Daddy Azriel

Chapter 7: Skylah

With the High Lord and Lady's Inner Circle out of my room, and Lovia sleeping in my arm, I am left laying in silence.
    I've never liked silence. It always finds a way to be heard.
    When I close my eyes, I see my lover, sprawled on the floor, with a dagger in his gut, bleeding out. His eyes open, but seeing nothing.
    When I open my eyes, I see the ghost of my abuser, Kyron.
    Here in the silence, they both have a way of haunting me. I can't stop seeing my love's death.
    I love how you Sky, he whispered. Tell the baby that I love her. Or him. He smiled sheepishly at me, even as great sadness reflected in his eyes. I've just always imagined the baby as a girl. He gasped as my father buried the dagger into his stomach. As he began to fall, he said, I hope that the baby has your eyes.
    The memory leaves me in sobs.
    He will never know our daughter. He will never hold her, or rock her to sleep. He will never get the chance to meet the daughter that he wanted so badly.
    Lovia will never meet her father. 
    The thought alone only makes me sob harder, struggling to catch my breath. Tears cover my vision, making me blind for the time being.
    The amount of pain that my heart is in is enough to die from. I can't get away from it, I can't stop it. There's only pain.
    "What's wrong?" a strong male voice asks. "Where are you in pain?" Azriel I realize. I don't have time to think about where he came from, or how he knew I was hurting, before I felt him taking Lovia into one of his arms and using the other to check under the bandages wrapped around the majority of my body. "Where's the pain, Skylah."
    Still struggling to breathe, I ignored the pain that shot through my body as I raised my arm and laid my hand over where the true pain was. My heart.
    "Your chest hurts?" he asked in a concerned tone.
    I shook my head and wheezed, "Heart."
    "Your heart hurts?" he said softly. I can only cry in response. He was silent for a moment.
    Then, I felt him slide onto the bed, and gently lift me, careful of my injuries, until I was cradled in his lap, one arm supporting my back. He placed Lovia into my arms and placed his, now free, hand onto the middle of my chest, the heel of his hand just grazing the curve of my breasts, his long fingers caressed the base of my throat. He started making slow, soothing circles on my chest.
    "You're okay," he murmured. "Breathe. I've got you." I still can't get enough air to breathe properly. "Focus on me. Focus on Lovia in your arms." He continued to rub circles on my chest. Taking his advice, I focused on that hand. How steady, how sure, it was. I started to feel my daughter in my arms. Focused on her even breaths, on how she was  still asleep, despite the chaos going on around her.
    The air that seemed out of reach before, slowly came back to me.
    "Open your eyes. Look at me."
    His golden eyes instantly caught mine as I started to blink away the tears. Something about him has a calming effect. I'm beginning to understand why Lovia likes to be held by him. I don't mind it either.
    "Hi," he whispered, his eyes locked on mine.
    "Hi."
    "You have beautiful eyes."
    His comment brought instant heat to my cheeks.
    "Are you comfortable?"
    More than I'd like to admit. I nodded my response.
    "Good. You two are safe," he said, using his chin to point to Lovia. "Close your eyes, try to get some sleep." Even his voice was soothing.
    "Okay." I looked down, to the child in my arms.
    While doing so, I remembered his hand, the one currently rested on my chest. His palm touched the top curve of both my breasts due to his placement in the center.
    He seemed to realize this at the same time and it was his turn to blush. He quickly removed his hand and mumbled, "Sorry."
    "It's okay," I responded. For the first time in months, someone other than Lovia, has made me want to smile. Weird.
    I pushed the want to smile away. I don't deserve to smile if my love isn't here to smile with me.
    "Go on," he said softly. "Close your eyes."
    I hope my daughter's father will forgive me, but I'm so tired, and I'm so comfortable in his arms. It's been so long since someone's held me...
    The last thing I remember before falling into the abyss of sleep, was how warm I was.