Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Blinding

The nights slowly turned colder and colder as fall began to set in. Just as Murtagh predicted, Grifen pretty much lived with us, the berry bushes being a significant factor. At least that meant she didn't have far to go when she came for her tutoring sessions.

Growing a child took far more energy than anyone ever let on, I found myself taking more and more naps. We had acquired some sheets for the bed as well as curtains for the windows.

Murtagh had spent many hours carving furniture out of wood for the nursery, dining room, and other essential rooms. To be honest, I was worried he was going to overwork himself, but Thorn had told me that it helped ease the tension in their minds.

To help with the impending birth, the elves of the nearby Osilon has woven every necessity I would need for the nursery. With the nursery officially finished, I could really relax or relax as much as a first-time mother could.

Wrinkling my nose, I rotated from my side to laying on my back with a heavy sigh. I was huge, bloated, and ready to pop. The woven sheets brushed against my chin as I wiggled around to get comfortable.

Finding a comfortable position was near impossible these days. For a girl, she sure liked to kick me. It was exciting at first, then it got irritating, especially when I was trying to sleep.

"Little one kicking again?" Murtagh's sleepy voice broke through the early morning silence.

"When is your child not kicking," I grumbled back, rotating my head to look at Murtagh. "I swear I will have my stomach kicked out of me before this child comes out."

The sheets moved as Murtagh's hand slipped under my nightgown to rest on my protruding stomach. As if sensing his touch, she finally stopped kicking, giving me a moment of peace.

"Finally," I breathed out in relief. Murtagh moved closer, keeping his hand pressed firmly against my stomach.

"Next time, wake me up."

"I'm not the one working every day in the fields," I responded.

"No, but you are carrying my child," Murtagh mumbled before he buried his nose into my neck. Hot air blew on my neck from his nose every time he breathed out. I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you smelling me?"

"I like the way your skin smells." Murtagh murmured against my neck, he was already half asleep again. Sighing, I reached up and ran my hand through his hair before pressing a kiss to his head and closing my eyes.

If he wanted to smell me, I'd let him smell me.

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The next time I woke up, I saw Fen's sparkling eyes peering down at me. Her usual smile was stretched across her face, and she seemed to vibrate with excitement.

"What has you so excited, Fen?"

"Grandma Yirlitá told me to tell you that's she's stopping by for a checkup," Fen told me with a toothy grin.

"Oh she is, is she?" I asked her. Fen nodded vigorously before wiggling into the bed with me.

"Grandma says that you're having a girl, but we are keeping it a secret," Fen said as she snuggled against my body. I wrapped an arm around her and smiled. Her face, which once had been hollow from malnutrition, was now filled out and plump, and her clothes fit like they should. I tapped Fen's nose, making her wrinkle it.

"Grandma Yirlitá is right, we are keeping it a secret," I replied. "It's a secret between us girls."

Fen's eyes glittered at the idea of a secret, and she started giggling. It was absolute fun watching Fen's real personality shine through after months of patience. It had felt like a miracle when she began to talk to us.