"Royal Father!"
The excited little voice reached the bedroom before its owner did.
"Royal Father!"
Takoda burst through the open doorway without slowing, her loose hair bouncing behind her as she ran straight toward the bed.
Kade's heart nearly stopped.
"Takoda..."
The concern in his voice was immediate, yet it carried a gentleness no one in the room had ever heard from him before.
"Slow down."
"You have to slow down."
A moment later, Sera hurried into the bedroom after her, slightly out of breath from the chase.
"I told you not to run," she sighed helplessly, trying to catch her breath. "You'll trip one of these days."
Takoda finally came to a stop beside the bed, but the excitement shining in her eyes vanished the instant she saw Dakota lying quietly in Kade's arms.
"What happened to Royal Mother?"
She looked anxiously from Dakota to Kade, her little face gradually filling with worry.
"Did... did I make her sick?"
