The Black Dagger Brotherhood Read Free

her. She was just objective medical opinion.
    â€œWe clear?” she prompted, utterly unimpressed by how fierce he had to be looking.
    â€œYeah. I hear you.”
    â€œGood.”
    Â 
    â€œHe has these nightmares. . . . God, the nightmares.”
    Bella leaned down and stuffed the dirty diaper into the bin. On the way back up, she snagged another Huggies from under the dressing table and brought out the talc and the baby wipes. Palming Nalla’s ankles, she hipped up her daughter’s little butt, did a fast-and-dash sweep with the cloth, sprinkled some powder, then slid the fresh diaper into place.
    From across the nursery, Phury’s voice was low. “Nightmares about being a blood slave?”
    â€œHas to be it.” She put Nalla’s clean bottom down and taped up the sides of the Huggies. “Because he won’t talk to me about it.”
    â€œHas he been eating? Feeding?”
    Bella shook her head as she did up the snaps on Nalla’s onesie. The thing was pastel pink and had a white skull and crossbones appliquéd on it. “Not much on the food and no on feeding. It’s like . . . I don’t know, the day she was born, he seemed so amazed and engaged and happy. But then some kind of switch was triggered and he just closed up. It’s almost as bad as it was in the beginning.” She stared down at Nalla, who was patting at the pattern on her little chest. “I’m sorry I asked you to come down here. . . . I just don’t know what else to do.”
    â€œI’m glad you did. I’m always there for you both, you know that.”
    Cradling Nalla on her shoulder, she turned around. Phury was leaning against the creamy wall of the nursery, his huge body breaking up the pattern of hand-painted bunnies and squirrels and fawns.
    â€œI don’t want to put you in an awkward position. Or take you away from Cormia unnecessarily.”
    â€œYou haven’t.” He shook his head, his multicolored hair gleaming. “If I’m quiet, it’s because I’m trying to think of what the best thing to do is. Talking with him isn’t always the solution.”
    â€œTrue. But I’m running out of both ideas and patience.” Bella went over and sat in the rocker, repositioning the young in her arms.
    Nalla’s brilliant yellow eyes stared up out of her angelic little face, and recognition was in her stare. She knew exactly who was with her . . . and who wasn’t. The awareness had come in the last week or so. And changed everything.
    â€œHe won’t hold her, Phury. He won’t even pick her up.”
    â€œAre you serious?”
    Bella’s tears made her daughter’s face wavy. “Damn it, when is this postpartum depression going to lift? I well up at almost nothing.”
    â€œWait, not even once? He hasn’t gotten her out of the crib or—”
    â€œHe won’t touch her. Crap, will you hand me a frickin’ tissue.” When the Kleenex box got in range, she snapped one free and pressed it to her eyes. “I’m such a mess. All I can think about is Nalla going through her whole life wondering why her father doesn’t love her.” She cursed softly as more tears came. “Okay, this is ridiculous.”
    â€œIt’s not ridiculous,” he said. “It’s really not.”
    Phury knelt down, keeping the tissues front and center. Absurdly, Bella noticed that the box had the picture of an alley of leafy trees with a lovely dirt road stretching off into the distance. On either side, flowering bushes with magenta blooms made the maples look like they were wearing tulle ballet skirts.
    She imagined walking down the dirt road . . . to a place that was far better than where she was now.
    She took another tissue. “The thing is, I grew up without a father, but at least I had Rehvenge. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a dad who was alive but dead to you.” With a