Saving Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book 2

Chapter 38

Xavier watched as Marie held the child close to her, as if her life depended on the little one in her arms. He took the coverlet from the bed and wrapped it over Marie's small frame, covering her naked form. She and Grace were covered in the gelatinous fluid from Marie shifting. It generally evaporated quickly from Marie's body, but Grace was a different story.

"Marie, how about we give Grace her bath and you get cleaned up? She really should be in bed by now," he said, trying to break the poignant moment gently.

Marie glanced up and out the window which was framed with lacy sheer curtains and heavy drapes. The moon shown brightly, its silver light flooding the room. Without a word, she nodded and stood up, tugging Grace with her to the bathroom with one hand while holding the blanket around her with the other. Xavier sped ahead of them and turned on the faucet in the claw-footed tub. He held back his surprise when Marie stepped into the tub, dropping the blanket on the floor and then lifted Grace in with her.

"Marie..." Xavier began, concern starting to creep in.

She looked up at him and scowled. "What? I don't think it matters. She needs to be clean and so do I. I ruined her nightgown. Right, Grace? It's okay?"

With her attention on the little girl, she began to strip the sopping wet nightgown from Grace. "You can go, Xav. I've got this. I'll be alright."

He grunted and left the two to get cleaned up. Stopping in the sitting area of the room, he glanced around at the mess Marie had made. He straightened up the furniture she had knocked over and sat in one of the chairs. He was very unsettled with the plan Emil and the other Guardians had come up with, betrayed by their dismissal of his concerns. He felt it left Marie and Grace entirely too vulnerable. Their plan was to travel back to Saint Louis by plane and resume their command at the Saint Louis tower. Granted, they would be going via public transit, he did not think the Ancient One much cared who got in his way if he had access to Grace and Arazel.

He had hoped to have more time in New Orleans to discover the powers Marie held, but Emil said it would have to wait, that they needed familiar territory in order to better defend themselves. Angelique had made it quite clear, she was willing to offer shelter, but not get into a fight on their behalf. His argument that it did not matter where they were, their strength lay in numbers fell on deaf ears. His only support came from a surprising source: Caleb from New York. Maybe it took an outsider to see the danger of leaving the huge presence of the New Orleans Coven. In Saint Louis, their numbers were extremely diminished and only a handful of civilian vampires kept up residence there.

With a frustrated growl, he lunged from the chair and went to the bag containing Marie and Grace's things. He gathered night clothes for both of them and carried them to the bathroom door. He stopped when he heard the two deep in conversation. Instead of knocking and going in, he leaned a shoulder against the jamb and listened.

"Grace, you know your mama and daddy love you, right?" Marie asked. Grace must've nodded or answered telepathically, because Marie then said, "I know I'm warm, but your mama needs to see you and I want you to be kind to her. It will hurt her feelings if you tell her you want to stay with me."

"But I like being warm. Papa and mama are cold, just like Nathan and Uncle Zhavy." Xavier could picture the pout on Grace's little mouth and smirked. Bitter regret burned in his chest at not being able to be enough for the little one. She truly was the light of their small coven, the sun around whom they all gravitated.

"Sweetheart," he heard Marie murmur, "I will always be happy to warm you, but let's give your parents a chance. Remember how Nathan and Zhavey always use a blanket when they hold you to help you sleep? Your mama and papa can do that too. And you are getting to be such a big girl, you can stay warm on your own."

There was a moment of silence, then Grace asked in her tiny voice, "Can I still have your blood?"

Silence lingered a bit longer than Xavier expected. Marie's answer did not surprise him. "Of course, but only if it is okay now that your parents are at home. They may want something different for you. Maybe they just want to share theirs with you."

"If they let me pick, can I pick you?" Grace asked. Xavier could not believe the reasoning the child had. Her size and capabilities belied her mere ten months of life. Her next words brought needful thoughts to Xavier, and has his fangs elongating. "Your blood is the sweetest. It is spicy and I like it very much."

'Me too, sweetling,' Xavier thought to himself. Not wanting to withstand any further torture at listening to discussion about Marie's delectable blood, he knocked before Marie could answer.

"Come in," the two sweet voices quipped in unison.

Xavier walked through the door, instantly making eye contact with Marie. Barely concealing the hunger in his voice, he asked, "So, will you share your delicious blood with our little princess?"

Marie's eyes flared with heat, an improvement over the despair he had found there all evening. She answered, "Of course you may, Grace. Just not too much. I need it to stay strong."

Grace seemed pleased with this answer and stood in the tub, reaching toward Xavier to lift her out. He pulled the little one out of the now rose scented water and stood her on the bath rug, then wrapped her in a fluffy white towel. When he was done, the only thing he could see were her eyes and nose. He chafed his hands over the towel, and dried her completely while she giggled. Once dry, he let the towel fall and he quickly pulled a T-shirt over her head and uplifted arms. She had become potty trained while in the jungle and she stepped into a little pair of panties they had bought on the quick excursion to get clothes to fit her. She was still growing very quickly.

Once dressed he wrapped her in a hug, and patted her back. "Can you climb into that big bed while I help Marie put on her pajamas?"

Grace nodded and kissed his cheek. She told him telepathically, 'I love you Uncle Zhavey.'

'Love you, too, Princess.'

The little girl pattered out the door and he heard her bounce onto the bed and pull the covers up. Grinning, he turned back to Marie, the look on her face immediately capturing his full attention. She stood slowly from the tub, and the water glugging down the drain was the only sound beyond her and Grace's heartbeats. She let a smile touch the corner of her mouth and she held her arms up like Grace, waiting for him to lift her from the tub. With a swift motion, he had her out of the tub and in his arms. He patted her body languorously with a dry towel, spending extra time on her curves and crevices. He knelt before her and once her legs were dry, he pulled her near with hands on her hips and kissed her stomach. Marie leaned into him and laced her fingers through his black curls. With a small tug, she angled his face to look at her.

A swirl of emotions flooded her expression as she said, "God, Zhavey, you would make an awesome father. I want you to be a daddy."

Xavier knew if he had a beating heart it would have broken at that moment. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held tightly. "Not anytime soon, my love. I've only just found you."

A/N

There you go, another chapter. While not being fond of the wheedling, pleading, vote pimping author's notes, I have decided it is an effective way to communicate with readers. I believe when the competition opens up, I will enter this story in the Watty's. I would love to have your support there and in the upcoming chapters. I also wanted to share the social media links for readers to discuss their favorite characters and plot twists. So, find The Guardian series near you:

Facebook www.facebook.com/The-Guardian-Chronicles-1843468312640076/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter @ FeydocRegan

Instagram Author Michele Regan

I will share character profiles and cast images, as well as share my journey through writing and hopefully publishing.

So...thanks for reading, I am truly humbled by the returning readers, who have waited so long for this to be finished, as well as the new readers. Cheers! ~fey