Danny came up behind Finn and shoved him forward so he stumbled into the room. “I believe the Omen asked you to come in. Her rank is above yours, so do as she says before I get all sorts of unpleasant.”
Finn drew his knife, and I knew I’d never get my questions answered if I couldn’t contain the bulls.
I managed to extract myself from the bed and moved over to the guys, knowing they’d be more careful if I was near, for fear of hurting the baby. “Everyone pick a corner and march! I mean it. No one fights around me. Are you crazy, Finn? Put that knife away.”
Finn glowered at Danny, but obeyed, shooting me a wounded expression as he moved to the corner furthest from the bed. When Von and Danny were in their corners, my shoulders relaxed as I stood in the center of the room. “Okay. That’s better. Finn, it’s good to see you. What can you tell me about the gift you brought?”
Finn ran his tongue over his teeth before speaking with the note of a sneer behind his words. “I brought you a himila weed. Ezra knows what to do with it. You dry the leaves and the root, brew it in hot water and drink the tea throughout your pregnancy. It’s supposed to keep both the baby and you healthy.”
I put my hand to my forehead. “What would happen if a pregnant woman ate the whole thing without brewing it first?”
Finn’s eyebrows raised that I wasn’t surprised at all by the purpose of the grand gift. “You wouldn’t need to eat it all like that unless you or your baby were in danger of dying without it. It would give you a boost for, I don’t know, a few weeks or something. But you’d need it again and again, if that were the case. The tea is best. Gives you the medicine in small increments to dose you with a constant boost of healing.” He sheathed his knife. “Is that what you did? You just ate it without Ezra guiding you through how to use it?”
Danny’s head whipped toward me, panicked that I hadn’t saved half for Mariang. “No!”
I held up my hand to calm his fears. “Of course not. I haven’t touched the weed. Where did you get it? Ezra seemed to think it was extinct.”
Ezra came into the bedroom from eavesdropping out in the hallway. “It is extinct. Where did you happen across it, Captain?”
Finn turned to Ezra, mildly embarrassed. “Technically, I didn’t. One of my men suggested making a quest to find it for you.”
“Was it on the top of Mount Malubha?” I asked in a quiet voice that shocked all four men in the room.
Finn answered slowly. “It was. How did you know that?”
I countered with a curt, “How did your man know that?”
Finn shrugged. “I don’t know. It happened to be on the first mountain he scaled. I figured he caught a lucky break or something. Thad’s one of my most trusted men. He helped me sneak Von out after Von killed Prince Julius. I’ve no reason to question how he found a miracle. I only know that he found it, so I could bring you the thing you needed.” He shot Von a superior look. “I knew you needed help no one was giving you, so I gave it to you.”
Von snarled, gearing up for a fight. “Oh, you gave it to her?”
Finn’s words came out dirty. “Gave her exactly what she needed, as many times as she needed it.”
Danny saw the loaded spring before I did, and leapt across the room to intercept Von before he tore into Finn. Danny wrestled Von back to his corner, pinning his shoulders there and slamming him against the wall to knock some sense into him. “Take a breath, mate. This won’t get you what you think it will.”
Once Von seemed to have cooled, Danny went back to his corner. “Cut to it, kid.”
I didn’t want to admit to my ridiculous fantasy life in front of Von, and surely not in front of Ezra, but there was no other way. It was either my pride or my sanity, and I knew what I’d fight for every time. “I have to tell you something weird, so be cool till I’m finished.” I took in a deep breath. I was unsure how to muscle through, so I dove in headfirst. “I sort of have this stupid dream that happens when I’m...” I couldn’t muster up the word ‘horny’ in front of Ezra, so I stuck with something more PG. “When I’m lonely. This guy named Philip comes to me. We go traveling, sit on the beach, make love and do couply kinds of things.” I shot Von an apologetic look. “It started before you, and when we’re together I don’t have those dreams, I swear.”
I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t for Von to chuckle. “You’re afraid to admit that you have sex dreams about other people? I used to have them all the time about various celebrities. It’s nothing to worry about. Perfectly normal.”
“Philip’s not a celebrity. He’s not real. He’s a completely pretend person I made up in my mind. I didn’t think anything was weird until I got pregnant and he started saying the baby was his. I thought it was my brain trying to reason through you and me getting psychically pregnant, so I tried to shrug it off. But then Philip started bringing me these black leather boxes with the himila weed inside. I mean, what a weird gift, right? But he was dead set that I had to eat them. Every few weeks or so, he’d be back with that same leather box and a new shriveled weed. He said September needed them to stay alive. He wanted her to be a princess, and she’d need extra magic to keep her strong so she could rule.”
“Rule what?” Danny asked.
I was shocked that anyone was following along, much less taking me seriously. “Philip wants her to rule Terraway. I swear that’s not any part of what I want. You know me, guys. You know I don’t like it when people bow or treat me like I’m some big deal.” I looked around at the four men who all wore various shades of the same horrified expression, and in that moment, I realized they did know me. In this room, I had friends and family who didn’t call me Bait, and who stuck around even when my imaginary friends turned into megalomaniacs. “You do know me. That... That’s a big deal.” I tapped my heart. “Thanks for listening and not calling me crazy.”
Danny turned to Finn, his face resuming business mode. “This Thad character. I want that fellow here now.”
“Thad can’t come up unless I port him here. What’re you implying?”
I turned my chin slowly from side to side. “I don’t know. I have no answers when it comes to Terraway. All I know is that the box and the weed are from Philip, who’s not real. Philip’s the reason I knew about Mount Malubha and the himila weed before any of you told me.” I felt stupid for even saying that my imaginary friend was real. “That can’t be right. Thad must know something. He’s our best shot at answers. Can you bring him here?”
Finn nodded, not breaking eye contact with me. “Do you know who this Philip is? Is he a man from your world?”
“He’s from Terraway, and he wants to come Topside, but he can’t. So he’s not a king or an important official, or he’d be able to port here himself.”
“What does he look like?” Ezra asked, trying to play detective to get to the bottom of it.
My eyes closed as relief spread over me. “You really believe me? You don’t think I’m nuts?”
Danny’s arms were crossed as he leaned into his corner. “Oh, we know you’re batty, but we’re in too deep not to believe you. Von, if she describes the bloke, can you draw us a picture of him?”
Von nodded, running his hands through his hair. “I should be able to come up with something so we can track the tosser down. How is he dreamwalking with her if he’s never met her?” He looked pointedly at me. “Have you snogged anyone else? Beto, Finn, Mason, Bishop, me, and the list ends there? Now’s the time for nothing but the truth, love. I won’t get angry. Honest.”
I huffed, wishing I wasn’t subjected to such scrutiny. “Don’t say it like that. I didn’t kiss kiss Bishop, like romantically. But no, there’s no one else.” I looked into Von’s eyes so he could see I wasn’t lying. “I promise you, that’s everyone I’ve ever kissed. I only was with Philip in my dreams, and he’s fake! And you’re not even supposed to be able to dreamwalk unless you’ve had sex! But now that the box shows up with the weed and all that? I don’t understand. Philip can’t be drea
mwalking with me. He’s not real! I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know when the math doesn’t add up.”
“Okay, love. I believe you. Let me get some paper and pencils. Talk me through it, and I’ll sketch him out.”
I buried my head in my hands. “This is the worst. This is what I get for being irresponsible in my own imagination.”
Finn relaxed his erect posture. “I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
“Maybe you’re psychic,” Danny suggested, earning a glare from me.
“Maybe you’re a...” A contraction hit me before I could insult Danny right good. I doubled over and grabbed my belly and the footboard, letting out a noise of distress I wished none of them had heard.
Danny and Finn ran to me, with Ezra shouting down the hallway for Von. “Easy, easy,” Danny cooed. Finn dropped my hand and stepped back in alarm, while Danny waited for the contraction to pass. My new brother let me squeeze his hand while he kept me mostly upright. He gave me a steady pull, his arm wrapped clear around my back and palming my belly. I punished his hand with my superwoman grip, letting Danny take the brunt of my sudden agony.
“I don’t want to do this! I don’t want to do this! Not here!” I wailed, scared and in too much pain.
“You will, and you’ll be brilliant. But not today. It’ll pass. Ezra, out you go!” Danny snapped. “Call Prince Langgam and get Ollie back here immediately.”
The pulling was too late and not enough. The contraction seemed to go on forever, crawling up my spine like a torturous spider I couldn’t escape from. “Ah!” All the books said the contractions would start out small and build toward the grand finale. Stupid lying books.
But Ezra didn’t go. He inched closer, swallowing hard has he watched me grit my teeth through a howl. He was panting like an animal, his expression darkening as he neared Danny and me. My kind, patient dad snorted through his nose as a long gob of drool escaped from the side of his parted lips.
Von bolted back into the room, tackling Ezra to the ground. Boston was right behind him, and Mariang shrieked from the doorway. “Dad, no!”
I closed my eyes in relief when my contraction passed. When I opened them again, Ezra was no longer in my bedroom. In his place was a legit full-on overlarge lion. He was as tall as the doorway, mane and all, shaking off shreds of the button-down white Oxford shirt Ezra had worn. The enormous lion roared, announcing that he was a wild animal, and to move away from his prey.
I’d never even thought to ask Ezra what his shapeshifting animal was. He was Matruculan, and aside from having a hunger for fresh baby, he could also shapeshift, just like Mason. Ezra was gentle, so I assumed he would become a house cat or something, not the king of the freaking jungle.
Thirty.
The Lion in Ezra
The men stood with fists and knives drawn, forming a cage around Ezra, who only growled louder. He was huge, far bigger than any lion I’d ever seen. He was more the size of a small elephant, with all the features and agility of a lion.
Von kept his voice even. “Boston, get October and Mariang to the safe room and lock them in now. Stay in there until I come for you.”
Boston was terrified, but insistent. “I’m not leaving you to fight a lion!”
“You’ll do as I say!” Von shouted, never taking his eyes off of Ezra. “I won’t live if you die. I can’t lose another brother. Go on! You were brought here to protect the Omens, so do your duty!”
“Go, Boston!” Danny growled.
I tried to inch toward the door, but Ezra roared, taking a predatory step between me and Boston, who was near the door. Ezra was a clever lion, cutting me off from my exit.
Danny swallowed. “Take Mariang to the safe room, Boston. October will be right behind you, so don’t lock it until you’re all three inside.”
Boston shot Danny a hurt look and ran Mariang to safety, decreasing my anxiety by like, ten percent, now that she and her baby wouldn’t be eaten by her own father.
Now there was just me, and I was ripe with fresh unborn baby. “Don’t hurt him! It’s still Ezra. Put those knives away!” I ordered.
Von’s eyes never left Ezra’s, even while Ezra pawed at the air with a loud roar that made my insides feel like they were vibrating. “Danny, go downstairs and get Lynna to safety. Then bring us up some steak. Any kind of meat will do.”
Danny was ready for attack, not a burger run. “I’m not leaving you. She’s my sister. I swore to protect her.”
“I’ll not watch you die! I’ve got a plan, Danny. Now run along.”
It couldn’t have been two minutes since the last contraction before a second one hit me like a kick to the uterus. I dropped to my knees, my body contorting and acting on some primal instinct to get on all fours. I buried my fingers in the carpet as I howled through my contraction. It lasted forever, the pain too much to hope it would ever go away. There was no epidural. No C-section. Not even a lousy over the counter pain pill for mild aches. Of all the ways I expected to have a baby, in a bedroom with a giant lion and no doctor was not on the list.
“Pull from her, Danny. I’ll handle Ezra. Get the contractions to stop. I mean it. Bliss her out if you have to.” Von was locked in on Ezra, who looked like he was readying to pounce.
My vision blurred as Danny ran to me, and Ezra gave chase. Finn and Von tackled the lion, but Ezra quickly fended Finn off. I saw Von’s fangs barred, his lips snarling as he jumped onto Ezra’s side and then climbed up his back to mount him like he was riding a horse. Von was all agility and determination, getting himself a sturdy seat on Ezra before sinking his teeth into the meat of his father figure’s shoulder.
Ezra roared in surprise and pain, shaking his mane to try and knock Von off. The horrible sound of the fierce lion rang in my teeth and shook me to my core. I understood now how Ezra could be so gentle and calm in the council meetings, while still evoking fear and respect from the kings.
I had a dad who was an animal. My dad couldn’t see me anymore; all he saw was meat. It shouldn’t have been a heartbreak, but I couldn’t control the fissure. If Ezra ate my baby and killed me, he would never survive the guilt.
I held my stomach and screamed through the tail end of my contraction, praying September wouldn’t come yet, that Ezra wouldn’t eat us both, and that Von wouldn’t be killed by his surrogate father.
Von’s teeth latched again, his arms looping around Ezra’s furry neck to try choking him out. His arms weren’t long enough for Ezra’s thick neck, so the wrestling hold only served to irritate the beast. Ezra reared up onto his back legs, pawing up toward the ceiling, unleashing his temper in a furious roar that terrified me to my very soul.
Finn jumped back into the fight when Ezra came down on all fours. He grabbed up the chair from my desk and used it like he was a lion tamer in a circus ring. When Ezra had no patience to let Finn pretend he was winning, Finn deserted what was left of the broken chair and raised his palms in threat, spraying Ezra with scalding water. The steam rose up in the room, and while I wanted to tell Finn to stop so he didn’t hurt Ezra, burns would heal. When Ezra backed away from his path to me, I saw with fright that Finn’s chest was bloody. I shouted for him to run, but he didn’t listen. Finn jumped at the lion and wrestled Ezra so Von could get in another bite.
Danny pressed his palm to the small of my back, pulling erratically. He let go when Von cried out after Ezra got in a swipe to his arm. Danny was a tank, as was Finn, but it took the both of them with all their might, plus both Duwendes pulling, to keep Ezra from lunging at me. Von sank his fangs deep into Ezra’s back again, drinking in long pulls that made his eyes roll in delirium, while Finn and Danny battled with the front end of the beast.
I couldn’t time the contractions, nor could I think clearly enough to figure out if the second contraction had actually ended and a fresh one began, but this one was enough to draw out a scream when it was probably least helpful. I couldn’t get to the door because there was a friggin’ lion in my path. I couldn’t even st
and to be helpful, so insistent was September that today would be her birthday. I was sweating and gritting my teeth as I palmed the carpet, heaving like a beast, and snarling in time with my dad. The room closed in on me with every scream I couldn’t control, couldn’t temper and couldn’t run from.
Thirty-One.
Make it Stop
It took too long, too many contractions, but between the pulling and Von sucking enough blood out of Ezra to weaken him, Ezra finally collapsed onto the carpet. The lion let out a giant sigh that almost sounded peaceful beneath my howls of agony. The room was in absolute shambles – my desk broken when Finn had tried to knock Ezra over the head with it. There was blood everywhere, and everything was wet.
“Is he...” Danny didn’t want to say the word dead, but there was no telling how much blood Von had taken, and if Ezra could recover.
“He’s just passed out. I was drinking and pulling at the same time. He should be out for a while. If he starts to stir, we bliss him out again first thing.”
“I like the sound of that,” Danny answered. “Is everyone okay? Finn, you’re bleeding pretty badly.”
“It’s just a scratch. From a lion.” The corner of Finn’s mouth lifted. “We just wrestled a Matruculan lion and won. We actually fought with the largest Matruculan beast in Terraway, and won.”
I didn’t want to rain on their parade, especially when I saw handshakes and high-fives they desperately needed to seal their bonding moment, but contractions don’t give a crap about dude hugs. I was still on all fours, breathing through my teeth until the pain hit a crescendo I’d hoped wouldn’t be as bad as the last few. They were getting worse and more frequent, as far as I could tell. I’d only gotten to thirty-Missisippi-oh-my-crap when the next one hit.
My shriek of agony snapped them all back to the danger that was still not over. All three ran to me, trying unsuccessfully to pull me up off the floor. “I can’t!” I cried, somehow unable to move from my position on the carpet.
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