The King's Mistress (Fear, Fae, and Foes Book 1) by Val Saintcrowe

Author:Val Saintcrowe [Saintcrowe, Val]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Punk Rawk Books
Published: 2023-05-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CATRIONA WAS EXHAUSTED and anxious.

She had dreams of the baby being ripped out of her arms by angry people who wished to do Ella harm. She woke and fumbled for the baby, who sometimes wasn’t there, because Elske had taken her to walk with her.

They had determined a wet nurse wouldn’t be safe, for they couldn’t be sure when little Ella’s skin might change.

It did sometimes.

Not nearly as badly as it had right after she was born, but sometimes, there was a hint here or there—under her chin, over her eyebrow.

Her eyes shifted color, also. Sometimes brown, and sometimes a shocking blue-green. It was very noticeable.

But as the days passed and Catriona recovered from the delivery, Ella seemed to settle. Her eyes settled into that blue-green color, and her skin was pale, and she sprouted dark hair on her head like her mother.

Catriona felt a fierceness toward the little being.

She knew, with a deep certainty, that the only important thing in her life was to protect her baby.

But she wasn’t sure if she’d call the fierceness love.

It was a kind of devotion, but…

Well, Catriona didn’t know what was wrong with her, exactly, but she didn’t seem to be any good at this motherhood thing. She was missing something, she thought, and she should have realized this before it all got this far. It was too late now, she supposed.

Elske loved the baby.

That was good.

Catriona herself was not quite capable of it. She wasn’t capable of, well, anything. Her emotions seemed muted and snuffed out, entirely gone. She was a sort of numb, fierce woman, with one singular purpose, to protect Ella and to do whatever it took to make sure that happened.

Elske was key. She’d do anything to make sure he also protected Ella.

As for Herrick…

One day, Elske came in with a letter, saying Herrick was on his way back, excited to see the baby.

“How does he know about Ella?”

“Well, I had to write to him and tell him,” said Elske. “It would have been odd otherwise. It’s odd that you didn’t, but I told him you are absorbed in motherhood and still recovering from a difficult birth.” That was the story as to why she and Ella were sequestered away from the rest of the palace. In truth, they were still worried to let anyone see her.

“Oh,” said Catriona, concerned.

“It’ll be fine,” said Elske. He was holding the baby, tickling her under her chin, cooing to her in between talking to her mother. “And I still feel nothing of Fadh. I have gone into the forest and touched the trees, and he is nowhere near.”

“What if it’s not fine?” She worried.

“I swear on my life, Catriona,” said Elske. He addressed Ella. “Tell your mother she worries too much.”

“I think I worry just the right amount.”

Ella fussed.

“She’s hungry.” Catriona reached out her arms for the baby.

Elske chuckled. “Not that I’m not eager for seeing hints of your breasts, but I think she’s just fine here. I’m going to walk with her, and she’s going to go down for a little nappy-nap, you’ll see.

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