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I didn’t mention my son again, not to anyone, not even to Luciana. Maya and I had spoken again, two days later and she told me that she had wanted to name him August Grey de Haviland since we hadn’t been married when he’d died in her womb.

At the back of the castle, deep into the wooded trees that surrounded us, I placed a small tombstone and buried the rattle that Nova had given me as a gift when Maya’s pregnancy was announced. It was a beautiful rattle with the head of a dragon carved from Dragonstone.

I walked past his substitute grave every single day and I left my grief and regrets there. To the outside world I had dealt with my grief and then continued to be the Duke and Sire of Mintia. I would always wonder what type of child he could have been, what type of man he’d grown into and thoughts like that just kept the wound fresh. I needed that pain to stay with me.

When I walked back into the castle I put a smile on my face and soaked in the time I had with Luciana, feeling our daughter kick and listened to her ideas for baby names. It had been weeks and I still hadn’t heard from my family and that stung.

Some days I didn’t think of them at all and other days my thoughts ran rampant as I held my phone in my hand, my finger hovering over Ryder’s name. I had made peace with it all and accepted the fact that Ryder had truly written me off.

I had more than enough to keep me occupied and I spent a lot of time with the Elders. The town was growing rapidly and our economy was flourishing. We held festivals and each new mother got a baby basket from Luciana.

Children received a special gift on their birthdays and more than once we funded an exceptional student's university costs. It was the August Grey Scholarship and it had been Luciana’s idea. So far it had funded four students to further their studies and I felt proud being a part of it all.

Days turned to weeks and our lives were spent finalizing the nursery because our little baby would make her appearance any day now. Luciana was tired mostly and excitement buzzed through us and even Echo would thump his tail up and down for no reason.

I was in the office when my phone buzzed and I looked at the text I had just received.

Maya – I heard you’re expecting a new baby. Funny how you can replace August so quickly.

I didn’t answer her because there was no point. We hadn’t spoken to each other again and I had nothing to say to her now. It didn’t matter that Luciana had been pregnant before even Nicu had died and it made no difference for her to know that. I blocked her number on my phone and sighed as I shut the laptop down for the night.

Luciana and I ate dinner in our room since she was on bed rest with her high blood pressure. I rubbed her back as she groaned and then kissed her stomach as the baby kicked out and Luciana laughed. It had become part of our nightly routine and I was convinced that she’d have a dragon too.

“I wish she’d just grace us with her presence.” Luciana was really uncomfortable and I smiled as she huffed out her impatience.

“I’ve heard that sex can bring labour on.”

“I can’t even see my own feet, never mind have sex right now.”

“You’ve got one more week to go, she’ll come when the time is right.”

“Easy for you to say, you don’t have a watermelon pressing on your bladder.” She swatted my hand away as it trailed up to her breasts.

“Do you hear that my little angel? Mommy just called you a watermelon.”

Luciana gasped in mock horror. “I did not!”

I fell asleep on the edge of the bed where I’d been banished to so she could spread out and be comfortable. I didn’t mind because we always woke up entangled somehow. At eleven pm her hand landed on my face and I woke up.

“Nice.” Echo whispered in my head and laughed at my annoyance at him.

I turned on my side and instantly moved away from the wet puddle. I shook Luciana’s shoulder. “Luce … I think your water broke.”

“What?”

“The bed’s wet. Can you get up?”

 A contraction tore through her then and she screamed as she clutched her stomach and I grabbed my phone and called the doctor. He didn’t ask questions as another scream tore from Luciana’s mouth just as he answered.

“I’m on my way.”

I had prepared for her to go into labour during the night and I knew exactly what to do. I got the stack of clean towels from the cupboard and spread three of them under and in front of her. I boiled the kettle in the sitting room and then I helped her take her underwear off.

I propped pillows in behind her and helped her shift into a sitting position. I tied her hair into a ponytail so it wouldn’t irritate her and then I ran down to the kitchen and brought her a cup of ice chips. She slapped the cup out of my hand and broke three of my fingers just as Dr Marian yelled his arrival and he practically ran up the stairs.

“You’re doing great, Luce.”

The glare she gave me was cold. “I hate you, Wynter!”

Marian chuckled as he pulled gloves over his hands and then propped her knees open and started examining her. “This one is eager to get out. You’re almost there Luciana. One more centimeter to go and you can start pushing.”

“I’m never doing this again.” She was trying to catch her breath and giving me the evil eye all at the same time.

Marian had retreated to the sitting room and he was on his phone, calling his nurses to get to the castle to assist with the baby care afterwards. We had already stocked the infirmary with an incubator and anything else she might need.

Marian returned a short while later just as Luciana gritted her teeth and broke two more fingers. I could tell by the crunching of the bones in my hand and just kept smiling like an idiot. Echo’s tail hadn’t stopped thumping up and down and his tongue was hanging out of his mouth again.

“With the next contraction I want a nice big push.”

Luciana was panting now, sweat dripping from her forehead and I wiped it away with my hand. When she gripped my hand again I held my breath as she pushed. For the next hour she alternated between calling me every dirty name under the sun and trying to push out our daughter.

“One last push Luciana. It’s the last hurdle to get past these shoulders.”

Luciana gave one more big push and then she cried in relief as our daughter screamed her tiny perfect head off. “Congratulations Sire, you have a beautiful, healthy little girl.”

I kissed Luciana’s forehead as she slumped back into the pillows and the two nurses made their appearance. “She’s beautiful, Luce.”

“Come on, Sire, time to cut the cord.” Marian handed me surgical scissors and I cut the cord as a nurse wrapped her in a soft blanket and walked to Luciana’s other side and handed our daughter over.

“Oh, Wynter, she’s so beautiful.”

“You’re lucky, Luciana, there’s no tearing but I’d like you to remain as you are until the placenta is out.” Marian stood up and one of the nurses took over from him.

“I love you, Luce.”

“We need to take her to the infirmary now. Once the placenta is out the nurse will bring you to her.” I noticed the wheelchair in the corner for the first time and looked between my new daughter and Luciana.

“Go with her.” I kissed her on the mouth this time and squeezed her hand.

Marian handed her over to me and I followed him to the other side of the castle where the infirmary was nestled in the back. She scrunched up her nose as I touched her little fingers and I smiled. I placed her in the plastic cot as Marian started making notes in his file.

The nurse picked her up, weighed and measured her and then I heard her fussing as the nurse bathed her and dressed her. When she returned thirty minutes later she was swaddled in a light green blanket and making sucking motions with her little mouth.

“Have you decided on a name yet?” The nurse asked the aged old question as she handed me a bottle and I smiled.

“Still undecided.”

I sat down in the leather armchair with the bottle in one hand and my daughter cradled in my other arm. Her face was still reddish and a swath of dark brown hair framed her face. Echo’s tail stopped thumping up and down and he sat up making my eyes glow yellow.

“Something’s wrong.”

I stood up quickly and pushed the baby into the nurse’s arm and ran from the room. It felt like the longest run of my life as I finally reached the hallway leading to the suites and I smelled blood, too much of it.

Echo roared in my head with fury as I turned the corner and ran into my suite. Luciana was on the floor now, a trail of blood going from the bed to the floor. The nurse was in front of the bed, blood pooling beneath her.

“Where’s the baby?” Maya was straddling Luciana, stabbing her repeatedly as she kept asking that question.

My hand went into Maya’s back and I felt her bones crunch as I pulled my hand out and let her heart fall to the floor. She fell to the side as I fell to my knees and lifted Luciana’s head, my fingers coated in blood.

“Luce …” My voice was shaky and broken as her eyes found mine.

“Give her a … strong name.”

“Don’t leave me, Luce.”

She blinked once and her heart stopped beating as I pulled her up into my arms and the sobs tore through me. Marian halted in the doorway as he took the scene in but I didn’t even register his presence.

My tears fell on Luciana’s face and I scooped her into my arms and placed her back on the bed. I kissed her forehead and my fingers streaked bloody marks over her cheeks as I touched her face. My hands shook as I stood up straight and looked at Marian.

“Sire …”

I grabbed Maya’s arm and walked out of the room, her body trailing behind me, smearing blood all over the marble floors. I couldn’t breathe properly and when I stepped outside Echo separated from me and I climbed onto his back.

I had no sense of time, no sense of right or wrong as Echo soared through the night sky. Tears streaked down my face and I made no effort to wipe them away. Echo’s bloodlust matched mine and the only sound I heard was the thumping of my own heart.

Echo landed on the front lawn of the Winter Palace in Sinaia and I jumped down as Maya’s body fell to the grass with a thud. I threw her over my shoulder and walked towards the Palace. I didn’t feel anything and when Echo merged with me I felt a sense of power I had never felt before.

My aura came into full effect and the warriors in front of me went down to their knees. I walked past them into the foyer and everybody turned as one to look at me. The King stood by the stairs and he was clutching his shirt over his heart.

I let Maya’s body fall to the floor with a dull thud and the King screamed as he looked into her dead eyes. The first warrior pulled a gun and aimed it at my head. I heard the shot going off and it felt like time had frozen.

It glanced off of my forehead and I had no idea how I wasn’t down on the floor, bleeding to death. “Kill him!” More shots rang out and my hands morphed into claws as I killed the warriors that came for me. Every time a bullet hit me I felt an odd sensation over my skin and somehow I remained untouched.

“Florin! Come down and face me you bastard!”