been a healthy person, though, and never really got sick that much as a kid. I hoped it was genetic, and that my kids wouldn’t suffer from mysterious illnesses not even a god could fix. Parenting seemed to mean sudden worries popping into my thoughts out of nowhere, and I shook my head to dispel the images of Sorena and my other babies coughing.
I’d cross those bridges when, if ever, I came to them.
I ducked out of the castle, and I pulled the hood of my cloak up over my head to guard against the wind chill. Spring would be coming to Bastianville soon, but the winter winds were sticking around for longer than usual. I was looking forward to the heat of the desert after a few weeks in the cold, but I would miss the quaint, sleepy town I called home.
I found Caelia right where Eva said she would be, and the beautiful dark-skinned shopkeeper was busy organizing merchandise on a shelf when I opened the door to the general store she owned. Caelia looked up with a bright smile when I entered the shop, and I quickly crossed the distance to my lover and swooped her into my arms. Her thick juicy lips met mine instantly, and the taste of cinnamon was fresh on her tongue.
“What a greeting,” Caelia giggled when I finally pulled back. “I missed you, too, Bash.”
“I just can’t get enough of your flavor,” I laughed. “Did you eat something delicious recently or is that just how you taste?”
“I had some spiced tea with cinnamon,” Caelia admitted with a blush darkening her cheeks. “I’m surprised you tasted it, the tea is very mild. The desert people drink it much stronger, but I like it mellow.”
“Speaking of the desert,” I sighed. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“What’s going on?” Caelia matched my expression with a frown of concern.
“Nothing dire,” I said, and I smiled to soften my face. “I’m just worried the tribes won’t remain peaceful with each other for long. There’s a lot of unfinished business in the desert that I still need to take care of.”
“Of course.” Caelia nodded. “We need to establish our trade routes so Bastianville can corner the market on southern goods. People will travel from all over Sorreyal to avoid having to venture into the desert realm for the goods the desert dwellers make.”
“That’s true,” I laughed as I thought about how each of my women had raised a different point regarding the desert. There certainly was a lot of unfinished business to take care of, but my empire was steadily growing. Soon, I’d be able to send dignitaries and ambassadors to do this sort of thing for me, but for now, it was up to me to represent myself.
“I’m going with you,” Caelia added. “I had my eye on the bazaars but never got a chance to fully stock up on southern merchandise.”
“That’s fine with me.” I laughed again as I gave her a rueful shake of my head. “You’re incredible. You know that, right?”
“So you tell me,” Caelia giggled, and she tucked a stray brown curl behind her ear as she looked away with a shy smile.
I helped her finish her tasks, and then the two of us returned to the castle for dinner with the rest of the women, Sorena, and Nameless. The little dragon had his own roosting spots in every room of the castle, and he squawked happily from the rafters when Caelia and I entered our new home.
“Hey, Nameless,” I called up to him with a grin. “Ready for dinner?”
The silvery iridescent dragon flitted down from the rafters to land on my shoulders, and we all walked together into the dining room. There were two different chambers built for dinners in the castle, but we went into the smaller, more casual of the two for our family meal. The grand hall was better suited for hosting large gatherings like we had the night Sorena was born.
Mahini, Eva, Elissa, and Zenda were all standing in the dining room already when we arrived, and they’d set up a platter of raw meat for the little dragon, so he shoved off from my shoulders to attack his dinner with a voracious energy.
“It’s about time,” Elissa teased as she rocked our daughter in her arms. The sleeping infant sighed and smiled without waking up, but I still brushed a soft kiss against her forehead as I greeted all my women. “We almost sent a servant to find you.”
“Apologies, Bash was helping with merchandise in the store,” Caelia explained. “I haven’t spent that much time rearranging my shelves in a while. It was much needed.”
“Well, dinner is prepared,” Eva said as she gestured at the table like a perfect hostess. “We have roast duck, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, and okra.”
“Plus, the flatbread.” Mahini practically drooled as she said the words.
“And wine!” Elissa added with an adorable giggle. “Make sure to drink enough for me since I can’t have any while I’m breastfeeding.”
“It looks fantastic,” I said as I took my seat at the head of the table. “It’s so nice to gather together for a family dinner in our new home. I’m so proud of all the hard work you’ve all put in to make this possible. I couldn’t be happier to make a home with all of you.”
“You know we do everything with love for you,” Elissa said as she sat down on the opposite end of the table.
“You are the one who truly makes our home possible,” Mahini continued while she took a place near the new mother. “Oh, I meant to tell you earlier, but my mother sends her regards and apologies for her absence at dinner. She decided to have the evening meal with Torya and Theodora at the inn tonight.”
Mahini’s mother, Aranini, earned a night off after helping deliver my first child, but the midwife had a room in our castle as well. I was eager to see her and Mahini reconnect with each other after being separated for decades, but they had all the time in the world, and I was happy the soon-to-be grandmother was making friends in Bastianville.
“We are proud to be yours,” Eva added, and she sat to my right with a wide smile.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side,” Zenda said, and she took the chair to my left.
“You’ve given us a family, Bash,” Caelia finished for the girls as she took the last chair at the table. “Our lives have been forever changed for the better.”
I blinked away emotion as I gazed around the table at the five wonderful women and beautiful infant I called my family, but Nameless chomped noisily on his food and broke the emotional tension in the room. We all laughed at the small dragon’s antics, and then we dug into the wonderful meal the new castle staff had prepared for us.
The roasted duck was perfectly cooked and seasoned with local herbs, and the dark meat melted in my mouth. The savory taste combined well with the vegetables, and the flatbread was like the icing on the cake. I enjoyed every bite, but soon grew too full to move much.
I loosened the string of my pants, though, because one of our new servants, Celeste, brought out dessert.
A steaming pumpkin pie was placed directly in front of me, and my mouth watered as the sweet aromas met my nostrils. The young lady who served us had first come to Bastianville after her parents’ death, and she’d won a competition to join my entourage to see the king of Sorreyal. I hadn’t seen her much since we’d returned to town from the Summit of Nobility, but it was good to see she’d found employment among the castle staff.
Celeste sliced and served the slices of pie to all of us, and I insisted she take a piece for herself. The six slices were quickly consumed, but Nameless tossed his meat into the air and caught it in his chomps, and his happy growls made us all laugh for the majority of our dessert. The tiny dragon enjoyed the attention, and he became more and more dramatic the more of it he received.
Sorena still slept peacefully in her mother’s arms for the majority of the meal, but as the dishes were being stacked and placed on a cart, the infant began to fuss and wriggle within Elissa’s grasp. The new mother readjusted the baby in her arms, but Sorena would not calm down.
Then the screaming started.
The lungs on my new daughter were incredible, and the pitch her cries reached hurt my eardrums. We all rushed to Elissa’s side in an effort to help distract the baby from her displeasure, but no amount of silly faces or baby talk was helping in the slightest.
Elissa exposed her breast and showed the baby to her nipple, but Sorena was not interested in nursing either. Her poor little face scrunched up tight as tears poured from her gemstone eyes, and my heart hurt at the sight of her upset.
“What can we do?” I asked loudly over the sound of the screaming infant. “Maybe take her outside?”
“It’s too cold!” Elissa shouted back. “Maybe she needs her nappy changed.”
Mahini scooped the baby up and took her away, and we all sighed with relief as the sound of crying faded away down the hallway, but she returned momentarily with a clean, dry, still screaming infant.
“That did nothing,” the warrior woman noted unnecessarily as she deposited the crying baby in my arms.
“You don’t say,” I chuckled despite the stress of trying to please a newborn baby. It was such a complete shift from her normal demeanor I’d grown accustomed to, but it would be Elissa’s daughter that ended up being the screamer.
I gently bounced the baby in my arms, and I paced around the castle with the women trailing behind me with worried expressions on their faces. It would have been comical if I could have focused on anything other than the sound of my daughter crying.
Nothing was working.
So, I started to sing.
I ran through the first few songs that came to mind, but they were random things like Smells Like Teen Spirit, Gettin’ Jiggy With It, and Wonderwall, by Oasis.
Sorena suddenly stopped crying during the chorus and stared up at me with tear-filled green eyes, and my breath caught in my throat at the solemn look on her face. The second my singing faltered, however, her face scrunched back up, and she began to scream once more, so I jumped right back into the song.
I sang my heart out for my daughter, and silence echoed through the halls as everyone stopped to listen.
Sorena blinked slower and slower until her eyelids hovered ever so slightly open, but then they shut completely, and a contented sigh escaped her little lips. I continued to sing as I took her toward the nursery, and my heart slammed against my rib cage as I attempted to lay her down in the beautiful crib her grandfather had given her.
I cradled the back of her head in one hand, and I tucked my other beneath her bottom as I slowly transferred her into the crib bed, but then I turned with a triumphant grin to the five women staring at me in wonder and awe.
I gestured silently for them to back out of the room, and we all tip toed away like we were leaving a loaded bomb behind, because, well, we were.
“Bash!” Elissa gasped in surprise as soon as we were safely out of earshot of the sleeping infant. “How did you do that?”
“What was that song?” Zenda asked in a curious tone.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Mahini asked.
“You’re incredible!” Eva shook her head in amazement.
“I think it’s safe to say we are all in awe of you,” Caelia said with a wry smirk.
“It was just a little song,” I laughed as I raked a self conscious hand through my hair. “It’s called Wonderwall, by Oasis. It was popular in the nineties.”
“Where are the nineties?” Zenda tilted her head as she said the unfamiliar word, and her melodic Zaborian accent was made even more obvious.
“It’s a period of time,” I explained.
“I want to learn this song,” Elissa said, and her emerald green eyes flicked to the nursery door. “It seems as though it may come in handy.”
“Unless it’s only her father who can work that special kind of magic,” Mahini pointed out. “You may be summoning him from the desert regularly to perform for the little one.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make her not scream like that ever again,” I laughed. “She is loud!”
“What else would you expect from the daughter of a god?” Caelia cocked a hip to one side and planted a hand on it. “You can woo a crowd of boisterous people and have them hanging on your every word. Your daughter was bound to have a powerful voice as well.”
“You’re saying this is my fault?” I smirked.
“That’s certainly better than saying she gets it from me,” Elissa said with a mischievous smile.
“I imagine all of your children will be powerful demigods,” Zenda said in a scholarly tone. “The genetics of immortality are a mystery, but having powerful parents usually equates to having powerful offspring. The predators of the animal world have the most independent young. People in positions of power pass their legacies down to their descendants. It’s just the way of nature.”
“I love how nerdy you are,” I teased.
Zenda blushed a coral hue, and I couldn’t resist the urge to rub the back of my fingers across her cheeks. Her sapphire eyes blinked up at me and slowly filled with desire, and my body immediately responded to the silent message in her gaze.
“Uhh,” I said, and I swallowed hard to regain my composure. “I think I’m ready to turn in for the night…”
“Oh?” Elissa giggled, and her emerald eyes flicked between Zenda and me. “Anyone in particular you care to share your bed with tonight?”
Zenda’s blush darkened as she glanced around at the other women as though seeking their permission, but they all merely chuckled and shoved her in my direction.
“Go, you two,” Eva said in a decisive tone. “Have fun!”
“Watching you be a good father…” Zenda bit her bottom lip. “It stirred things in me.”
“Oh, we understand,” Mahini laughed. “It was very attractive, but we all agree it’s your turn tonight.”
“You’re sure?” Zenda asked.
“Definitely,” Caelia said with a firm nod.
“You girls have the best ideas.” I took Zenda’s hand and smiled wide at the rest of the women. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”
“We’ll get Nameless in bed, too,” Mahini promised. “Just focus on that shy historian for now.”
“Deal.” My grin threatened to split my face in half.
I was one lucky man.
