by Megan Linski
“You’re my guardian angel, you know that?” I say softly. “You have been from the start. And you always will be.”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “No, Cassia. As far as guardian angels go, you’ve always been mine. You set me free from all those things that were holding me back before.”
He breaks off from my gaze, looks across the lake, and says, “Do you miss anything about being a Nephilim?”
“I miss flying.” I sigh. “But everything else? No. No, I don’t miss it at all.”
Cairo stares at the water. “I was a Nephilim my whole life. I don’t know who I am without it. It’s kind of hard to find my way, now.”
“That’s not true, Cairo.” I gently turn his head toward me. “You’re still the same person. You’re kind. And faithful. And full of love.” I sit back. “A lot of guys wouldn’t have taken me back after what I did.”
“If it takes my entire lifetime I’m going to convince you otherwise.” Cairo shoots forward. He grips my forearms tightly. “You did that to save me. You wanted to give up your life for mine. That’s the most powerful love there is.”
I grimace. “Well, you can’t say that I’m not committed.”
Cairo tilts his head. “And I’m not?”
“No, Cairo.” I lean forward. My forehead meets his. “You are. You believed in me when I had given up on myself. The way I was before… there was no coming back from that. Until you.”
“Please don’t start crying,” he says heavily. “I don’t want you to cry ever again, unless they’re happy tears.”
“I’m not,” I say, though I quickly wipe a tear away. I sit up and say, “By the way… I wanted to tell you that I’m taking some time off from flight school.”
“What?” Cairo rears back. “Why? You love flying. Cassia, you can’t take time off. You’re already behind. If this has got something to do with finances, I’ll take time off for awhile and work—”
I put a finger to his lips. “This isn’t about that. We have more than enough money from Isolde and your mom to keep us going for awhile.” I take a deep breath. “For all three of us.”
Cairo’s eyes widen. He takes several deep breaths. “You’re—"
“Yes, Cairo,” I say. Now I can’t stop the tears from coming. “I’m pregnant.”
Cairo stares. Then he breaks out into a combination of laughter and tears. He runs a hand through his hair and says, “This is for real? You’re having a baby? I’m going to be a dad?”
“Hey, don’t tip over the boat,” I say, and I lash out to grip the sides. It rocks back and forth with Cairo’s movement.
“Sorry.” He settles, but still bounces in his seat. “When did you find out?”
“Just the other day. I wasn’t certain until a few hours ago, though I’ve suspected for a couple weeks,” I say. The words come rushing out. “Cairo, do you want this baby? I know we didn’t plan for it.”
“Want it? Of course I do!” He lunges forward. Cairo hugs me so tightly it brings even more tears to my eyes. “I’ve always wanted to start a family, and by God, Cassia, now you’re giving it to me!”
Cairo suddenly lets me go. His expression clears, then, he starts laughing harder than I’ve ever seen him laugh. I’m half convinced my boyfriend is losing his mind.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, perplexed.
“Thames. He’ll never let me live it down that I had a kid out of wedlock after I gave him hell for so long about dating.” He snorts.
I let out a tiny giggle. “Yeah. I guess he is gonna be really full of himself when you tell him the news.”
Cairo’s phone goes off. He picks it up, and opens a text message. His smile only broadens. “Looks like Thames is a soon-to-be-married man,” he says, showing me the photo.
“She said yes?!” I lean over and look at the photo. Sure enough, there’s a selfie of Thames and my sister. Lena’s got her hand up to show a sparkling diamond ring on her finger.
“Poor Lena. She agreed to marry my brother.” Cairo snickers.
“Cut it out,” I say, and I smack Cairo across the chest. “If anyone can handle Thames, it’s Lena.”
“A wedding and a baby. Looks like we’ll have a lot to deal with.” Cairo’s eyes glance down at my stomach. They stay there for a moment, like he’s trying to imagine the baby growing there. “Do you know the sex yet? I don’t know anything about babies.”
“It’s too early to tell,” I say. “But… I just have a feeling that it’s a girl. I don’t know why.”
“A girl,” he marvels. “I hope you don’t mind, but I always kind of liked the name Cindy.” He shrugs. “Just a suggestion.”
A smile forms on my lips. “I kinda like the name Cindy, too. Cynthia was my first pick, actually.”
“Cynthia. It’s perfect.”
Cairo kisses me on the forehead. “Thank you so much, Cassia. You’ve seriously made my life complete. Now I can finish up police academy before the baby comes, and I’ll provide for you, and you two won’t have to worry about a thing.”
“Hold on, family man,” I laugh. “I still have dreams too, you know.”
“Of course you do.” Cairo’s face softens. “And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure those dreams come true. Every last one of them.”
Cairo kisses me. He goes on and on about baby plans. I listen to him, but don’t comment. I don’t want to steal his thunder in a moment like this. He’s so excited, more than I thought he’d be.
Having a baby is a big step. A scary step— one that he and I can’t turn back from.
I’m not afraid. Living without Cairo— that’s scary. Giving birth, raising a kid… it doesn’t intimidate me. I know our child will grow up surrounded by love, will be safe and cherished from the moment she comes out of my womb until Cairo and I’s last breath. I can handle being a parent— I want to give my baby everything I never had, and everything I desperately longed for my entire life.
But I can’t handle heaven, or earth, without my guardian angel. From the moment I saw Cairo, I knew that I never wanted anything but him.
With him at my side, I can face anything.
And that’s the honest truth.
Thank you for reading the Angels & Demons series. If you liked this book, you might also like The Shifter Prophecy, Song of Dragonfire, The Kingdom Saga, The Rhodi Saga, or the Creatures of the Lands series.
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THE WITCH’S CURSE
"The scream of a dying girl was the singular sound that changed my life, forever."
When Briar enters the Eldermere Woods alone, she never could've imagined the danger that awaited her there. As a young witch, she's sought by hunters who desire her blood, a group of radicals who wish to eliminate all magical creatures. When Briar discovers a fellow witch slaughtered in the forest, her boring afternoon is changed into a fight for her life.
With the help of her dragon shifter love, Thomas, Briar must find a way to stop the witch hunters from destroying her town of Thorny Brook. But is her magic strong enough to defeat her most dangerous enemies? Full of danger, fantasy, and fun, THE WITCH'S CURSE is another thrilling installment by bestselling author Megan Linski.
Now FREE by signing up for Megan Linski’s VIP list!
About the Author
Megan Linski is the owner of Gryfyn Publishing and has had a passion for writing ever since she completed her first (short) novel at the age of 6. Her specializations are romance, fantasy, and contemporary fiction for young and new adults. When not writing she enjoys ice skating, horse riding, theatre, archery, fishing, and being outdoors. She is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and suicide preve
ntion, and is an active fighter against common variable immune deficiency disorder. She lives in Michigan.
www.meganlinski.com
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