A thick length of white tulle ran down the middle of the table to puddle on either end. There were no chairs at the end of the table strictly for that purpose. Beneath the tulle were strands of fairy lights. White tapers had been set every few feet down the middle of the table. One-inch-thick tree limbs held the votive candles placed between the tapers. Winding through the candles were sprigs of rosemary connected to look like one long runner. Added to the rosemary were sticks of cinnamon, as well as oranges with cloves stuck in them.
Each place setting was white with scalloped edges. Atop each plate were three candy canes tied together with a bow, each with a place card so everyone knew where to sit. The utensils were gold, and the red napkins added an extra pop.
“Wow,” Kyran whispered, awe in his voice.
“You might have missed the view through the windows with everything else there was to see.”
He chuckled and nodded. “I did at that.”
“Then let me show you.”
River pulled him toward the rear of the building. She opened the doors, and they stepped outside. More of the lighted sticks had been placed strategically around the seating area and along the edge of the mountain. Fur blankets awaited them on the sofas while a fire danced in the glass of the firepit.
She turned to glance inside, and that’s when River saw the horizontal sticks on the outside of the building that held round, gold and white ornaments suspended from various lengths of red ribbon. There were also tall glass cylinders filled with fairy lights that mingled amid pinecones at the edge of the curved sofas.
“Is it everything you wanted?” Kyran asked as he wrapped an arm around her.
“That and more.” She looked up at him.
He raised his brows. “This view is stunning. The snow does make it feel more like the season. I can’t decide which area I like more.”
She laughed and leaned her head against him. “We have all night to use it however you’d like.”
“I think, right now, I want to just stand here with you and look at the stars.”
River snuggled against him for warmth. “I like the sound of that.”
Chapter Six
The atmosphere was truly beyond anything Erith had expected. The only other party she had to compare it to was the one at Dreagan. Call her biased, but this one was truly outstanding. They sat around the table, laughing and talking. Most of the food was gone with a few still munching on desserts. Stories were being told, with tears of laughter following.
Erith’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. But she wouldn’t change it for anything.
Still, she couldn’t help but think back to the time when she had been totally alone. When she had watched other beings on realms, yearning for a family and somewhere to belong. Now, she had it—and she would do anything to protect those in her family.
The warmth of Cael’s gaze drew her attention. They shared a smile before he lowered his eyes to the child in her arms. Breac had happily moved from person to person throughout the night. He had stayed the longest with Balladyn, as if the child understood that her newest Reaper might be the one with the most scars—and the one who needed extra love.
Breac had landed in her lap about twenty minutes ago, his fingers sticky from something she didn’t want to guess at. After she had cleaned his hands and mouth, he had leaned back against her, listening to everyone. He had laughed when she had and tipped his head to the side to look up at her a few times. Then, he had turned around in her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck while resting his head on her shoulder. Within seconds, his breathing evened into sleep.
The last time she’d held a child had been Constantine and Rhi’s twins. Eurwen and Brandr might have lived on her realm for a brief period, but they had left a lasting impression. It had been difficult for her to let them go their own way, but they had a destiny that was separate from her. That didn’t mean she didn’t miss them.
“You look good with a child in your arms,” Cael said.
She pressed her cheek to the top of Breac’s head. “I admit, I enjoy holding him.”
Erith didn’t say more. She and Cael had had a few brief conversations about having children. She wasn’t sure if she could, but she wanted to find out. Yet, her duties and the constant enemies that seemed to crawl out of the woodwork kept her from giving in to her heart’s desire. She kept telling herself that she had more than she ever thought possible. She had a family.
And she had Cael.
He covered her hand with his, one side of his lips lifting in a crooked smile. “We have eternity. It doesn’t have to be now. When it’s right, you’ll know.”
“And if it isn’t ever right?”
He shrugged indifferently before glancing down the table. “I suspect we’ll have other children to hold. They may not be ours, but they’ll be a part of our family.”
She smiled, her heart melting. There were many reasons she had fallen in love with Cael, but he had a knack for seeing her as no one else did. He understood her. Accepted her. Breac might have been a surprise for everyone, but she wasn’t blind. She saw the longing in the females’ eyes, and many of the males’, too.
Erith pulled her gaze from Cael’s and returned it to the table. She looked at each Reaper and their mate, recalling their stories and how they had come together. Their greatest foe yet was out there—the Fae Others. They wanted to destroy not just the Reapers but also her. They had tremendous power that Erith wouldn’t underestimate. She had made that mistake in her past, and it had nearly cost Cael and her their lives.
She had vowed to never let that happen again, and she would hold to that.
Erith laughed at a story Jordyn was telling about Baylon. She could remain there for hours, days. River had been right. They had needed revelry. The party had taken the worry from them, at least for a few hours. The tension had left them all, and smiles were more readily visible. Love was in abundance.
Some didn’t like her or the Reapers. It was because they threatened power that others clamored for. It was why Erith had insisted that no one know about the Reapers. If any Fae found out, she had ruthlessly cut them down. Because she had foreseen something like this happening. It was in the Fae’s nature to want to gain and use power by either betrayal or blackmail. Erith had never wanted her Reapers put into that kind of predicament. She didn’t enjoy the steps she’d had to take over the eons, but someone had to take them.
Now, despite everything she had done, the Reapers had been discovered and were being targeted. A plan had begun to form in Erith’s mind for weeks now. It was risky and dangerous, but if it worked, it could give them back the ground they had lost to the Others. She was willing to take the chance for her family.
“Enjoy the night,” Cael whispered in her ear. He placed a kissed on her cheek, his lips lingering for a moment.
She looked at him to find his eyes following his hand to her thigh and the black satin column dress she had chosen. When he saw her come out in the form-fitting outfit earlier, he had strode to her, lifted her, and claimed her mouth in a fiery kiss.
Erith didn’t care that he had ripped her gown or messed up her hair in his hunger to sink inside her body. Afterward, she had simply fixed herself. Then, when they arrived at the mountaintop, she had seen the fire in his eyes once more.