Burning Ceres (7 page)

Epilogue

Ceres’ pregnancy progressed without any trouble. It kept her off her feet in the final month, but she had no lack of visitors as her mother broke all protocols by moving in with
Keona
Adonai
in the next room.

Keona
and Neola got along famously and devotedly attended to the health of the baby growing in Ceres with fanatical attention.

She
couldn’t
walk across the garden without one or the other with her, or sending
Amani
to attend to her.

Raanan
was at the capitol
making arrangements
for a mining expedition into
Nyal
space when her labour began. A priority message
was sent
, and the note that he was on his way back was received.

She cursed in twelve languages as the pains spread through her, waves that grew over the course of hours. At one
point
the one of the servants was actually taking a recording of the variety of creative epithets that she managed to come up with to replay for master
Adonai
later.

When he
arrived
the entire household heaved a sigh of relief. In her final month, only his touch had kept her calm, and her temper restrained.

“Ceres, you are bellowing like a water cow. Relax.”
He stroked her head and was pinned by her almost black gaze.

“You are finally here?” Her hand gripped his, “What took you so long?”

“Your father wanted to come with me. He and my father are downstairs waiting.”

“What the hell are they waiting for?” She was almost shrieking in her frustration at her body being out of her control once again.

He began to laugh at her. “They are waiting for the baby, love.”

She blinked in consternation, “Oh. Well, now that you are here, I can get this over with.”

“You can indeed.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead and moved behind his wife to support her as she began to push.

She
was fully dilated
and had been for an hour. A few hard
pushes and some more cursing later
and the heir to the
Adonai-Avedis
fortunes slid into the hands of the mid-wife as the baby took its first wailing cry. The child was wrapped and given to its
mother
as it was, all sticky and flushed.

Ceres looked down at her baby, then up at her mate. “He’s beautiful.
Kirlus
Adonai-Avedis
.
Our little boy.”

Tears were running down
Raanan’s
face as he touched the soft cheek of his son. “Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.”

* * * *

As his parents kissed and their minds shared their joy, a tiny fist waved in the air as red eyes opened in the wrinkled face. A perfect blending of
Nyal
and Azon genes, he would lead the empire into a new golden age.

But first
he needed a clean diaper.

About the Author

Viola Grace was born in
Manitoba
,
Canada
where she still resides today. She really likes it there. Her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking,
metal work
, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain
maille
, and a few others that have been forgotten.

Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature.

A brilliant mind, with a twisted sense of humor.