“I’m feeling better,” she said. “My head is not as fuzzy.” She drank a whole glass of milk.
“More?”
“No, please. I’m about to burst.”
Abby took the plate and retreated with Sonya in the living room. Uthar was grateful that the females were giving him and his mate space.
He hugged Beth close to him, and they stayed like that, propped against the pillows, whispering to each other and touching each other gently. He ran the tips of his fingers over her bare arms, and she traced the tattoos she could reach, and the scars she already knew by heart. After the horrible days they’d been through, this moment felt like a blessing. All that was missing was their baby. They wanted to hold him between them, watch him sleep... And Uthar knew Beth wanted to feed him. He could feel the anxiety coursing through her as the medicine Kinna had given her was wearing off. Her body was completely healed, but her soul was incomplete.
After what felt like forever, Kinna finally showed up with the baby in her arms. In truth, it had only been another hour. The sun was just about to set.
“He is perfect,” she said as she brought the baby to them. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long. He was tiny and fragile, and he wasn’t... breathing right. But now he is perfect, and healthy, and strong. Like his parents.”
Uthar took him from Kinna’s hands and held him up. His heart melted, and he felt a sort of pain like he’d never felt before. He’d never thought pain could feel so... good. And right.
“My son,” she said.
And he passed him to Beth, who immediately cradled him to her chest. Kinna rounded the bed and showed her how to nurse him, and Uthar just sat there, in awe, watching them and not knowing what to say or do. The baby latched onto his mother’s nipple and started feeding happily, his plump little hands punching the air.
“Poor thing was starved,” Beth said. She shot Kinna an angry look. “You took him from me and refused to tell me how he was. I should’ve fed him immediately.”
The mage hung her head, which surprised both Beth and Uthar.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do because, as I said...” She sighed. “You weren’t well, either, and the baby was so distressed and struggling. I did what I could. What I knew.”
“Thank you,” Uthar said. “For taking care of my mate and my son. You did well, Kinna the Mage.”
She bowed slightly. “It is my duty and my responsibility, but I want you to know I will always do it out of love.”
He nodded, and she understood that she had to leave them. She closed the door behind her.
Beth looked up at him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be mad at her. I was just scared.”
“I know, my love. I was scared, too.” He touched the baby’s tiny foot in reverent awe. “But there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. Morok the Unhinged is gone. Your sister is cured. And we have each other and our son. From now on, we will only focus on our happiness.”
She smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
He kissed her cheek, and she turned her head to leave a kiss on his tusk. Until it was time to leave Sonya’s house and go home, they were going to enjoy these beautiful, peaceful moments.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The park was beautifully lit by torches, candles, and the huge bonfire the orcs had made right in the middle. Beth was a little apprehensive when it came to being surrounded by so many fire sources, but Abby told her that Kinna had enchanted the candles and the torches so they would burn safely. It was a trick they had had to use in their home world a lot, since they didn’t have electricity and they relied on candles. That information made her feel a little better.
A week had passed, and Uthar the Hunter wanted to introduce his son to the horde and celebrate his birth appropriately. The orcs had spread furs and blankets on the grass, brought food, drinks, and various musical instruments they were now playing. The drums were the more prominent, and Beth was a little worried they would wake up the baby. For now, he slept peacefully against her breast, his tiny hand squeezing her shirt. She rocked him gently as she hummed an old song she remembered from her childhood.
Abby, Sonya, and Kinna were sitting with her. Gorya was around, bringing them food and cooing at the baby every chance she got. Everyone was obsessed with the orcling. Beth had never had guests at her house before, but now random orcs would just knock on her door under the pretext that they’d brought her something – flowers, sweets bought at the fair, things they’d found in the abandoned buildings that they thought she’d like to have for her collection, – so they could catch a glimpse of the baby. She was annoyed at first, but then realized she didn’t have any right to be. She was just exhausted because her son needed to be fed every hour and didn’t sleep through the night. But in truth, the baby wasn’t solely hers. He belonged to the horde, and the horde was going to help her raise him.
The music got louder, and as expected, woke the baby up. He didn’t cry, though. He looked up at her with Uthar’s big, dark eyes, and gurgled. Her heart expanded so fast and so fiercely that she thought her chest would explode.
“When he looks at me like that,” she said, knowing that Abby and Sonya were listening, “I just don’t know what to do with myself.”
Abby laughed and gave her a hug, and Sonya started playing with the baby, making him gurgle and giggle.
Uthar approached them. He crouched down and looked at his mate with immense love in his eyes. She gave him a bright smile, and he placed a kiss on her lips. She could lose herself in the kiss, especially since they hadn’t a chance to be intimate since the baby had arrived. But tonight wasn’t about her. He reached for the baby, and she allowed him to take him. As if on cue, the music stopped, and the orcs became silent. When Uthar rose with his son in his arms, all eyes were on him.
“This is my son, Zikel. Let’s welcome him into the world, teach him the wisdom of our ancestors, show him how to fight for what he believes in, and how to protect the ones he loves. One day, he will earn his own name. Until then, he is Zikel, the son of Uthar the Hunter and Beth.”
Well, that sounded a bit underwhelming... Beth. She scrunched up her nose, and Abby laughed and punched her in the shoulder.