Warm praise, but again troubling in nature.
He shouldn’t be confident in her at all.
They barely knew each other. In his mind, anyway.
Lizzie replied in gibberish, her statement lost over her sharp intakes of breath as she fought another wave of fresh tears.
“Did this happen to me?” Astasiya asked softly.
“No,” Sethios murmured. “But your situation was different.”
“Seraphim souls can’t perish,” Caro informed them all. “The body can die, but it’ll regenerate.”
Which was exactly what Leela had tried to tell them initially. Fortunately, they seemed to be hearing Caro.
Lizzie’s breaths were evening, and Jayson was whispering words of encouragement in her ear. Either that was still a result of Balthazar’s emotional control, or he’d finally regained his senses enough to do his job. Regardless, Leela was thankful because it gave her the peace and quiet she needed to nurture the child.
She closed her eyes, her mind seeking out the wandering soul of the infant in her arms. Stop exploring, little one, she mentally chided. It’s time for you to meet your parents in a corporeal state.
Seraphim children were born with an intelligence unlike human babies. They were already aware and understood aspects of the world that many mortals didn’t learn until they were in their teens or early twenties. It helped with facilitating their power transition at birth, which still needed to be done.
But the little darling had to be in her body for that.
Come on, sweetheart, she cooed. I feel you nearby. Find yourself and show me those pretty brown eyes. She’d seen them once initially, the alarm in them nearly breaking her heart. The poor tiny soul had felt her body deteriorating and had fled as a result. But she was mostly put back together now, confirming her seraphic birthright.
More minutes passed.
Then a sigh came from Leela as the heartbeat returned. There you are, she whispered fondly. Show me those eyes, sweet girl.
The child couldn’t actually hear Leela’s mental words, but she would sense the warmth and comfort in her essence. She was a fertility Seraphim, which meant she specialized in birth and fertilization. That also made her excel in the art of sex, similar to the fabled succubus. Only, Leela didn’t require gratification for survival; she just liked it.
A snort came from behind her, Balthazar’s hand finding her hip as he pressed his lips to her ear. “You and I are going to have a long conversation after this, Lee,” he informed her, the words whisper-soft and meant for her ears alone. “How’s she doing?” he asked in a louder tone, masking his previous statement under a guise of general curiosity.
She shivered and idly wondered if she could pretend she hadn’t heard his statement. But a nibble to her earlobe told her that would be impossible.
Only Balthazar could turn a gory moment into something sensual. She was covered in blood and unspeakable fluids, and he somehow made her feel clean and real and powerful.
She shook her head and faced him, causing his hand to drop from her hip.
He met her gaze for a brief moment, a hint of knowledge lurking in his brown irises. Then he looked down at the bundle in her arms, his lips curling at the sight of two big beautiful eyes staring back up at him.
“Well, hello there, little LJ,” he cooed. “I see you have your mother’s eyes.”
The child blinked.
He pressed a finger to her nose. “That’s all Jay,” he informed her softly. “But the cheekbones are definitely Lizzie.” Dimples appeared on his cheeks. “You’re stunning, little beauty.”
A hint of understanding echoed from her eyes, her lips moving in a sucking motion. Leela giggled. “Yes, yes. You need to bond.” She glanced up at Balthazar once more before moving around him and toward the waiting parents on the bed.
Lizzie’s eyes were huge as Leela brought forward their child, her irises glimmering with more tears. But these were the happy kind, not sad ones. “Oh, she’s alive!”
“I told you; she just needed to heal a little,” Leela said softly. “But yes, she’s very much alive, and quite a survivor, if you ask me.” She smiled fondly down at the little one who made another sucking motion with her lips. “She’s also impatient. You exchanged power during the birth, but she needs a little more.”
“How do I do that?” Lizzie asked.
“She’ll guide you,” Leela assured her. “Can you help Lizzie sit up a bit? It’ll assist with the process.” The question was for Jayson, who promptly shifted on the bed to move the pillows around and give her the space she needed to properly nurture her child.
Already Lizzie’s body was healing. Within an hour or two, she’d be back to normal. Assuming she repaired herself like a typical Seraphim. Hmm, but her gestational period had been a bit prolonged, so perhaps she’d need more time here as well.
