Revealing the Monster (Playing with Monsters #4) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,74
even when awake, I could still see the look of love burning in her pretty tranquil sea-colored eyes.
The shadows behind the incubator moved, and I stared at the nanny who attended our son in his stasis. Larkin was a gentle soul, one I’d been given as a debt from Death. She’d been murdered because of the blood running through her veins, paying for the sins of her father. If she’d lived, she would have become the Queen of England, but she hadn’t realized her father’s murderous bride’s intent until death had claimed her.
She bowed, and her dark hair covered her face. Lifting her head after a moment, she smiled, which made her almond-shaped brown eyes sparkle. Then, stepping from the shadows, she slid her stare to my son, waiting for me to speak.
“How is the little prince today?” I asked, putting my hand on the incubator, watching the runes come to life with a blue glow, igniting a spell. The moment the magic lifted, I opened the door, placing my hand onto his slumbering form.
Lifting Harbinger from the incubator, I held him against my chest, inhaling his scent deeply. He had black hair, wispy but thick. His skin was soft and warm from being in the heated box. If he opened his eyes, they would be the color of the midnight skies, banked with sparkling golden flecks. Lena said it had looked like I’d swallowed the entire galaxy in my gaze, and she was damn close with her assessment. My son held the same power, which would be a gift and a curse.
Running my nose along the top of his head, I cradled him against my chest, closing my eyes. I’d never thought it possible to father a child, but Lena was a miracle, one that had given me the perfect son. I prayed he would hold the same belief in me that Lena did, and had the same fire that his mother held within her.
“He remains in stasis, Lucian,” Larkin stated, her soft voice echoing through the room. “Harbinger is strong, though, like his father. He fights the stasis in which the Sandman holds him. He says that our little prince is dreaming of his mother. To Harbinger, she is the world.”
“He’s not alone in thinking that,” I muttered, knowing how he felt.
His baby-soft flesh reminded me of how precarious his life was at the moment. I’d brokered a deal with Death, and I wouldn’t undo it, either. Lena didn’t understand what coming back from the dead had done, creating a ripple that ended her line. I could have intervened, but not even I knew what price Death would ask for both of them back.
Her grandmother had known what was about to happen. I’d given her the option of dying with or without pain. She’d chosen well, and in doing so, she’d never felt or seen anything once the demon had taken possession of her body. Sarah had also left Lena a letter, as had Kendra. They’d understood why they were dying and that it was inevitable.
You didn’t escape death, and if you did, you paid a hefty price in doing so. I’d offered to prevent Kendra from joining the others, but she’d accepted what was coming.
I’d asked her to choose between herself, Magdalena, and both of their children. She’d chosen to follow her family and permitted me to protect the three who remained. I’d also asked more of Kendra, knowing that I’d need a way to save Lena in the event that something happened.
Kendra had allowed me to place the runes on her wrist, freeing her soul to be reused inside her twin, which was a perfect match. She could never house enough to allow the seal to grasp onto, but there was a suitable amount to regrow Lena’s soul continually, so that she held her emotions. And as much as I needed Lena to think like an immortal, I loved her feelings because they were a part of what made Lena who she was. Kendra had agreed that Lena needed to remain herself to raise Makenna in her absence.
I lifted Harbinger higher into my arms, holding him to my chest to place my nose against his forehead. The thought of Lena finding out that our son was alive caused something within me to heat as warmth spread through me. I’d been cheated from seeing her swell with my child, carrying him inside her body. She’d been cheated of that too, and so much more.