How many times she had ruffled his dark, wavy hair and hugged him close. She had so enjoyed playing ‘nanny’ until his parents were able to hire Miss Gretchen. She had been the perfect choice, and Royce remembered how she had found the older woman sitting on a bench in a park. Miss Gretchen’s children were grown and off to different parts of the world, and she was lonely and in need of something to do. Royce had taken her by the hand and delivered her to the Hanson family. She had stayed close those first few weeks, needing to see for herself that it was working out for young David and Gretchen. And then the Dark Fae began escaping in numbers. Royce blinked away the day she almost lost young David. He would not have died, but he would have been paralyzed. She was glad she broke the rules. She was glad she healed him. It was the only acceptable thing to do! She sighed as she watched him now and thought about having a child of her own. Fae were not so lucky—it was difficult for them to conceive.
