Then he settled at my side and urged quietly in my ear, “Rest, my doe. I will hold you and our family safe as you sleep.”

Okay, shit. Shit, shit, shit.

This was beyond sweet. This was beautiful.

“Okay,” I whispered, my arm going tight around the tiny bundles sleeping on my chest, I pulled in a soft breath, let it out on a light sigh and closed my eyes.

A few minutes later, me and my family slept safe in my husband’s strong arm.

* * * * *

I heard his roar, it wasn’t exactly close but it wasn’t far away and my eyes opened.

Soft candlelight lit our room from the four, tall iron holders around the head of our bed. The rest of the room was in darkness but as the shouted words came at me, my eyes drifted over my two swaddled babies resting on their backs in the bed, tucked close to the curve of my body and I tipped my head back on the pillows.

Looking through our room and the opened doors to the bathing room, I saw my husband standing on the balcony, backlit by the bright lights of many torches coming up from the street.

“Your golden warrior queen proves again my claiming her beauty heralds The Golden Dynasty!” Lahn was shouting. “She battled mightily and refused to taste defeat when the fruit of our union, the future of our empire challenged her. As my golden queen always does, she triumphed, bringing forth not one but two heirs planted from my seed in her golden womb!”

An excited, shocked cheer rang out but Lahn spoke over it.

“A strong, warrior prince who will be your future Dax and a beautiful golden princess who will rain beauty and bounty on all Korwahk!”

Another boisterous cheer but again Lahn kept talking right through it.

“Prince Tunahn and Princess Isis sleep in the web of safety woven from my golden queen’s magic and my might, they will grow and flourish until they carry forth our Dynasty for all our people!”

Another cheer and more from Lahn right over it.

“Hail Prince Tunahn! Hail Princess Isis! And hail your golden Queen Circe!”

These cheers rang out, hailing my kids and me but I knew Lahn was done. As usual, he didn’t bask in the frenzy he created. He turned and walked to me.

I watched him move thinking that was laying it on a bit thick but I couldn’t help but like it.

I felt my precious bundles shift and tore my eyes from Lahn to see both my babies were awake and moving in their tight wraps. Tunahn’s movements seemed agitated, even demanding. Isis’s seemed exploratory, her unseeing eyes blinking; she was awake but appeared content.

Lahn’s weight hit the bed even as the cheers continued to ring out and he whispered, “They wish to suckle, kah rahna fauna.”

Oh man.

I nodded thinking I’d have to get used to this so I might as well start now and, wincing, I shifted up to sitting.

Lahn carefully picked up Isis and handed her to me after I pulled the drawstring loose over my br**sts.

“Our princess first,” he murmured as I cautiously took her.

I was positioning her, feeling a little weird and a lot embarrassed as I offered my nipple to my daughter and Lahn picked up the fussing Tunahn.

Then, with Tunahn snug in the crook of Lahn’s arm, his other one snaked out, wrapped around my waist and he gently turned me and pulled me and Isis back so we were resting against his solid bulk.

Once there, instantly Isis latched on and started to suck.

I closed my eyes as my milk flowed, nourishing my child with my husband’s strength supporting me and all this slid through me like silk.

I relaxed and cradled my daughter to me. Lahn’s fingers stroked my side soothingly. Tunahn continued to fret.

“Our son will be greedy,” Lahn murmured and I smiled.

Like father like son.

“Maybe, in future, Tunahn should go first. Isis seemed content to wait,” I suggested.

“Me,” Lahn replied. “He took more of your womb and pushed out first. He must now learn patience and sharing.”

This was true, the taking more of my womb part. Tunahn was a healthy little bugger. Isis was dainty in comparison to her brother.

“Okay, Lahn,” I said softly, “you know how to build a warrior.”

“Mm,” he murmured and that slid through me like silk too, “and I look forward to learning how to spoil a princess.”

Man oh man.

Oh man.

I couldn’t stop it and didn’t try; I rested my head on his shoulder and turned it so I could press my temple against his neck. At this, Lahn held on tighter.

When Isis was done, it was Lahn who executed the impossible maneuver of exchanging babies and held Isis and me again while Tunahn fed (he latched on immediately and sucked hard – definitely greedy and knowing what he wanted – therefore definitely his father’s son).

I fell asleep in the middle of it, temple to my husband’s neck, son in my arms and woke up later to a dark room, my nightdress tied over my br**sts, my body sheltered against the chill under the strong safety of my king’s.

“Sleep, my Circe,” he murmured, his arm around me tightening. “You must regain your strength.”

“Where are the children?” I asked in a drowsy voice, my eyelids drifting up and down, wanting to adhere to his command at the same I wanted an answer.

“In their beds, where they will always sleep. This is our bed, my golden queen,” Lahn replied, my eyes drifted closed but before I drifted away, I heard him finish on a murmured afterthought, “Unless my golden Isis is troubled. Then she will have her father.”

I floated away thinking, oh man.

Chapter Thirty-Three

The Resurrection

Six weeks later…

“Circe! I just don’t know what to do with you!” Diandra cried, staring at me with unconcealed impatience and I lifted my hand to cup the dark head on top of the tiny sleeping body strapped to my chest.

“Diandra!” I hissed, “Shush!” My eyes slid side to side around the bustling marketplace me and my posse were wandering through. “You’ll wake Tunahn or people might hear.”

I heard a slight giggle and my eyes moved to Sabine who was standing very close to Zahnin and also by Narinda who had Isis strapped to her chest over her own little baby bump. Then my gaze moved through Claudine, Nahka, Anastasie, Oahsee, Char and Vuntus who quickly looked away, pressing their lips together, turning their dancing eyes and feigning avid interest at a stall that held a variety of leather straps men could wear across their chests.

Diandra got close to me and laid her hand on mine on Tunahn’s head and she hissed back, “I do not want to disturb your little warrior but I do not care if people hear! This cannot go on.”