Page 15 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
It took me a second to realize what he was saying. He was worried she’d drown in the inch of water she was sitting in with me standing right there to supervise. Reaching up, I patted his bony shoulder. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t fall under.”
He set his sights on me. “Love her.”
“I do,” I said, nodding to him.
“I do,” he repeated, and I understood what he was saying. He loved her too.
I smiled. “I’m glad she has you, Torid. I know that you’ll always protect her and keep her safe.”
He was mystically tethered to a containment pendant that was hanging in Astria’s nursery on the wall. It was on a leather cord made to be worn around the neck, but with her age, it tended to be moved from room to room by Amice rather than actually worn by Astria.
The Nightshade Clan was responsible for the goblin being tethered to the pendant. It was an enchanted containment device used to secure some of the most dangerous supernatural creatures. Everything from Fae to demons could be held within one. The devices served as another level of protection against the types of things that could time walk, vanish and reappear at will, and even jump back and forth from the Fae realm to here without any effort on their part. Apparently, the pendants were reserved for the worst of the worst.
Torid was very capable of being dangerous, but he was also capable of great love. Just like everyone really.
There were safety features that came built into the pendants. From how it had been explained to me, the keeper of the pendant could elect to never allow what was inside to leave. They could permit the inhabitant to come and go at will—much like Torid did. But they could also summon them back to the pendant by whispering a small incantation. From the way Amice had explained it when she’d first given it to Astria, the inside of the pendant was far bigger than the outside. Amice had also stressed that Astria was special and the pendant, along with its inhabitant, would help keep her safe.
I didn’t need more details beyond that. I trusted Amice. She’d been a guiding light in my brother’s life and had given birth to Astria. She was family. That was enough for me.
Astria sang a song that was mostly gibberish before trying to make her version of shadow puppets with her fingers, all while I bathed her.
Torid farted loudly, and I tensed, already knowing how bad the enclosed area was about to smell. Whatever the goblin ate left him passing gas often and made his farts smell like roadkill. It was a fact I’d learned within hours of meeting him in London and one I wasn’t likely to soon forget.
As predicted, the bathroom filled quickly with the stench of sulfur and death. I coughed. So did Astria, before she passed gas in the water as well, making bubbles.
She giggled.
I laughed, instantly regretting it as I took in a deep breath of Torid’s stench.
Torid looked down at Astria. “Goods…one.”
I snorted and lifted her as Torid pulled a towel down from the shelf near him.
He held it out, and I placed Astria in his arms. He wrapped her tight in the towel and stepped back as I pulled the stopper from the sink and went back to the nursery.
Torid was close behind me, carrying Astria, who was babbling about pretties on the wall. When I realized she meant the monster shadows, I shook my head. She was adorable, but her goblin was certainly giving her a warped sense of pretty.
I put a new cloth diaper and a fresh set of pajamas on her before I kissed her cheeks and placed her in the crib once more.
Torid twisted around and stared at the open door of the nursery. He growled. “Hunter.”
Amice had mentioned Torid’s strong dislike of the new Nightshade Hunter assigned to our family. Apparently, he’d not liked our old one either, despite the man only being with us a month before the new one came on board.
“I’m pretty sure Amice said you’re not allowed to attack him or try to eat him,” I said.
Torid huffed.
Astria laughed and fell over in her bed as she played with her foot. “Eat ’em.”
I pulled a new baby blanket from the bin that Amice kept them in and covered Astria with it. “Back to sleep, little one.”
She smiled up at me with sleepy eyes.
I glanced at Torid. “You’ll sit with her?”
He nodded.
I kissed my fingertips and touched the top of Astria’s head. I brushed aside some of her long dark curls. “Good night, sweetie.”
