A Grim Baby Read online

  “It is unlike anything I have ever experienced before.”

  “Each one is like that.”

  They watched their daughter consume her first meal for the next several minutes until, releasing her mother, she yawned and promptly fell asleep.

  Lisa laughed softly. “It’s hard work being born.”

  “On both of you.”

  “Truth.” Her smile turned into a grimace when she shifted, her sore, overused muscles protesting.

  Grim noticed and eased away from her. “You’re in pain. I’ll get Rebecca.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not.”

  “All right. Fine, might be overstating it a bit, but I want to enjoy this before the rest of the universe intrudes.”

  “This?”

  “You, me, and Adora. We’re never going to have this exact moment again, Grim. Life is going to intrude. We will have to juggle middle-of-the-night feedings, Carly’s and Miki’s needs, and our responsibilities as king and queen of Luda. So, I just want to enjoy this for a little longer, even if it means I’m in a little pain.”

  Grim carefully eased back down and pulled them both close. “You will tell me if the pain becomes too much.”

  “My vow,” she murmured as she settled deeper into his embrace and closed her eyes. In moments, she was asleep, and a few minutes later, Grim followed her.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Rebecca tapped softly on the closed doors of Grim’s and Lisa’s resting chamber. She didn’t want to bother them if they were resting, but she did need to scan the baby, and she was sure Lisa was hurting. Looking to Hadar, he just shrugged, and she raised her hand to knock louder when a disheveled Grim opened the door.

  “What?” he growl-whispered.

  “I need to check the baby and Lisa,” Rebecca told him, not intimidated in the least.

  “Let them in, Grim,” Lisa’s hushed voice came from behind him.

  Grim opened the door wider and stepped to the side, so they could enter.

  Lisa struggled to sit up on the bed while holding a sleeping baby. Rushing over, Rebecca assisted her.

  “Thanks.”

  “How are you feeling? Honestly.”

  “Sore,” Lisa admitted.

  “I figured.” Her gaze went to the baby. “How did she do nursing?”

  Lisa’s gaze followed Rebecca’s down. “Really well.”

  “Good. Is it okay if I take her? I…”

  “Take her? Take her where?!” Grim’s roar startled Adora awake, causing her to wail.

  “Hush, sweetie. Hush.” Lisa cooed as she bounced Adora, trying to calm her. “Manno didn’t mean to scare you. He just didn’t understand that Rebecca wasn’t trying to steal you. She was just doing her job as your doctor.” Lisa’s gaze went to Grim. “Rebecca is just going to scan her again and take measurements like weight and length.”

  Grim’s gaze went from Lisa to their daughter, then to Rebecca. “I see. I apologize, Rebecca. It seems I overreacted.”

  “It’s fine. It happens a lot with -first-time fathers,” Rebecca looked back to the now calm Adora. “Can I take her now?”

  Leaning forward, Lisa handed Adora over into Rebecca’s capable hands. Rebecca didn’t go far, just to the end of the bed where she laid the baby down. “Have you decided on a name yet?” she asked as she unwrapped the blanket and ran the scanner over her.

  “Adora,” Lisa told her. “Adora Seren Vasteri.”

  “A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.” Reading the scanner, Rebecca smiled at Lisa and Grim, who’d moved to sit down next to his queen. “Well, she’s a perfectly healthy, eleven and a half corzites little girl who is already twenty-five inches long. I’d say she’s going to be tall like her manno.”

  “Eleven and a half?” Lisa whispered. “Goddess, I knew she would be bigger than Carly and Miki but never imagined that much.”

  Grim frowned at Lisa. “How large were Carly and Miki?”

  “Carly was nine corzites and Miki nine and a half pounds, corzites,” she told him.

  “The larger presentation is a concern?” He looked to Rebecca for confirmation.

  “I’m fine, Grim.” Lisa reached to squeeze his hand. “I told you that.”

  “Let’s just make sure,” Rebecca said as she wrapped Adora back up and handed her to Grim. “Lie back, Lisa, and I’ll scan you.”

  “I told you….”

  “I know, but you also know I need to document this. It’s something I didn’t get to do with Kim. Other Earth females are going to need this information.”

  “Oh, right. Of course.”

  Keeping both arms around his daughter, Grim stood. With Hadar’s help, Rebecca moved some pillows around for Lisa to lie flat and then began to scan her. She did it slowly, starting at Lisa’s feet and working her way up. After spending a great deal of time over Lisa’s stomach, she continued until she reached the top of her head.

  “That all looks good.” Rebecca smiled at her as she stored the data. “Let’s get the portable repair unit set up and ease some of the pain I know you’re having.”

  “I am a little sore,” Lisa admitted.

  “I’m sure it’s more than a little, but not for long.”

  With Hadar’s help, they set up the unit.

  “What’s that?” Lisa frowned at the briefcase-sized device they brought. “This isn’t what you used on me before, Hadar. I thought the portable repair units were handheld.”

  “We do have handheld units. This is just a larger version of it,” Hadar told her.

  “This one repairs more than the handheld unit but less than the stationary unit,” Rebecca told her. “And since I know you will not have the time needed for that unit until Adora isn’t nursing every couple of hours, this was the best solution.”

  Everyone stepped back from the bed when the unit started. It moved up and down the bed, scanning Lisa much quicker than Rebecca had. It activated with a beep and then released an energy stream, concentrating on her abdominal area and lower hips. After several minutes, it shut down, and the healers removed it.

  “How do you feel?” Rebecca asked.

  Surprised, Lisa sat up with no aches or pains. “Goddess, where was that machine when I had my other two?”

  “Are you really pain-free, my Lisa?”

  Looking at Grim, holding their daughter so carefully, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and went to them.

  “I wouldn’t say completely pain-free, but on a scale of one to ten, it’s at a two, which is amazing.” As she rose on her toes to kiss him, Grim’s comm went off.

  Lisa had to fight hard not to laugh at the confused look on Grim’s face as he tried to figure out how to keep both arms around his daughter and answer his comm.

  “I’ll take her.” She expertly took her daughter from Grim and settled her into her arms. “Don’t you have a comm to answer?”

  Chapter Ten

  “What is it?!” Grim growled, unhappy to no longer be holding his daughter.

  “Majesty, sorry to interrupt, but the princesses have fallen asleep. Are we allowed to place them in their resting chamber, or shall we just allow them to rest where they are?” Ion asked.

  “Where are they?”

  “Majesty, they are currently sleeping in the suncatcher room.”

  “Grim.” Lisa’s prompt had him looking to her. “Tell Ion to let them sleep there for now, then bring them up in an hour unless they wake earlier. That will give me time to shower and feed Adora again before meeting her.”

  As Grim relayed that to Ion, Rebecca and Hadar left, leaving the new family alone again. Lisa moved toward Adora’s crib, which they’d moved in from her resting chamber. She wasn’t ready for her newborn to be so far away yet.

  “I’ll take her.” Grim intercepted her before she could lay Adora down and cradled her back in his arms.

  “You’re sure? I’m going to get in the shower.”

  “She is my daughter. I need to learn how to care for
her.” He turned his gaze to her. “With your help.”

  Lisa gave him a soft smile as Adora snuggled deeper into her father’s arms. “I will always help you, but I’d say you’re doing fine.” Leaning in, she kissed her daughter’s head and then Grim. “I won’t be too long.”

  “Take as long as you need,” Grim murmured, returning the kiss before slowly walking toward one of the couches. “We will be here.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Lisa closed her eyes as she tipped her head back in the hot water, soaking her hair. It flowed down her back, easing what aches remained. Rubbing the cleansing liquid into her hair, she let her mind wander back to the last few hours’ events.

  Had she really spoken with Mark?

  In her mind, she’d always known he would want her to move on. After all, he’d made her promise. But she’d found so much more than she’d ever thought possible with Grim. She loved him in a way she’d never loved Mark, but that was because she wasn’t the same person she’d been with him. It took nothing away from her first love, but she knew Grim would be her last.

  In her heart, she sometimes wondered if Mark would be upset with her. Because of her dream or actual encounter, her heart now knew he wasn’t. Mark’s love for her and their girls was eternal, pure, and unselfish, just like he had been.

  Rinsing the last of the cleanser away, she stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed and lighter than she’d felt in a long time. Quickly drying off, she pulled on a gown that had been tight around her waist just a few hours ago. Entering the resting chamber, she came to an abrupt halt at want she found.

  Luda’s sun was just beginning to rise, sending rays of light through Luanda’s windows. It bathed manno and daughter in a halo of warmth where they sat on the couch. Grim murmured quietly as Adora stared up at him with wide eyes.

  Moving closer, Lisa was able to make out what he was saying.

  “You are now under the protection of the Raptor, my precious one, and we protect what is ours. You shall always be safe, always be loved, and always, always be my daughter.” Adora cooed and kicked as if she understood, then her gaze shifted to her mother, and she began to fuss. Grim’s anxious gaze shot to Lisa. “What is wrong with her?”

  Lisa smiled softly as she crossed the room. Sitting down next to Grim, she took Adora from him. “She’s just hungry. Babies tend to eat every two to three hours at this age.”

  “Truth?” Grim asked, watching Lisa unbutton her gown, exposing an engorged breast that she guided to Adora’s mouth. Adora struggled for a moment, then latched onto the nipple. Lisa grimaced. “Is she harming you?”

  “No,” Lisa kept her voice low. “Your daughter is just hungry, and my nipples are a little tender. It’s already easing.”

  “Is this normal?”

  “It is.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  A firm yet soft knock had both Grim and Lisa looking toward the door of their resting chamber. Instead of ordering them to enter as he usually would, Grim rose to open the door, not wanting to wake Adora, who was once again asleep in her mother’s arms.

  “Manno?”

  Two little faces looked up at him, their expressions full of uncertainty. Crouching down, he pulled them close. “Good morning, my little ones. Did you enjoy your treat last night?”

  “Yes, Manno,” they told him.

  “Good.” Grim didn’t know what ‘ice cream’ was, but Lisa had shown Tagma how to make it and then stored it in the coldest storage room in Luanda. “Would you like to meet your little sister now?”

  “Yes, Manno.”

  With the girls in his arms, Grim rose and carried them across the room.

  “Good morning, my babies.” Lisa smiled up at them from the couch. “So you liked the ice cream?”

  “Yes, Mommy,” they chorused.

  “I’d forgotten how much I liked it,” Carly told her.

  “Then we’ll have to make sure we make it more often. Now,” she patted the cushion beside her, “why don’t you two sit here, and you can meet your sister.”

  Grim carefully set the girls down on either side of their mother, then stepped back and let his gaze travel over his family. His. Something inconceivable just a year ago.

  A year ago, he’d been judged unfit because of his scars.

  A year ago, his position as the king of Luda had been in jeopardy because no female was willing to join with him, to give him offspring.

  Now…

  Now he had a queen and three beautiful daughters.

  The Goddess had truly blessed him.

  “She’s so pretty, Mommy.” Carly looked down, enraptured with her newest little sister Lisa had placed in her arms.

  “She is, Carly,” Lisa agreed as she adjusted Carly’s arm slightly so she supported Adora’s head more.

  “What’s her name, Mommy?” Miki asked, carefully watching everything her sister was doing so she could repeat it when it was her turn.

  “Adora Seren,” Lisa smiled at her. “Adora because we liked Carly’s suggestion of Joy, and Seren because it’s the name of a special star for the Tornians.”

  “So we both helped pick out her name?” Miki asked.

  “You did, baby, yes.”

  “Can I hold her now?”

  Taking Adora from Carly’s arms, she carefully placed her in Miki’s, surprised when she immediately knew the proper way to hold a baby.

  “Very good, Miki. You must have been practicing.”

  “Carly showed me, Mommy,” Miki’s eyes never left Adora. “And I practiced in the garden.”

  “In the garden?”

  “Carly made me a bundle of sticks with rocks in it to practice.” She raised her eyes to Lisa. “Dagan practiced too, Mommy. Can he hold Adora too? He really, really, really wants to.”

  “Yes, he can. The next time we see him. Okay?” As Adora began to fuss, Lisa took her from Miki. “Now, why don’t you two go change your clothes and brush your teeth and hair. By the time you get back, first meal should be here.”

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  The ringing of his comm had Wray growling. It was early on Tornian, and he’d hoped to spend some uninterrupted time with his Kim and young daughter, Destiny. Looking at the code, he realized it was Grim’s code and quickly moved to answer it. His brother wouldn’t be contacting him this early if it wasn’t important.

  “What’s happened, Grim?” he demanded the moment the connection was made, only to sit back and smile at the image filling the screen. Turning, he called over his shoulder. “Kim, come quickly.”

  “Wray?”

  “And bring Destiny.”

  “I was just sitting down to feed her,” Kim complained, but she entered their resting chamber carrying their daughter. Her irritation quickly disappeared when she saw his screen and quickly crossed the room to sit beside Wray. “Lisa, you’ve had your baby!”

  “I have.” Lisa smiled back at her.

  “Hi, Aunt Kim, Uncle Wray, Destiny,” the girls said.

  “Good morning, little ones,” Wray replied, taking in the beautiful image before him. Grim and Lisa sat side-by-side. Carly sat next to Lisa and Miki next to Grim, while Grim held a swaddled baby in his arms.

  “Emperor Wray, Empress Kim, I present to you the newest member of House Vasteri, Princess Adora Seren Vasteri.” As if knowing the moment’s significance, Adora opened her eyes and cooed.

  “Oh my God, Lisa. She’s beautiful!” Kim exclaimed.

  “She is, isn’t she? All my girls are.” Lisa looked to Miki and Carly.

  “They are,” Kim quickly agreed, “and I’m sure they’ll be wonderful big sisters for Adora.”

  “We will be.”

  “Congratulations, Grim and Lisa. When do you wish me to make the official announcement?” Wray asked.

  “Official announcement?” Both Lisa and Kim frowned at their males.

  “It is customary for the emperor to announce the arrival of new offspring, especially if th
ey are females,” Grim said.

  Kim frowned at Wray. “But you didn’t do that with Destiny.”

  “I did, my Kim. In front of the gathered Assembly, right after you presented her. When not gathered, the emperor sends an official transmission to the lords who then relay it to their warriors.”

  “I would like to inform our House here on Luda first,” Lisa told Wray. Seeing the confusion on his face, she explained her reasoning. “Our warriors and members of House Luanda deserve to hear the happy news directly from us before the rest of the empire knows.”

  Wray inclined his head in acceptance. “Then I will wait until tomorrow to transmit the announcement. If that gives you sufficient time?”

  “It does,” Grim told his brother.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Mommy, can we go see Cook?” Carly asked.

  The comm with Wray and Kim ended when Adora started to fuss. Grim’s reaction, thinking something was wrong, had his brother roaring with laughter. Wray’s outburst scared Destiny, who began to sob uncontrollably. Wray’s frantic gaze went to his daughter.

  Lisa and Kim each shook their heads at their males and promised to talk again soon before ending the comm. Once Grim had been assured that Adora only needed a diaper change, he’d reluctantly left to take a comm from Callen. The girls remained with her.

  “See Cook? Are you still hungry? You just had first meal.”

  “No, but there’s more ice cream.” Carly’s amber eyes pleaded with her mother’s. “Pleeease, Mommy?”

  “Pleeease, Mommy,” Miki chorused.

  Lisa couldn’t help but smile at her daughters. The ice cream had been their favorite treat back on Earth. They’d always had it whenever they celebrated, whether it was something big like Mark getting to come home from the hospital or something small like both of them finishing their vegetables. Adora’s presentation definitely ranked as something big, yet it was still morning.

  “Well, just this one time,” Lisa finally told them, “because of your sister’s presentation. Tell Cook I said you could each have two more scoops.”