Drakkon

Drakkon 2 (Black Jade) - One

Exhaustion was heavy on my shoulders as Nuo's cries echoed in the large room. For such a small creature she had the lungs of an adult and could wake a dragon if she wanted to. I had been attempting to transfer her to her cot without waking her, but the instant her head touched the mattress, her eyes popped open and she screamed with all her might. It was the third time that night she had awoken after I placed her down.

I scooped her into my arms once more. Her tiny fists clenched together tightly and she swung them around violently, her face reddening with exertion. My heart sank and I sighed loudly. As much as I loved her and loved holding her body against mine, I wanted her to sleep in her cot instead of in my arms.

"Please, sweetheart," I murmured, rocking her back and forth. Tears of frustration burned the back of my eyes. It would've been easier to hand her off to a nanny or a maid, but the thought of that turned my stomach. Nuo was my daughter; I didn't want someone else raising her.

"Hush, hush." My arms were heavy as I bounced my baby up and down. She was such a tiny thing, and yet she was a powerhouse. It must've been because she was a princess, or maybe because she had Meilin's blood, but she was stubborn. Now that her crying fit started, it wouldn't end for another half hour at best.

A month had passed since Nuo was born and she was hands down the most precious person in my life. I had never thought such an instantaneous connection existed until she was born. I had heard about how a mother's love changes someone, but I hadn't realized how strong it would be. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on her that I would do anything for her.

But it wasn't easy.

The constant crying, the waking in the middle of the night, the anxiety that something was going to happen to her—it was exhausting. It also didn't help that I was still healing from labor. Walking and sitting hurt, I was still bleeding, and my hormones were all over the place.

Meilin, who was sitting on the bed with a book in his hand, watched us with dark eyes, his expression morphing to subtle annoyance. Everything about him was beautiful—his black eyes that reminded me of a starless night sky, the definition in his cheekbones and jaw, the scars on his face and neck. He was the epitome of beauty, and yet that one look of his sent a jolt of anger through my heart.

I already knew what he was going to say without him having to say it.

"We should call the nanny," he said, placing the book on his lap. His lips thinned to a grimace as Nuo wailed louder. "Daiyu, you know it would be easier to just hand her off to someone else."

I frowned. Yes. We were going to have this conversation. Again.

"Meilin, we've already had this conversation," I said with controlled patience. I leaned back on the couch as Nuo's screams slowly subsided. I breathed a sigh of relief as her eyelids started to flutter shut.

"She cries all the time. Are you sure that's normal?"

"Yes," I said. "She's a baby. Babies are supposed to cry."

"But all the time?"

"That's her only way to communicate," I said for what felt like the hundredth time.

"You look exhausted," he deadpanned. "I don't see why you're so against nannies."

"Because she's my daughter and I'm capable of taking care of her."

"You're also the empress, which means you have resources to help you." He sighed. He had told me the same thing a million other times, and I had repeated the same thing to him too, but he still harped about it like he wanted me to change my mind. "You have the privilege of having someone help you. I don't know why you won't take it."