Terror and panic mixed with relief—I’d gotten to the point where I couldn’t stay in one position for long before something on my body hurt. Lumbering from bed, I put on my robe. Valek worked at a table in the living area. He concentrated on a wooden stick.

“Valek.”

“Hmm?” He scowled at the thin branch. “Looks like lighting fires is truly beyond me. Pity. That would be a really useful skill to have.”

Another contraction rolled through me. I sucked in deep breaths like Healer Hayes had instructed. Medic Mommy had arrived yesterday morning, but she hadn’t thought I’d go into labor for another week. When I could speak again, I said, “Valek.”

The strain in my voice caught his attention, and he was beside me in a heartbeat. “Is it time, love?” He remained calm. Typical.

“Yes.”

* * *

“Almost there, Yelena, one more push. You can do it,” Medic Mommy said.

She and Healer Hayes had taken turns soothing me while I clung to Valek’s hand as the contractions grew in frequency and severity.

“That’s it. Breathe.”

I grunted instead. After all these hours—I had no idea how many, except it was a lot—I thought I’d earned the right to grunt.

“Another push for the shoulders,” she instructed. “The rest is easy.”

And it was.

“The baby’s a girl,” she said, holding up a squirming little worm covered in goo.

Relief and joy pulsed through my tired body. Valek cut the cord, and I collapsed back on the bed, sweaty and achy. But all my woes disappeared when the baby cried. I lifted my head in concern. Was something wrong?

“Relax, Mom,” Hayes said with a grin. “She’s healthy.” He weighed her. “Almost eight pounds. What’s her name?”

“Liana Zaltana Icefaren,” Valek said, leaning over and kissing my forehead.

Our gazes met and his eyes shone with unshed tears. Even with her hair a mess, Yelena’s still beautiful.

Wait. I blinked at him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Give me a minute.” I reached for the blanket of power and concentrated. Magic flowed through me like a fresh, cool breeze. My magical senses awakened, and the world came alive around me. One of the best days of my life just became better. I met Valek’s questioning gaze, then projected my thoughts toward him. I hit a solid barrier. Hard. Irys wasn’t kidding when she’d said he was strong.

Valek straightened in surprise, but then he grinned. The wall disappeared.

Hi there, handsome, I thought.

Welcome back, love.

I smiled. Reaching out further, despite my low energy, I sought another.

Kiki?

Lavender Lady had foal. Approval flowed over our connection. Better?

Yes, I can hear you again!

She snorted as if she knew this would happen all along. Bring foal.

We’ll visit soon.

Bring apples.

I promised to bring an entire bushel.

Healer Hayes cleaned Liana, wrapped her up so all that showed was her round pink face and handed her to me. Long black eyelashes arched from blue-green eyes, and dark hair covered her head. It was long enough to curl slightly. She was perfect. Liana stared at me for a moment, gazed at Valek for a few seconds, then promptly fell asleep. Unimpressed? Bored already? Or was it a sign that she’d be a good sleeper?

“We’ll leave you alone now,” Hayes said. “When she starts to fuss, that means she’s hungry. Let us know if she has trouble latching on, and we’ll come back and help.”

Latching on sounded painful, but I nodded as if confident it would work. We marveled over our daughter for a while. It was love at first sight for both of us.

Valek touched her cheek with his finger. “She’s so soft.” His voice held awe. Then he crinkled his brow. “She’s also blocking my magic.” He pulled his hand back. “Is she blocking yours?”

I focused. “No.” Then I placed my thumb on her chin. Her skin was soft, and my connection to the power blanket severed. “Yes, when I touch her.”

“What happened to her sucking power?”

I thought about it. “Maybe since she didn’t have direct contact with you, it seemed like she was sucking your magic, when in fact she was not being very effective in blocking it? You know, like when you build a dam of rocks, but water still leaks through?”

“Possible.”

I laid my fingers on her forehead. “Try using magic on me.”

Valek stared at me, but his voice didn’t sound in my mind. “Now she’s pulling my magic.”

Unaffected by the magic around her, Liana remained asleep.

“What if you use magic, but don’t direct it at us?”

He glanced at the door. “Healer Hayes and Medic Mommy are having a celebratory drink in his office.” Valek laughed. “He’s wondering if she’d consider moving to Sitia.”

“I’d like that, especially if magic won’t work on Liana.”

“Do you think she’s immune?” he asked in concern.

A good question. “Can you build a null shield around us?”

“Probably not without difficulty.” He scanned the room. “I’ll put one around the bassinet. Then I won’t be able to lay her in there if she’s immune.”

The impulse to protect her surged through me—hot and fierce. I held her closer, “I don’t want to hurt her.”