The Dragon (G.O.N.Y. - Double Dragon) (33 page)

“Sleep, baby,” he murmured, after moments of watching her eyelids droop down before springing open again. After her ordeal, Jezebel had been stripped and cleaned, her hair combed back from her face and clipped up, but she still looked haggard. Strain bracketed her mouth and dark smudges were under her eyes. Ramsey had seen bloody ordeals before, had instigated his fair share of them, but his daughter’s birth had ranked in the top list of bloodiest, most horrific things he’d ever seen. Birth might be a beautiful thing but he’d never take pleasure in watching Jezebel suffer. A few times over the course of her labor, Jezebel had been the one calming him down.

Jezebel’s lips quirked up and she blinked slowly. “Talking to Grace?”

“I’ll have to call you something else now.” At her lifted brow, he smiled. “I can’t call you wife, yet.” Jezebel nodded. It was her fault. He’d been ready to take her down to the courthouse, hell, bring the priest to them. That was when he’d learned that his no-nonsense fiancée was a romantic at heart. She’d stated that she didn’t want to waddle down the aisle, that it was too soon, that she’d imagined getting married in a church, that there wasn’t one wedding dress that would look good on her now… Somewhere after the tenth excuse, Ramsey understood Jezebel wanted her fairytale wedding done her way and rested his case. “Sweetheart?” She didn’t seem impressed. “Darling?” She lifted a brow. “Lover?” At her snort, he nodded in content. “Lover.”

“You can’t call me that, Ramsey.”

“Am I lying?” He looked pointedly at the baby who stared up at him as if trying to figure out whether she liked being in his arms, before he returned his attention back to her mother. “Grace says her
appa
is not lying.”

Jezebel closed her eyes and shook her head. “You are trouble.”

Ramsey remained silent, watching as she fought sleep for long minutes, before succumbing. With her mother asleep, Ramsey turned his full attention to his swaddled daughter. She didn’t look like either of them. At first, he’d convinced himself that she looked like him, but that was only because her onyx eyes tilted slightly and she had wisps of bone straight black hair atop her little head. Just as quickly, he could have said she looked like Jezebel due to her full lips and high cheekbones. After taking one look at the baby, Delilah swore that his daughter resembled her the most, but Ramsey couldn’t see it. As he stared at her, Ramsey realized Grace looked like herself. Maybe later, she’d start favoring him…

“I love you,” he murmured, keeping his voice just above a whisper in case Jezebel struggled awake. “Grace Lillian Stone.” Ramsey smiled through the pain as he called the name of the cousin she’d never know. They’d chosen “Grace” because it was symbolic. It was Jezebel’s middle name and his mother’s Korean name “Eun-Hee” translated to “grace and pleasure.” As they agreed on the name, Jezebel had added Lillian, for his niece. Ramsey hadn’t thought it was possible to love his fiancée even more but in that moment, he’d managed. He could almost see Lily now, excited because there was a baby in the family, even more excited because it was a girl. She’d lose her enthusiasm for a puppy and instead focus on Grace, counting down the years until she could treat Grace like her own personal doll. Despite the joyous occasion, sadness braced him.

As if understanding, Grace opened her little mouth and cooed, bringing his attention back to her. He gently maneuvered her, so that he was holding her perpendicular to his chest, one hand under her head and the other supporting her tiny body. The childcare classes he’d requested prior to Grace’s birth had come in handy.

“Yes, baby?
Appa
loves you and will always protect you.” God have mercy on anyone who tried to hurt her because Ramsey wouldn’t. Jezebel shifted on the bed and exhaled deeply. When she didn’t move again, but continued her deep, sleep-driven breathing, he brushed his lips across Grace’s smooth forehead and continued, “Your
omma
loves you too.” Grace cooed again, before yawning in a way that made Ramsey understand why parents always referred to the most mundane things their children did as “cute.” She closed her eyes and settled down. Ramsey switched his hold, tucking her against his body once more. She looked so peaceful and small against him, he couldn’t help his smile. Before long, his daughter’s lids fluttered before going still. She was asleep.

Leaning back in his chair, Ramsey looked between his girls. Both were beautiful and loved unconditionally. The nurse returned minutes later and asked if he wanted her to put Grace in the little cart the hospital had for her. Ramsey shook his head. “A few more minutes please.” The smiling nurse was eager to give it to him. In a few moments, he’d have to hand Grace over, but right now, Ramsey was experiencing a perfect moment.  He couldn’t ask for anything more than right here, right now, with the woman who’d soon be his wife and the daughter she’d given him.  

After everything he’d experienced in the past year, the pain, the anger, the overwhelming darkness that had almost consumed him, this was his saving grace.

~Violette~

Thank you all for following Ramsey and Jez on this journey. I know the cliffhanger in
The Masseuse
induced some strong reactions (laughs). There wasn’t a cliffhanger ending this time, as promised. Please remember to leave a review when you get a moment. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this tale as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Violette Dubrinsky is the Amazon Bestselling author of the Dark God, Warrior, Crescent Moon, Moonlight and G.O.N.Y. sagas. She is currently a full time graduate student and part-time writer. She enjoys creating stories with strong heroines and the leading heroes who “tame” them…and by tame, she means, learns to accept their stubborn, unchangeable ways. Violette is currently working on the sequel(s) to
Taken By Moonlight
, sequel(s) to
Warrior
, and a host of standalone stories. 

Violette can be reached at [email protected], on her website (below) or on Facebook (below). She loves feedback so feel free to email her, leave comments on her blog, or Facebook her (the quickest way to get a response). And be sure to check out the free reads of her website.

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: violettedubrinsky.wordpress.com

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