Fiat Lux (Illuminated Book One)

Born To Die

My wallet and my phone had both been in my pockets. Thanks to the bubble, the phone was dry, and my cards were safe. Primarily my Tulane access card. I was able to get into Jones Hall; the hour wasn't incredibly late.

I made my way up to my office and then down the tiny service elevator to the very lowest floor. It was dark and a bit musky; we seldom ventured down there. But I found a hanging light and sat under it, with the baby in my arms. My baby.

As a Primordial, he was a natural shapeshifter, but in this form he sported his father's beautiful black hair and clear eyes. He still did not fuss, which I guess was good for hiding out, but he also wasn't telling me anything. Was he hungry? Was he scared? It had been too long, and I had never given birth to a half-human before. I felt helpless.

The service elevator rumbled to life, and after making a trip up, it returned and opened its doors onto my floor. "This is suitably creepy," Blair commented, striding out and scanning the room. As an afterthought, he added, "Geese."

"Blair." He was fine. Perfectly fine. In fact, he was a bit too much so. "How...."

He shrugged. "I'm a druid."

"You're completely dry."

"I'm a very good druid." He found me and stooped before me; reading his energy, I could tell it was him, boasting notwithstanding. "Are you all right?"

I nodded. He brushed his fingers along the baby's forehead, and I shifted the whole bundle into his arms. "Your son. Your son, Blair."

He held the little child against his chest. "My son."

"What should we name him?"

After studying the baby for a moment, he glanced up at me. "Ruaridh."

"Okay." I knew next to nothing about human names. I did know, though, that even though he had said "Rory," the fact that it was Scottish or Irish or whatever meant it probably looked entirely different on paper.

He stroked the baby's hair. "Ruaridh Winters."

I glanced up at him. There was something happening to him beneath that placid demeanor. What it was, I couldn't tell. He was too good at keeping things inside. Dammit, even taking a dive into the Mississippi River had not rattled him.

"He's not a baby," I said softly. "Primordials grow quickly. At the moment he's about fifteen human years old."

Blair only nodded faintly. "But he's still in baby form. He must be hungry."

"I dunno."

"Nurse him," Blair said. "He'll need it."

I unbuttoned my blouse, then took Ruaridh into my arms and nudged him toward my breast. "Do you have a plan?"

"No." He sighed. "But we need to keep both of you safe. I can ward your house against danger easily. I'll go there in the morning. You'll join me there an hour later."

"And you?"

"I'll figure something out."

I frowned. "Blair...."

"Yes?" His clear cerulean eyes settled on me. I looked away.

We were silent for a while. Blair found a book and started paging through it.

"You should get some sleep," he said after a while.

"I'm not tired," I answered. "I kinda almost just lost my life."

"Which is why you need sleep. Here." He took Ruaridh from my arms and tapped my forehead. "Sweet dreams."

I dozed off immediately.