Chapter 32
Linessa's and Aiden's happiness was awe striking and beautiful. It lasted for nearly two months in which Linessa was rarely away from the baby and Aiden tried to be near Rayne every chance he got. It was almost amusing to see how he ran out of the peace meetings looking worried until he burst through his door and saw his child and her mother. A smile would light up his face and he'd go over to them. He'd hug Linessa and kiss little Rayne on her small head. Jealousy never even crossed my mind as I watched them. Instead a gentle warmth settled over the once hostile castle and even Millie was getting a bite of it. The stable hand that she thought was looking at me wasn't looking at me but at her. She got married during the calm period.
Lawrence had only cold feelings during the entire time. He tried his hardest to put on a smile for the new parents but when we were alone, he couldn't touch me. I didn't mind. I knew that he was trying to control his instincts. A new baby wasn't helping the matters. As the two months passed, he became bitter and he never went anywhere near me without anyone else around. His markings kept getting thinner and thinner trying to touch me and mine responded with curiosity more than anything else. When he felt it, he would pull them back and glower at his hands.
It ended when the news arrived that Aiden's father was coming to sign the treaty and the warmth disappeared. Everyone, servant and royalty, got busy with trying to make everything ready for the king's arrival. I saw less and less of everyone as the days dragged on until Aiden informed me that I was to stay at the castle when he went to go get his father with Prince Lawrence. Linessa was moved to the room next to mine and he instructed me to stay and protect her with my life. As my prince, I couldn't object. So I saw them off and I felt the tendrils of Law's markings touch me for a second longer than usual. I smiled gently at him and the bitterness seemed to leave his face. He grinned one last huge smile with a wink and spurred his horse into the town.
"Don't you hate it when the ones you love leave?" Tynan sighed beside me and I glanced over at him.
"Who's leaving you?" I questioned as I walked leisurely back inside. No one was giving me work to do because Aiden had told them that I had some errands to run for him.
"Liana. She's gone to talk to the elders for permission to marry me," he admitted and I slapped him on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for!"
"You should tell me these things! I still thought that you wanted to marry me because you wanted to make me queen of the world. I was avoiding you because of that," I scoffed at my own stupidity. He was looking back at me with raised eyebrows and I glared at him. A slow ironic smile appeared on his face and he nodded slowly.
"Well, at least we'll be able to have some fun while both of your princes are gone," he waggled his eyebrows and bent to kiss me.
"Do that and you'll see me get eaten by my markings," I informed him before he could reach my face and he pulled back so hard that he had to take a step backward.
"Are you serious?" he gapped at me and I nodded.
"I could show you the mark but I think my lover might get jealous," I replied just as flippant and he shook his head.
"Would he know?" he questioned and I nodded as I went towards Linessa room.
"With the bite he gave me? I'd be surprised if he didn't hear every word we say," I replied dryly and he followed me into her room.
"Linny, did you know that your prince and our dear little Naomi are mates?" he asked the mother and she gapped at the two of us.
"What? Naomi...that's...horrible! You two won't be able to have kids or even go out together at all! What the hell made you do that?" she stared at me with huge accusing eyes and I sighed.
"You think I had a choice? He bit me before he even got me in bed!" I retorted and her eyes grew bigger until they were taking up most of her face. Tynan's face seemed just as startled and I frowned at the both of them.
"Do you realize how monumental that is? It's huge! That man hasn't been able to love anyone his entire life and then you come along and just slap him in the face with it! Like a true love story," she sighed and I actually felt bile rise in the back of my throat.
"Please don't repeat that," I muttered leaning against the wall and little Rayne gurgled happily at my voice. Linny held the baby girl out to me and I took her into my arms. She patted me on the face with her small hands and I smiled at her.
"What do you think little Rayne? Do you think that Lawrence and I will have a chance?" I asked her and the other two glanced at each other.
The baby grew still and she lay in my arms that way for a long moment before reaching up and putting her hands on my mouth. Her large red eyes stared at me seriously as she patted my lips three times.
"Nammy, Nammy," the baby said easily and I gapped at her. Babies weren't supposed to talk until they're around the fourteenth month. It was only Rayne's second.
"Is that normal?" Linessa stared at her child and her baby tapped me on the mouth again.
"I know that Seleniums grow up faster than normal humans but this is amazing," I admitted and Tynan made his way over.
"Almost as if she's a dragon and Selenium mix," he murmured and I shook my head dislodging Rayne's hands which settled on my throat.
"They can't mix. The birth would have more dangerous risks than anything else. Linessa would've died during childbirth. Plus, the child will either be Selenium or Dragon. They can't be both," I told them and they stared at the baby in my arms.
"So what is she?" her mother mumbled looking confused and frightened at the same time and I shrugged. Rayne put her hands back on my mouth as I gazed down at her and she opened her mouth to speak.
"Nammy hap wit Lala," she said her small mouth puckering at my confusion.
"What did she say?" Linessa asked even more confused.
"I'm Nammy but what's hap, wit, and lala?" I frowned and the dragon king reached out to touch the little girl but the baby squirmed as he neared her. I took a step back from him and she stopped wiggling.
"I don't think she likes you," I noted aloud and he shook his head.
"It's not that she doesn't like me but rather...no, I need to research some more details," he muttered to himself and Rayne turned her head to watch the dragon leave.
"Nammy hap wit Lala," she repeated sleepily at the dragon's exit and I turned back to her confused. She suddenly moved her small hands to my mark and she patted it.
"Lala," she explained and I blinked.
"What's hap?" I asked and her face suddenly burst into a happy gurgle. It disappeared as quickly as it came and I smiled at her.
"I see," I said and kissed her lightly on her pale forehead.
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