Goblin Moon (25 page)

Kathy sighed in response to his caresses and he carefully pulled her close. During the night, he'd check on his newborn daughter and gently hold her. In this way, alternating his attentions between the baby and the mother, the two of them would know they weren't alone, that a safe, caring presence was always near. It was meant to be a time of intimacy, of great sharing and love.

When Kathy awoke, there was a light scent of flowers in the air. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a vase of the most beautiful salmon-pink miniature roses on a nearby table. She grabbed her bathrobe off the end of the bed and got up to admire the bouquet. There was a card lying beneath the blossoms. In a bold masculine hand, a message was written in quotation marks.

"
The moving finger writes; and, having writ, moves on; nor all your piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it."

She thought for a moment and then remembered the source of those familiar lines. Tearach was trying to assure her he was accepting the horrors of his life as being in the past, that things couldn't be changed and life had to go on. She clutched the note to her heart and tried not to cry. Her body might ache, but her heart felt like dancing.

"Good morning, Kathy. Did you sleep well?” She turned to see Tearach holding Tearyn in his arms, rocking her.

"These are beautiful.” She glanced at the tiny roses. “And the note...” Her voiced trailed away as words failed her.

He walked toward her. “A small gift compared to what you've given me."

"Not small to me. I ... it's amazing.” She attempted a small laugh, though the lump in her throat prevented it.

"What?” He smiled encouragingly.

"A Goblin quoting Omar Khayyam."

"It's amazing that I exist at all, isn't it?” He paused. “Do you want to know the
really
strange part?"

"What?"

"A firefighter who
reads
Omar Khayyam!"

She burst out laughing and stretched up to kiss him. “I deserved that."

For a moment, he grinned back. There would never be a better time than now. “Kathy ... I've wanted to talk to you.” Hearing her mother's voice, the baby began to cry for breakfast. Tearach shook his head and sighed. “I guess you'd better feed her. If she takes after me, she'll have a larger appetite than any three babies."

Kathy took Tearyn and cuddled her. The baby was so like her father and Kathy couldn't have been more pleased. She loved them both so very, very much.

Later, while she rested, Tearach read to Kathy from several of his favorite books. She was discovering quite a few things about the strong, caring man who had abducted her. He loved good books, quiet times and being with those for whom he cared. And she knew he
did
care for her and the baby. It was only a matter of time until he spoke the words. It had to be in his own time and in his own way. Until then, she'd wait. Tearach would time things right, of that she had no doubt. When he decided to speak up, she would tell him how her own feelings had changed. They'd both progressed from enemies to allies to friends. Now lovers. She considered all this while listening to his deep, calming voice. She fed the baby once more and then felt almost compelled to sleep.

A soft knock upon the door broke Tearach's perusal of the sleeping Kathy and their child.
Their
child. After he called permission to enter, Cairna came into the room bearing a large box.

She smiled and glanced toward the sleeping mother and baby. “I have the things you'll need. They're all ready."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I guess, since everyone is celebrating the baby's arrival, a spectacular entrance will be called for."

"Of course!
I just can't wait!
” she whispered and hopped up and down in excitement.

He couldn't help laughing at her exuberance. He was feeling a little giddy himself. And Kathy deserved to be presented to the crowd in a superb fashion. She'd saved his people—saved
him.
And she deserved to take her place as his mate and as a leader before his people. Before the night was over, he'd ensure they all knew and respected her for what she'd done.

Remembering the concerns Kathy had voiced to Shayla, he was determined to make sure she felt accepted and protected. One way he hoped to accomplish this was to show her how highly regarded she'd be. He hoped the boxed gift would not only please her, but enable her to meet the members of the Order with the royal dignity due his mate.

He opened the large box and smiled. “Exactly as I wanted. Thank you, Cairna.” He was rewarded with a large grin from his niece. She nodded and quietly left the room, peeking at the baby again before she retreated. With his heart filled to the point of breaking, he picked up Tearyn and sat by Kathy, eager for her to awaken.

When Kathy awoke, it was to find Cairna sitting in a chair by the bed.

"Good afternoon. How are you feeling?” the girl asked, getting up to sit beside Kathy. A hot pot of tea steamed invitingly nearby.

"Hello, Cairna. I feel wonderful.” She smiled. “How do you like your new cousin?"

Cairna shot her a bewitching smile. “Oh, Kathy, she's the most beautiful baby. I think she loves to be held. She's so cuddly, and I want one too."

Kathy shook her head. Youth had a way of romanticizing a great many things. There would be times when the baby was sick or teething. She'd cry a great deal and patience would be necessary to get through the day. “Just don't hurry it, honey. You and Rome have time. Take some of it for yourselves, first."

"I hear what you're saying, but it's hard,” Cairna said and reluctantly handed the baby to its mother.

"Where is Tearach?” Kathy asked as she looked around the room.

"He didn't want to leave you, but tonight is very special. He had to get ready and asked that I help you and the baby. You should have seen his face. He just can't stop smiling. And it took every ounce of conniving Rome had to get him downstairs."

Kathy tilted her head as she nursed the baby. “What happens tonight?"

"The baby will be presented to everyone, and we have special clothing, food, music ... Oh, Kathy, it'll be wonderful."

Kathy nodded when she remembered the stories about the naming ceremony. Then she looked down at the bundle in her arms. “Well, I guess she is pretty special."

Cairna gently gripped the baby's tiny hands. “Was it very painful? Having her, I mean."

She nodded. “It hurt like nothing I've ever been through, but nothing good ever comes easy. You'll see one day."

"Were you afraid?"

She thought for a moment. “Not for me. Certainly I was for her.” She nodded at the infant.

"I don't know how I'll go through it. You're braver than me. Will you help me when I get pregnant someday?"

Kathy pulled her forward and hugged her hard. “Of course I will. We're family, aren't we?"

Cairna threw her arms around her. “Oh, Kathy, I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't been on the trail that day. I love you."

Swallowing the lump in her throat was hard. “I love you too, honey.” She hugged Cairna hard and then gently pushed the girl back. “Now help me and the baby get ready. I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to do. I know you must have told me about all this, but I'm sure I've forgotten almost everything."

Cairna grinned and walked to where a large box sat in a chair. “I'll go over it while we get ready. First, this is for you and this is for the baby."

The girl held up two, dark green velvet garments. One was a Druid robe, exquisitely trimmed in silver. The other was a bundling blanket for the baby that matched. “They're lovely!” Kathy exclaimed and got up to examine them closer.

"Wait until you see Uncle Tearach. He'll be so grand you won't even recognize him,” Cairna boasted. “Rome is helping him get ready as tradition dictates."

In a crowd of a billion, Kathy knew she'd recognize Tearach. With her eyes shut and a storm sent from hell blowing around her, she'd recognize the man that had captured her very soul.

Tearach paced, accepted another goblet of ale, and then turned to pace some more. The men with him made jokes about his new status as a father. But it was all done in congenial fun, and he laughed with them. It felt so good to do so. Right now, however, he was wondering where in hell Kathy and the baby were. The sun would set soon. He wanted his woman with him when he walked into the Goblin Meadow to present his family for the first time.

It was over! Eight years of heartache, loneliness, and fear were over. He would never forget the horror of Exmoor, but this was where life started again. And he vowed to make his and Kathy's lives right. He'd start by showing off the baby and soon he'd accept Kathy as his handfasted mate. Then they'd make an entire house full of babies. All running, playing, fighting, and loving under the same roof. He wanted endless noise and excitement.

"Will you quit pacing, man? You'll walk yourself to China, then where will you be?” Lore quipped.

"On a very fast boat back, I'll wager,” Rome joked, and the other men laughed.

He laughingly waved a hand in dismissal. “The rest of you wait until your babies are born. Then it'll be my turn.” He pulled at the green gauntlets he wore and refilled his goblet. “Where can they be?"

"Ah!” Rome said as he saw commotion in the forest. “I think I'm being hailed."

Tearach started to follow, but the rest of the men grinned and held him back. “Not yet,” Lore said. “You wait until you're asked to follow."

He took a deep breath, jokingly cursed those around him and started to pace all over again. Some of their traditions were very old. And because so much had happened, it fell to him to make this celebration as meaningful for all the others as it was for him. But his patience was rapidly ending. “Herne's balls! What's taking so long?"

The other men laughed heartily and Tearach grinned along with them. To them, he must look like one large bundle of nerves. Nothing at all like the leader he needed to be.
Hang it all!
He needed Kathy and the baby. If they weren't here in the next five minutes, he'd defy tradition, go back to the cottage and fetch them himself.

Finally, he turned to see Rome motion him forward. Tearach took a breath and walked toward him. The other men suddenly became quiet. It seemed they would finally honor the occasion with the solemnity required.

Tearach walked silently with Rome. They entered a small glade far away from the revelry. There, Kathy stood with the baby. Her eyes gleamed with the brilliance of sapphires. Cairna stood behind her dressed in the dark green robe of his Goblin Clan. His niece's clothing, however, was not trimmed with silver. This designated her place within his household as the younger female member. Kathy's status, and that of his child, came first. And his own clothing matched Kathy's. Had Cairna explained the significance of their matching clothing? Did Kathy realize that she was being publicly presented as his mate and their baby as his first heir?

Kathy almost gasped aloud when she saw Tearach. He was absolutely resplendent in a long-sleeved leather jerkin and pants. His tall black boots made those muscular legs seem even longer. And the green gauntlets he wore had silver stag horns embroidered on the backs. His jerkin was open, revealing acres of muscular green chest, and its edges had been trimmed in silver, matching the edges of her own robe, hood and gloves. She felt like some medieval queen being presented to a fairy tale court. When Rome, dressed in black leather, took his place beside a beaming Cairna, Tearach offered his arm to Kathy.

"We are away, my love. This night we present our child to the Order. May her life be guarded by Herne and protected by every living thing."

"
Blessed Be,
” Cairna and Rome replied in unison.

All Kathy could do was try not to lose the control she so dearly needed. She felt like breaking down, running straight into Tearach's powerful arms and weeping for hours. Everything was so wonderful. The place, the man, and these people were in her blood. And she thanked God that her inclination to stop jogging hadn't been on the day Tearach kidnapped her.

She placed her hand on Tearach's arm and let him lead her forward. In silence, they approached the Goblin Meadow. Kathy could see torches everywhere, and every living being in the entire Order seemed to circle the grassy clearing. At the far end, Shayla stood with her Druid staff behind her and she was stunning in a silver Druid robe. Her hair had been braided and a crown of fall flowers circled her regal head. As they moved toward her, Kathy could see her beguiling smile, and she opened welcoming arms to them. They stopped within feet of her, and when Shayla spoke, her amplified voice could be heard throughout the entire area.

"This night, we celebrate the end of sorrow and the beginning of a new era. The closing of one door and the opening of another.” She paused. “Who brings this child before the Order?"

"I and her mother do,” Tearach proudly proclaimed.

"And who are her guardians?” Shayla asked, gesturing toward Tearach's family.

"I am her guardian, as she is of my blood,” Cairna loudly replied.

"And I am her guardian, as she is of my heart,” Rome responded after Cairna.

"So be it. May you love this small life as your own. Cherish her presence with reverence, laughter, patience and tolerance. For so she is taught, so she will do.” Shayla held her hands up and a cooling breeze blew through the meadow.

"
Blessed Be, Blessed Be, Blessed Be
,” chanted the entire Order.

"Now it falls to the mother to give the child a name.” She walked toward Kathy and held out her hands.

Without hesitation, Kathy handed the Sorceress the baby. She watched as the older woman smiled down at the tiny, green-wrapped bundle. Then, Shayla lifted the baby over her head toward the stars.

"What name do you give this child?” she asked.

"Her name is Tearyn,” Kathy responded. Amazingly, it seemed her own voice echoed throughout the area.

Shayla smiled and spoke toward the sky. “The stars will record this child's name for history. Forever after, she is known as Tearyn."