by L.H. Cosway
“It frightens me every time this happens to her,” says Beena with an anxious expression. Tom rubs his wife’s shoulders to calm her down.
“You don’t get visions like Allora does?” I ask Beena a couple of minutes into the episode. Allora’s convulsions are still going strong.
She shakes her head. “No. I’m an empath. I read people’s emotions.”
“Oh.”
“I can see the depth of your affection for her. I’m glad she’s found someone that feels the way you do about her.”
Just before I get the chance to ask what she sees in Allora’s feelings for me, the woman in my arms stops shaking and blinks open her eyes.
“Hey, Goldy,” I say softly. “You okay?”
She nods and sits up, asking her mother for a glass of water. I rub her back and whisper soothing reassurances in her ear.
“I think we need to go and see Tegan,” she tells me after she’s downed the water her mother got for her.
I furrow my brow. “Why?”
“Because I saw something about her baby.”
Tegan
“What do you think?” I ask Rita as we both sit in the back of Ethan’s new car. We’re parked on the road outside her old house; construction has just been started to repair the damage done by the fire all those weeks ago.
“Well, it’ll certainly beat living in that RV. I might be a small woman, but even I need my space.”
“The house should be as good as new within a couple of weeks,” says Ethan from the front.
“Oh, before I forget, I want you to look at these spell ingredients,” I say, pulling out the list Emilia gave me before she died. “Emilia said that if I take this every morning and night my baby will survive the birth. Was she telling the truth?”
Rita takes the list from me and looks it over. “Hmm, there’s nothing suspicious looking on here. It should be alright for you to take it.”
I sigh in relief. “Thank God.”
“It looks like your dear bunica did one good thing before she died,” says Ethan.
A tiny trickle of grief settles in my gut. Now that she’s gone, I hate some of the things I said to her when she was alive. I know she was hardly going to be getting any Grandmother of the Year awards, but maybe I could have tried harder to make her like me.
“Yeah, I guess she did,” I finally reply.
We spend another couple of minutes watching the builders work on Rita’s house before my stomach starts to rumble. Ethan chuckles. “Sounds like somebody’s hungry.”
“I’m starving,” I admit. “And do you know what I’d love right now?”
“Tell me and your wish is my command.”
“A burger from the diner you brought me to on our very first date,” I tell him smiling and he grins at me through his overhead mirror.
“Oh, I could definitely go for a burger, too,” Rita agrees.
“So it’s settled then,” says Ethan before he starts the engine and pulls away from the side of the road.
I break my own personal record when I manage to stuff my face with three huge burgers. Rita and Ethan watch me eat in amazement. The funny thing about being pregnant with a dhamphir baby is that you can eat and eat and you hardly ever feel full. The energy gets burned up too quickly.
We arrive back at the house just after lunch time and find Allora and Finn waiting for us in the living room. Everybody moved out of Ethan’s yesterday and back to their own homes now that the danger is gone, so I’m not sure what they’re doing here.
“Allora had another vision about you,” Finn says as I take a seat. Ethan perches himself on the armrest beside me, rubbing soothing circles into my back.
I look at Allora expectantly and she begins to speak. “It wasn’t actually about her, Finn,” she corrects him and turns to me. “It was about your baby.”
Instinctively, I clutch at my stomach, where a little round bulge has started to grow.
“Remember when I said I saw you in the future with a little blonde girl who would one day rule Tribane?”
“Yes,” I reply, my heartbeat speeding up.
“Well, it was your daughter. She’s the one from my vision. I was right when I felt like she hadn’t been born yet.”
My eyes flick to Ethan’s and then back to Allora. “So, you saw me with her, does that mean we’re both going to survive?”
“If my vision was correct, yes.”
“What do you mean ‘if’?” Ethan questions.
She coughs to clear her throat. “Sometimes I see things in the form of warnings. So if a certain sequence of events comes to pass that’s what will happen. I had a vision a couple of days ago where Theodore released his chaos on the city and the humans really died like he’d planned. But in reality Roman intervened and that didn’t happen. In your case, I’m guessing that if the both of you survive, your baby will become a ruler one day. If you don’t, then something else will happen instead.”
“But it’s highly likely your vision is correct, right?”
“Yes. My visions have come to pass as I see them more often than not,” she says reassuringly.
Somehow though, I’m not as reassured as I want to be. Ever since I found out I had a child inside of me there’s been a sense of dread at the back of my mind, a feeling that this is the beginning of the end for me.
But maybe that’s just me, always looking on the dark side of life, as opposed to the bright side.
“You’re tired,” says Ethan, cutting through my morbid thoughts. “Let me bring you upstairs for a nap.”
I nod and let him lead me from the room after I’ve thanked Allora for being truthful with me on what she saw. I want to be realistic about this. I don’t want anybody giving me false hope.
Okay, that’s enough. I’m not going to think about this anymore. Stressing out is only going to cause harm to the baby.
When we reach our room Ethan pulls back the sheets and orders me to strip off.
“I thought I was taking a nap,” I reply flirtatiously.
He smirks. “That was the plan, but if you have something else in mind I’m all for it.”
All of a sudden, I have just the remedy to take my mind off my troubles. I pull my t-shirt over my head, but what I intended to look suave and sexy just ends up being awkward given that I’m wearing a splint on my broken finger. Ethan had a human doctor come to the house and fix it up for me, seeing as how I was cut in a few places and he couldn’t trust a vampire not to get all lusty at the sight of my blood.
Deep chuckling rumbles out of Ethan’s chest and I scowl at him when I finally get my top off. His chuckling ceases when he gets a load of my bra, and then my lack of a bra when I reach around with my good hand and unclip it.
Less than a second later his face is in my breasts, tenderly nuzzling. He scoops me up off my feet and lays me carefully on the bed. Before he would have thrown me down roughly, but not now. Now he handles me as gently as he would a snowflake he doesn’t want to crumble.
When we’ve finally ridden each other of all our clothes and he’s sinking himself into me deep, I throw my head back and close my eyes. His lips trace a path along my neck, sending tingles shooting down my spine.
“I love you, Ethan,” I whisper almost incoherently in his ear.
His hips move in and out, his body like a solid work of art with the addition of sweat and life.
“I love you, too, beautiful girl,” he answers fiercely, cradling my face in his hands, his eyes tracing my every feature as he makes love to me tender and slow.
Chapter Twenty
Lift Your Hats, Take a Bow
Tegan
I wake up hours later in Ethan’s arms, his fingers running affectionately through strands of my hair.
“When you’re up to it, could you tell Rita I want to talk to her privately in my study?”
“Sure. What’s it about?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Cryptic much?”
He only smiles i
n answer, knowing I hate being left in the dark about things. I stretch my body out and then get up from the bed, rummaging some clothes from the wardrobe and throwing them on haphazardly. I find Rita in the living room, flicking through the stations on Ethan’s flat screen television.
“His lordship would like a private word with you in his study,” I tell her, leaning against the doorframe.
Her eyes widen as she clicks a button on the remote and the screen goes blank. “Oh yeah? Do you know why?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. He’s being a Johnny Tight Lips about it,” I reply sulkily.
Rita laughs and stands up. “Well, I’d better go and see what it is then. Promise to tell you all the deets when we’re done.” She winks and disappears from the room. And I mean she actually disappears, the show off.
That’s definitely going to take some getting used to.
In the kitchen I find a box of peanut butter chocolates. I sit up on the countertop and pop one into my mouth. The house feels way too empty now that everyone’s gone, all except for Rebecca. Ethan grudgingly agreed to let Delilah live in the old house across the road from Finn’s place. I’m glad for her, too, because I know she’s been dying to have some independence.
Ethan also released Marcel from the basement, but only to exile him from the city. He told him that if he ever stepped foot in Tribane again he’d be killed on the spot. Marcel just seemed grateful to be let out of the basement, agreeing that he would be gone before the day was through. Ethan told him he had three hours. Marcel didn’t argue.
There’s a knock at the door so I jump down off the counter to answer it, glad for the distraction. I can’t stop thinking about what Ethan might be discussing with Rita. When I open the door I find everybody camped out on the step waiting to be let in.
“Uh, what are you all doing here?” I ask stepping aside so that they can get by me.
“Cristescu told us to come for a meeting. He said he has something important to discuss with us,” Finn explains.
“Well, well, well, isn’t this all very intriguing,” I reply, folding my arms across my chest. I notice Allora standing next to Finn, his arm tight around her waist, and I give her a warm smile. I can sense that whatever there is between these two, it’s serious, and definitely not a casual fling.
The living room is a riot of curious chatter and Finn suggests I grab some beers for everyone while we’re waiting. Lucas follows me to the kitchen to help.
“So,” I say, eyeing him shrewdly. “You and Amanda, huh?”
“Is that a statement or a question?” he asks, his lips curving in a grin.
“It’s a question and you know it.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “Yes, Tegan. We are an item, but I’m taking it slow. I plan on making this work.”
I point an unopened beer bottle at him. “You’d better.”
His grin widens as I continue taking bottles out of the fridge. I grin right back at him. It’s not that I don’t believe him; I can tell he really wants this. But if my life has taught me anything it’s that you never know what a person is going to do next. At least I have the reassurance of knowing Amanda has my potion in her blood now, so if Lucas does end up biting her he’ll be in for a big surprise.
I pat him on the shoulder, and say, “Come on, then. Help me bring these bottles inside.”
“Happy to oblige.”
About twenty minutes later Ethan and Rita emerge from his study. Rita bounces on the balls of her feet like she can’t contain her excitement, while Ethan is his usual unreadable self. He stands by the expensive mantelpiece and Rita takes the spot beside him.
“We have an announcement to make,” says Ethan. “I have come to realise that this city cannot go on any longer with a divided population. Having two opposing sides living in such close proximity to each other is a disaster just waiting to happen.”
“A ticking time bomb about to explode,” Rita elaborates. When she’s met with silence, she adds, “What? Is it too early for bomb jokes?”
“Hey, you killed Theodore for us, you can make all the inappropriate jokes you want,” says Finn with a soft chuckle.
I can’t help laughing, too. Ethan gives me a stern look to shush me and I make a gesture as though zipping my lips closed.
“So,” he continues. “I have come to the realisation that we need to be united, vampires and magic users both. That is why I have sought out Rita. I want to share my position as ruler with her. That way there will be a representative for both sides, two representatives who will work in harmony together.”
Oh. I stare at Ethan, open mouthed and to be honest, pleasantly surprised. I knew he was never a huge fan of ruling, but I didn’t expect him to want to split the role like this. I never even considered the idea of combining forces, but it makes perfect sense.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” says Finn enthusiastically.
“And me,” says Lucas.
Then I realise there might be a problem with this idea. “But what about the dhamphirs?” I interject gesturing to Gabriel and Delilah. “And the shapeshifters?” I go on looking to Ira.
“This is just the beginning of what I’m planning,” Ethan explains. “The city is in a state of disarray right now. We need to rebuild and once stability has been secured I will create a council with one member from each supernatural species living in Tribane. Since we vampires and the magical families have the largest numbers, we will start with a leader for each. Once we have brought about some semblance of unity we can branch out to include the other minorities.”
“I don’t mean to throw a spanner in the works, but will the magical families even want to follow Rita?” Alvie asks tentatively. “Not too long ago they all shunned her as a wannabe witch.”
“But that is not what she is,” says Ethan. “She is a Girard, and now that Marcel is exiled she is one of the few remaining members of that bloodline. They now know the power she wields and they will accept her. I will not allow them another choice.”
“Well, if you ask me this is the best plan for everyone,” Delilah speaks up. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy trying to make the city whole, but I do think we have to try. Otherwise there will be another war before the year is out.”
“Thank you, sister,” says Ethan before addressing all of us. “The new Tribane starts here in this room. We as a group represent the vast majority of supernatural species living in the city, so if we can agree to this plan then it is a good omen for what is to come.”
A very short silence elapses before I step up and hug Rita and then Ethan. “You have my vote.”
“And mine,” says Alvie.
“Mine, too,” says Gabriel.
Soon everybody’s agreeing to Ethan’s plan and more beers are brought out to celebrate. Obviously, I stick to drinking orange juice, but it fills me with a deep sense of joy to see everyone getting along. Whenever I used to think of this city, I saw it as place that would always be immersed in turmoil. But now I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I can see how this might work.
A band that had been tight around my heart releases, a feeling of hope replacing it.
Pulling myself from my thoughts, I leave the room where my friends are celebrating to go and make an important phone call. I lock myself in Ethan’s study and take a seat at his desk. Earlier today I looked up the phone number to the only place Rebecca’s mother could possibly be staying in the town the location spell showed me. It’s a group home for people with psychological illnesses called Maplewood House.
The phone rings out several times before a prim female voice answers, “Maplewood House?”
“Hi, um, I’m looking for a resident living with you there. A Felicity Pamphrock?”
There’s a long silence before the woman replies, “She stopped going by Pamphrock many years ago.”
“Oh, right. Well, can I speak to her?”
“Are you a family member?”
“No, I’m an old friend,” I lie.
The woman sucks in a breath and lets it out. Her voice is soft and consoling when she says, “I’m afraid Felicity died just over a week ago. She…she took her own life.”
“She’s dead?” I say in a gasp, a heavy brick sinking to the bottom of my gut.
“Yes, I’m sorry. We had a small funeral for her and she was buried in the local graveyard. We couldn’t trace any of her family. The only person who would visit her was her ex-husband, but we couldn’t seem to get into contact with him at all.”
That’s because he’s dead too, I think sadly. Now poor little Rebecca has no one. I thank the woman and hang up the phone, nervously fidgeting with a pen on Ethan’s desk. What am I going to do?
I agonise over the choices. Either I send her away like Ethan planned to, have her raised in safety by people who are strangers to her…or I raise her myself. Am I ready for that? Am I mature enough to take on the role of parenting a young girl?
As if sending me a sign that I’m already destined for motherhood anyway, I think I feel my baby kick for the first time; it’s like tumbling butterflies flittering inside of me. My belly is still tiny, only slightly protruding, but I guess this isn’t a normal pregnancy. I know babies aren’t supposed to kick until much further down the line, so maybe I just imagined it.
A moment or so later it happens again, and I know I didn’t imagine it this time. Instinctively, I close my eyes and call on my magic. A soft white glow emanates from my hand and I run it over my stomach, soothing her. The fluttering sensation becomes more distinct now and I laugh in surprise.
“What do you think, little peapod, would you like a big sister when you come into the world?”
She kicks again.
“Okay,” I chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Are you talking to the baby?” a voice questions and I lift my head to find Ethan standing in the doorway, his eyes all soft and melty as he takes me in.
“She’s kicking,” I tell him, my voice full of awe.
Milliseconds later he’s kneeling down on the floor in front of me, putting his hands over my belly. Another kick comes and Ethan’s face transforms with happiness.
