“They do,” Arwan said. “She burned herself during training with Eadith, and it barely fazed her.”
Peter shrugged. “The only other thing I can think of is she’s not used to using her abilities so often, and it’s draining her.”
“We can’t let the lass rest,” Beigarth said. “Not now.”
“We can’t keep pushing her either,” Tara said. “If she falls apart, there’s no one to take her place. I know Zanya better than anyone.” She looked at Arwan. “Even better than you. When it comes down to it, she will come through. She always does.”
“I’m glad to hear someone has faith in me.”
Arwan turned to find Zanya standing in the hall, slumped against the wall for support.
He clenched his jaw. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“Showing you I’m not giving up.” Zanya forced herself to stand up straight. “I won’t let this—whatever it is—beat me.”
“That’s the lass,” Grima said with a smile. “A true warrior, she is.”
Zanya grimaced and gripped her stomach.
Arwan rushed to her side and hooked his arm around her waist. “You need to rest.”
“I’m fine.”
“Liar.” Tara walked toward them. “Stop trying to be a superhero and get your butt in bed before you toss cookies all over the floor.”
Zanya’s lips twitched, and she gave a faint smile. “Fair enough.”
Arwan led her back into the bedroom, onto the pillow top mattress. She eased onto the sheets, cringing under the effort. “I feel like I have the flu or something.” She pressed her hand to her forehead.
“Peter says you don’t.”
“I know.” She groaned as she leaned back. “I’m sorry I’m not out there with you guys trying to figure stuff out.”
“We’re doing fine,” he lied. It was better she missed her mother’s outburst. It would only cause her more stress.
“Will you lie down with me? I’d like the company.”
Arwan grinned. “Absolutely.” He rounded the bed and sat on his side.
She gestured him closer.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’ll let you know if you do.”
He turned and rested his head on her stomach. Being near her made him whole, and eased the doubts that haunted him.
She raked her fingers through his hair, relaxing his muscles. “Be honest,” she said. “Everyone’s freaking out, aren’t they?”
He took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. “You shouldn’t worry about that now.”
“I have to do something while I’m lying in bed. I may as well worry.”
He laced his fingers between hers, making small circles over the back of her hand with his thumb. “They’re mostly worried about you, trying to figure out why you’re so weak.”
“I’ll be back on my feet soon enough. All this training just has me feeling like crap.”
He frowned. “They’re also worried about me. They think I’ll turn on them the first chance I get.”
“I have a feeling they is mostly my mom.”
He gave an honest nod.
“Figures. Don’t let her get to you. You and I know the truth.” She stroked his head. “Arwan, son of Star.”
“Renato believes in me without even knowing who my mother is.”
“Of course he does. He loves you.”
Arwan couldn’t hold back his smile. “If it weren’t for him, I would have no one.”
“He’s incredible, I know. He took me and Tara in when he didn’t have to. Gave Tara a place to call home for the first time in her life. He doesn’t treat her any different. It takes a special kind of man to do that.”
Arwan tilted his head and examined Zanya’s face, paler than usual. “If you’re tired, close your eyes.”
“I am—” She covered her mouth and yawned. “Kind of tired.” She blinked sleepily.
He touched her cheek while listening to her stomach make ungodly noises. He chuckled. “We’ll have to get you something to eat soon.”
She crinkled her nose. “Boar, I’m guessing?”
“It wasn’t bad after Grima and Beigarth roasted it over a fire outside.”
She shook her head. “I’ll stick with fruits and veggies as long as Cualli keeps growing them for us.”
He heard her heartbeat quicken.
She didn’t have a fever. No virus. No infection.
The thud of Zanya’s heart was like a nervous snare drum.
He sat up and pressed his palm on her chest.
A slow, steady rhythm beat under his touch.
Arwan paused. It didn’t make any sense. He pulled up her shirt and positioned his head back to her belly.
The heartbeat ticked like a clock wound too tight.
He sat up, heat draining from his face.
Zanya must have noticed his sudden panic. “What?”
His limbs grew heavier by the moment. A thick lump formed in his throat. “Zanya.”
She sat up straighter. “You’re freaking me out. What’s wrong?”
“You…” He swallowed, trying to push down the nausea. “How did this happen?”
“What?”
He looked into her eyes—those beautiful wolf gray eyes with generations of magic lurking behind them. “Querida.” He took her hand and rubbed it, his chest tight and his stomach now in his throat. “I know why you’re so exhausted.”
“Is it bad? Am I sick?” She squeezed his hand tighter. “Tell me.”
“You’re pregnant.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zanya
Zanya snorted. “Yeah, okay.” She lay back again. “Don’t joke with me like that. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
He planted his hand on her belly, his touch warm against her skin. The way he looked at her stomach—the soft amazement in his gaze. He leaned in closer and spread his fingers over the curves of her waist.
The only way she could describe it was pure, untainted infatuation.
Breath ceased to leave her lungs. “It’s not possible. I mean, it could be if it weren’t for my preventative implant, but it’s still in my arm. I never had it taken out.”
“Something’s not right.” He stood from the bed, walked through the room, and opened the door. He stuck his head into the hall. “Tara.”
“Yeah?” Her voice was distant from the living room.
“We need you for a minute please.”
“Coming!” A moment later, Tara walked through the door. Arwan closed it behind her. “What’s up?”
Arwan crossed his arms, analyzing Zanya from a distance.
Tara’s gaze flickered between them. “What’s going on?”
“Um…” Zanya sat up in bed. “I just have a question about the contraceptive implant in our arms.” She held her breath, still searching for a different explanation. “How long do they last?”
“Oh. Um…” Tara tapped her foot. “I think the nurse who put it in said five years. But don’t quote me on that. We got ours when we went into high school. Policy.” She looked at Arwan. “They had a couple of girls get pregnant and the institution almost got federal funds pulled because of it. So that was their solution.”
“You have been here for nearly a year,” Arwan said. “So—”
“Five years.” Zanya counted on her fingers.
“Yeah.” Tara shrugged. “I guess that’s about—” She froze. “Wait.” She stared at Zanya, her eyes widening by the second. “Why are you…?”
Zanya counted to five, then dropped her hand to her lap. A haze of panic made the entire world stand still.
“Oh. Em. Gee.” Tara pulled wild curls out of her face and buried her hands in her hair. “You’re pregnant,” she whispered harshly. She gasped and did a little dance. “Shut the front door! But how do you know for sure? I’m assuming you didn’t bring a random pregnancy test with you.”
“I heard the heartbeat.” Arwan tapped his temple. “Very good hearing.”
“But…” Tara cocked her head. “I’m no doctor, but doesn’t it take like six weeks or something before there’s a heartbeat at all? Or…” She shaped her mouth into an O.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Zanya choked out. “It hasn’t been that long since…” Her face and neck rushed with heat.
“Maybe the development is faster than a normal human? With her genes and mine combined, I wouldn’t rule it out.”
Zanya’s stomach slithered with sick heat.
Tara and Arwan’s voices melted into white noise.
Her heart beat against her chest and her hands shook as she threw the covers off and swung her legs over the side of her bed.
Her fingertips turned cold and tingly.
She stood, swaying when she stepped forward.
Their muffled voices were like inkblots—abstract and unrecognizable.
Someone placed their hand on her shoulder.
She slapped it away on instinct, and then blinked and focused on her friend.
Tara yanked her hand to her chest.
“I’m sorry,” Zanya said in a breathless whisper. “I’m…” Zanya’s lungs constricted, and she struggled to draw in another breath. She clawed at her chest. “I can’t breathe.”
Arwan guided her back onto the bed.
“Peter!” Tara flung open the door and ran into the other room. She returned a moment later, Peter following behind her.
“Is it a panic attack?” Peter knelt beside the bed.
“I think so,” Tara shrieked, “but I don’t know for sure.”
Peter cupped Zanya’s hands. “She’s ice cold.” He looked to Arwan. “Go get some blankets while I try to calm her down.” When Arwan dashed out of the room, Peter looked at Tara. “What happened right before her symptoms? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“Yeah! She just found out she’s pregnant.”
Zanya gulped in a breath. “Tara!”
“What?” She gestured to him as if putting him on display. “He’s a healer. It’s like a doctor. Patient confidentiality and all that.”
“Pregnant?” Peter continued to rub her hands to warm her chilled skin. “Is that true?”
Zanya shook her head, still not willing to admit it aloud.
“Her birth control lapsed. They just found out.”
Zanya choked on a sea of spit. “Tara!”
Arwan came back into the room holding a thick blanket.
Renato followed behind him, Hawa on his heels. “What the hell is going on?” Hawa said. “Is she okay?”
Zanya scanned all of the faces, all of them staring at her, waiting for an explanation. She pulled away from Peter and bolted out of bed. “Get out. Everyone. Please, just get out of my room.”
Peter touched her arm. “You have to calm down.”
“Calm down?” she screamed. Tears blurred her eyes. “How am I supposed to calm down? This is not what I wanted.” Her frantic voice was unrecognizable, even to herself. “I shouldn’t be…” A sob dribbled from her throat. “I don’t want to be!”
Arwan spilled the blanket onto the bed and stepped toward her. The hurt in his eyes was more overwhelming than the news itself.
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m sorry. This is my fault. I should have been more careful. I’m so sorry.”
He wiped away her tear. “We will figure this out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out. We can’t have a baby. I’m not ready. We’re not ready.”
“A baby?” Renato’s voice cut through the moment like a knife. “Do you mean to tell me you are expecting? That is the cause of your symptoms?”
“So much for patient-doctor confidentiality,” Tara murmured.
Zanya shook her head, as if doing that would silence the voices and deflect the probing stares. “I need some time.” Zanya stepped back, distancing herself from Arwan. “Please. I can’t do this right now.” Arwan reached for her. She pulled away. “I can’t.”
She rushed through the group, snatched her shoes from the floor, and bolted through the living room—past Drina and the others who hadn’t barged into her bedroom—out the front door.
Hot tears scalded her cheeks as she passed Balam and her mother, who stood guard outside.
“Zanya.” She stepped in her path. “What happened?”
“Leave me alone.” Zanya stopped to shove her feet in her shoes.
“You’re crying.”
She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “What do you care?”
“If this is about earlier—”
“It’s not.”
“Then what—”
“You can’t do this!” Zanya shouted, jabbing her finger in the air. “You can’t reject everything about my life and then suddenly try to act like you care when something’s actually wrong.” She ran into the jungle toward the only place she knew.
The Temple of Inscriptions.
***
Arwan
Eleuia stormed into the house and honed in on Arwan. “What the hell did you do to her, half-breed?”
Renato stepped forward, his hands extended. “Ellie, there’s something—”
“You have to stop protecting him! If you want him to stick around so bad, he needs to be accountable for his actions. Now what the fuck did you do to my daughter, you son-of-a-bitch?”
Arwan gripped his mentor’s arm. “It’s all right.” He faced Eleuia. “Zanya’s fine. She’s just…confused.”
“What the hell are you talking about? She was crying, and then ran into the jungle. The jungle! Whatever you did to her made her choose risking her life out there instead of staying here, where it’s safe!”
Every muscle in his body went rigid. He didn’t intend for everyone to know. Not like this. But now that it was out, the news was best coming from him.
Eleuia snarled and stepped toward him. “If you laid a hand on her, I swear to—”
“Zanya’s pregnant.”
Eleuia stopped mid-stride. “What?”
“We just found out. It explains her sudden fatigue and inability to have complete control over her powers.”
Eleuia half-stumbled back. “She’s…”
“We’re all shocked, but she’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”
He expected her to lash out—try to kill him, even. It wouldn’t be the first time. Instead she pressed her back against the wall, then slid down to the floor. “A baby,” she whispered. Eleuia dragged her hazy gaze to him. “You got my daughter pregnant.”
Arwan’s body flushed with heat. It wasn’t until now he felt a pang of shame. He should have taken further precautions. He should have done more to protect them from this. “She won’t do this alone.”
Eleuia looked away without saying another word.
“Where do you think she went?” Tara asked.
Arwan rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know, but Eleuia’s right. It’s definitely not safe for her to be out there alone.”
“Aye,” Beigarth said. “Ye better go find the lass before some harm comes to her and the wee babe.”
The thought of something happening to them nearly ruined him. “I’ll bring her back as soon as I find her.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Hawa said. “For backup? I can run back here faster than you if something happens.”
“No. I don’t want anyone else’s life on the line. It’s better I go alone.”
Hawa nodded.
“Be safe.” Renato followed Arwan to the door, watching as he walked out to Balam.
“If Zanya comes back,” he said to the jaguar deity, “be sure she doesn’t leave again.”
The cat chuffed and flicked his tail.
That was as definitive a response as he’d get from an animal. “Thank you.”
He examined the ground outside of the petrified training ring. Shoe prints in the mud stretched down the path Zanya had made with her storm—toward the Temple of Inscriptions. Of course. It was the only other place she knew.
<
br /> He followed the tracks. She’d be far ahead of him by now, and it would take him hours to make it to the temple. She was probably already halfway there if she used her sprinting ability at all. And if she had, she’d be weaker than when she left.
He broke into a jog with his eyes set on his goal—the temple on the distant hilltop. His breath quickened as he picked up his pace, implementing the years of training on the beach in Belize.
Green streaked by him on either side as he sprinted forward.
Clouds ahead gathered into a looming shadow, and a drop of rain fell onto his cheek. More spattered over his shoulders.
Zanya would be caught in the storm. She’d be cold and alone.
He pushed harder, ran faster—dirt flinging behind him with each step.
The clouds opened, letting sheets of rain pour over the jungle. The soil became mud and turned into tar, clinging to his shoes and the bottoms of his cotton pants. It would slow him down, but it wouldn’t stop him.
Rain smacked him in the face and drenched his hair, weighing it down and spilling random strands over his forehead. He blinked through water in his eyes and ground his teeth, leaning forward as he started up a slow incline.
Without notice, a crack ran down the path ahead and the ground gaped open. Arwan turned and skidded, digging into the mud. Roots whipped out and grabbed his legs. He clawed at the ground, his fingertips raking through the murky soil.
There was nothing he could do.
He was pulled along the slick jungle floor until there was nothing left for him to hold onto, and he was pulled under.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zanya
Zanya ran up the temple steps, through the entrance, and into the dark tablet room. She summoned the light in her chest, which gave just enough to cast a glow over all four walls—and not take up too much of her abilities.
She balled her fists and paced from one end of the temple to the other, inspecting each tablet as she passed. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she spat. “This wasn’t the plan.” She stopped in front of the tablet with the star carved above the text—the story of Arwan’s conception, and his mother’s self-sacrifice to regain immortality.
Birthright (The Stone Legacy Series Book 5) Page 14
