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 that I loved her son. She only spoke of how, together, we would destroy the world. Not to mention, she had an affinity for randomly attacking me, as well as Ryder, who she called Alazander, accidentally mistaking the two.
It concerned me that so many of the women here were heavy with child. There was a good chance that eventually, each would need to shelter-in-place when the alarm sounded. Judging by their size and slow running due to their pregnant bellies, we had to find a better way for them to get here. While having the women shelter-in-place wasn’t ideal, it was the best we could do, considering their delicate situations.
I poked my head into one of the rooms and saw Kahleena holding court like she’d been born to be queen. The orphans sat dutifully around her, gaping as they hung on her every word while she leisurely sipped her tea.
I leaned against the wall, taking in all the kids who were abandoned on our steps. Zander leered while he watched the boys with a furrowed brow, his tiny fists balled at his sides. Cade mirrored his stance, one brow lifted to his hairline as his sister described where they’d hidden, the Blood Kingdom, in vivid detail to all the children surrounding her, hanging on her every word.
“Uncle Liam, while scarred by my grandfather, fights like a knight,” Kahleena explained, swinging her arms like she held a sword as her tea spilled on the skirt of her dress. “I plan to be a fighter one day, just like my momma.”
“Aren’t you a girl?” one of the young boys asked.
“Girls can fight, too,” Kahleena huffed, rolling her eyes toward the heavens for patience. She turned to me silently, waiting for a response, and when my lips turned up in the corners, she pointed at me. “My mom rips the throats out of her enemies, and she’s a girl.”
Oh, shit. I hadn’t been ready for that to come out of her lips.
“She’s not normal,” the boy exclaimed.
“Take it back!” Zander’s face reddened, and his nostrils flared as he gripped his tiny fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white.
“Children,” I muttered, exhaling slowly as I rubbed my temples. “There is enough fighting in our world, let us not add to it, sweet ones. Who is hungry?” I asked, changing the subject before the children ended up brawling with a horde of orphans. At their nodded replies, I heard a deep chuckle, and my attention turned to Alannah.
“Follow me, wee ones. Let’s see what the king and queen have placed upon our table, shall we?” Alannah’s pretty eyes swung to Olivia, brow raised in question. “Would you like a heart from one of the orphans? My grandchild must be half-starved with your inability to feast on flesh.”
“There is no need for that. Ristan feeds me well, Alannah.” With a saccharine smile, Olivia pushed her red curls away from her face. “He blends the hearts with fruit to remove the bitterness. In fact, I had one just this morning.”
I shivered at the thought of eating hearts and moved to my children. Hunching down to their level, I stared at Kahleena, who frowned, causing my mouth to mirror hers.
“Not everyone is like us, daughter of mine. Women were not created to fight as men, and while some of us do it, not everyone will agree that we should, and that is okay. It’s an opinion. Everyone has their views regarding what is expected of women. Even if you don’t agree, they are entitled to their point of view. It’s important for people’s opinions to be heard. Even though I am your mother and queen, not everyone agrees with what I have done, Zander,” I whispered, a smile lifting across my mouth.
“I am the only one who can be hurt by their words if I decide they are valid, which I don’t. I am not normal, and I am perfectly okay with it. I love you all, but keep in mind that they look to us to lead them. You must be kind and decide what you allow to bother you. Words cannot hurt us unless we let them. Now, go eat and make friends.” I ruffled his hair and then kissed Kahleena on the cheek. “One day, you will lead, and you will need to do so while being able to see the world through the eyes of others. Hearing their comments and opinions and not being offended is very important. Kindness is a better quality in a leader than anger; that’s important to remember.”
I stood up, taking in Icelyn’s posture as she winced, running her hand over her belly while Lilith stood beside her, rocking an infant in her arms. They remained at a distance from the other women, indicating as newly joined members of the horde, they still felt like outsiders. As I moved toward them, Icelyn cried out and bent at the waist, her hand gripping the small of her back. I gazed at the floor, watching the fluid that rushed down the inside of her legs.
“I think I wet myself,” she admitted as pink colored her cheeks.
“Darynda,” I murmured, knowing my trusted handmaiden would be close by, waiting for me to direct her. “I need my bedroom emptied of people, and towels and clean water brought in immediately.” Her eyes followed mine before growing round and wide as they settled on Icelyn. I produced a towel, lowering it to the floor, silently cleaning the fluid that continued to trickle down Icelyn’s legs.