Turning, I peered down the hallway as the sound of footfalls echoed from the other end. Lilith and Icelyn appeared with their arms full of little ones.
“Darynda, with me,” I said urgently, moving toward the women who had dirty children behind them. Mixed fae orphans were being dropped off daily at castles throughout the many kingdoms as a result of the mage war currently ravaging the countryside. Ours had been overrun with little babes, changelings, and other creatures’ offspring lately. It looked like we were building an army of filthy but cute tiny urchins.
Once I reached Icelyn, I took the tiny bundle from her arms as her hand moved to her swollen belly. Her face scrunched up, and a frown tugged at my lips. Darynda picked up a small changeling and held him to her hip before catching my eyes over Icelyn’s ice-blonde head. Glancing at Icelyn’s belly, Darynda’s mouth flattened into a straight line, and she absently worried her bottom lip as we ushered everyone into the protection of the tower.
When we reached the door, I spun on my heel, tilting my head to the right while I used my inhuman hearing to see if anyone else was rushing toward us. Leaning forward, I peered into the room, gazing at the multitude of little ones along with the few heavily pregnant women getting settled inside.
I silently stepped inside the room and placed my hands against the wall, waiting as the glowing blue runes sealed us into the safety of the heavily warded tower. It was Ryder’s version of a safe room. We had ample supplies and multiple rooms and nooks that could be filled with people.
It was also his idea of a pretty prison to hold us, so when the big bad warriors went to war, us damsels could sit around drinking tea and eating biscuits. As proof, Darynda was taking coffee and tea orders. Ryder was one stage above a caveman, and yet I loved him all the more for it.
The main room was big enough to fit a large assembly, but with the babes and children huddled together, it still felt confined.
I exhaled, regaining my composure, then noticed Olivia rubbing the small of her back, which bothered me.
Ciara, on the other hand, was bouncing Fury on her ample, protruding belly while he giggled.
Icelyn stood away from them with Lilith at her side; they’d bonded over the similarities of their former lives. They both came from the lesser courts, and as such, had given us a wide berth. We were trying to close that gap, wanting them to realize sooner rather than later, that they were family.
“Keely, Meriel, and Faelyn, we need food placed on the tables in the other room. See that it is prepared and set out so the little beasties can eat before they start gnawing our legs or something else. Darynda, make sure the other handmaidens prepare the bedrooms for our guests; worry about tea and biscuits later,” I instructed low but clearly. Clapping my hands, I plastered a smile on my face, hoping to reassure everyone that everything was going to be okay.
My chest rose and fell as my gaze flitted around the room, never settling on a person or object too long. I worried about what was happening outside the walls of the fortress. We had no way to communicate outside the barrier of the stronghold to learn what was going on, which was a huge design flaw. We only had cell reception within the castle walls. I did better in battle than I did being locked in some tower like a damsel in distress. It wasn’t sitting well with me. I needed to know Ryder was okay, and I wasn’t good at waiting idly by while he fought our battles without me.
Silently, Ristan’s mom, Alannah, slipped in beside Olivia, scrutinizing her through a silver glare that matched her son’s. For a petite demon, Alannah sure loved to stir up shit. Ryder’s mother, Kiera, played similar games, forcing him to move her to the Dark Kingdom.
She still spoke of dark omens and refused to keep her distance from the children and me. It didn’t matter