Drawing me along the corridor, Conal unlocked our door and we entered the room. I was surprised to discover Striker and Marianne waiting for us and looked at Conal curiously. “Go get changed, Sugar. I've got one more surprise for you before we head back.” He kissed my cheek softly. “You'll want warm clothes, we're headed outside.”
It was enchanting. We'd left the hotel and walked across the street to Central Park, where I was delighted to discover two carriages waiting for us, harnessed to beautiful matching teams of white horses. Conal and I shared one, Marianne and Striker climbed into the other and the driver made sure we were warmly tucked up beneath a blanket before he mounted the front of the carriage and took off at a gentle pace around the outside of Central Park.
I couldn't wipe the smile from my face, enjoying every second of the ride as Conal held me close against him and my head twisted in all directions, trying to see everything, not wanting to miss a single thing. The trees along the edge of the park were decorated with thousands of tiny white lights and it was utterly magical, there was no other word to describe it.
Conal sat silently beside me, allowing me to experience the ride and enjoy it without interruption. When I turned to share my thoughts with him, it was to find him watching me, love and desire glowing in his black eyes as we passed under the streetlights. Impulsively I reached across and pressed my lips against his, not needing words to express my gratitude for his planning this for me.
Conal inhaled deeply and held me tighter against him, my side aligned against his on the seat, our legs touching from hip to knee. Happily, I leaned my head against his shoulder and watched the scenery pass us by. Against the frenetic activity of the traffic around us, our pace was gentle and plodding, giving me a chance to study everything in detail as we passed. Already I could imagine sketching some of the sights I'd seen in the past two days and wished with all my heart that I would get an opportunity to visit New York again in the future.
When the horses came to a gentle stop outside our hotel, Conal lifted me down carefully from the carriage and held me close for a minute or two whilst we waited for Marianne and Striker.
“I will never, ever forget this night,” I whispered, my voice filled with enthusiasm. “Thank you.”
Conal smiled, his lips seeking out mine and I kissed him longingly, desire hammering through my body like a steam train.
Conal broke away first, his eyes stormy as he struggled to regain some control. “I think my knees went weak that time,” he chuckled softly, releasing me and taking my hand in his.
Marianne and Striker joined us and we returned to the hotel to enjoy one last night of luxury before our return to Zaen in the morning.
Chapter 42: Fast Forward
I was awake early the following morning, opening my eyes to absorb the beautiful New York skyline one last time before our return to Zaen. We'd packed last night, ready to head back first thing.
Yawning, I rolled over onto my back, untucking myself carefully from Conal's protective arms. Something felt odd, not quite normal and I instinctively rubbed my hand across my belly. Startled, I shoved the covers away and stared in alarm at my stomach. “Oh, my GOD!” I shrieked and Conal rolled towards me, instantly alert.
“Charlotte! What's wrong?” he questioned huskily.
“What's wrong?” I muttered, staring at my stomach, unable to believe what I was seeing. “Take a look at this and tell me what you think is wrong!”
Conal sat up abruptly and stared at my stomach beneath his t-shirt. “Holy crap.”
In the space of twelve hours I'd increased substantially, from a tiny baby bump to something which looked as though I'd fast forwarded past a month or two. Cautiously I ran my fingers over the swell of my belly, fighting down panic. I'd thought the little bump from last night was a rapid transition and wanted to ask Misaki about it – this was obviously abnormal.
There was a frantic knock at the connecting door and Conal leaped from the bed to answer it, turning back to me with Marianne and Striker in his wake.
“We heard you shout, what's the matter?” Marianne asked, her concern apparent.
“Look!” I pulled the t-shirt flat against my abdomen and Marianne stared, seeing the outline of what was now a reasonably sizeable baby bump. I didn't look like I was going to give birth in the immediate future, but certainly appeared much further along than I should at twelve weeks.
Striker whistled. “Shit, Lott. What the hell happened?
Marianne sat beside me, rubbing her hand across my stomach tenderly, whilst the two men stood together and stared. “We need to get you to Zaen, let Jerome look at you.” She smiled reassuringly. “Charlotte, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. We know the baby has angel blood, not vampire blood, so the acceleration must have something to do with the normal length of an angel pregnancy.” She patted my arm and caught my hand, drawing me gently from the bed. “Let's get you dressed and we'll head home.” Her gaze flickered to Conal who was still staring wide-eyed at my belly, which seemed even more noticeable when I was standing up. “Conal, can you organize our check-out and I'll get Charlotte prepared. We'll need to find something she can wear. Striker, call room service and get something for Charlotte to eat before we head back.”
Galvanized into action, the two men turned in different directions, Conal snatching up some clothes and slipping into the bathroom to change, Striker reaching for the room service menu and picking up the telephone. Marianne clasped my hand in hers and drew me across to my bag, sitting me on a chair whilst she plunged into my bag looking for something I could wear. I knew without looking it was hopeless, I had nothing which would fit over the bulge my stomach now created.
Marianne finally drew out a pair of jeans and motioned to Conal when he slipped back out of the bathroom. “Conal, have you got a spare sweater?”
Silently, Conal searched his bag and found a sweater, tossing it into Marianne's waiting hand. “All right. Let's get you in the shower and see how we go with these.”
I followed her obediently towards the bathroom, shell-shocked and numb. How could this happen? Was it normal? Was the baby all right? The answer came to me almost instantaneously, as I felt a sharp jab in the side of my stomach and stopped still, inhaling sharply.
“What? What's wrong?” Marianne asked.
“I… nothing… I don't know!” I cried, touching the area where I'd felt the movement.
Conal was instantly at my side, his arm around my shoulders as he met Marianne's eyes, his full of concern.
I felt another jab underneath my fingers and looked up at Conal in awe. “I think it's the baby… he's kicking.”
Conal watched me for a second before he broke into a broad grin. “Kicking?” he repeated softly.
I caught his hand in mine, laying it across my stomach where I'd felt the movement. “Kick, baby,” I whispered huskily. Seemingly attuned to my voice, the baby kicked sharply and Conal met my eyes, his full of wonder.
I smiled happily, feeling calmer with the knowledge the baby was alive and moving healthily. I stretched on tiptoes to kiss Conal's lips. “I think it's okay,” I assured him. “But I want to go home.”
Conal nodded. “I'll get organized to leave as soon as you're ready.”
Marianne drew me into the bathroom and ran the shower while I stripped off and stared at my stomach. I looked like I'd swallowed a basketball.
“Did this happen overnight?” Marianne questioned.
I shook my head. “The past twenty-four hours. I noticed last night that I had a little baby bump. Nothing like this.”
Marianne grinned. “No, last night you could fit into your jeans. Today we're going to be lucky to get them on, let alone zipped up.”
I stood under the shower for only a couple of minutes, unable to overcome the desire to stare at my belly. It seemed impossible to believe and when I got out I toweled off and still couldn't stop myself staring at it. “I guess July is looking unfeasible.”
Marianne smiled from her po
sition on the edge of the bathtub. “Good thing I insisted on buying baby clothes.”
“Apparently we should have considered maternity clothes,” I agreed, struggling to pull the jeans up over my belly. “This is hopeless.”
“Exactly why we borrowed one of Conal's sweaters,” Marianne announced. “Leave the jeans undone, they're a lost cause. Wear the sweater over the top. It'll do until we get back to Zaen and find out what's going on.”
Room service had arrived by the time we reappeared from the bathroom - Conal and Striker were standing together talking, their expressions grim. “What's up?” I questioned nervously.
Conal shrugged. “Nothing, Sugar. Striker and I were just trying to figure out when you might be going to have this baby.”
Marianne laughed aloud. “I think perhaps we should leave that question to Jerome to answer, don't you think? You two guys don't exactly have a lot of experience in the field of obstetrics.”
Conal nodded, sharing a smile with Marianne. “Yeah, he'll probably have more of an idea than we do, that's for sure.”
“I had no idea what to order, Lottie,” Striker apologized as I made a beeline for the trolley containing breakfast. “I haven't eaten human food for a very long time.”
I lifted the lid from a container and found a plate of Eggs Benedict, another containing pancakes with whipped butter and maple syrup.
“Eggs or Pancakes?” I questioned Conal.
“You choose what you want, Sugar.”
I grabbed the plate of pancakes and sat on the edge of the bed to scoff them down.
“No more morning sickness?” Marianne questioned, sitting down beside me.
I shook my head. “No. Nothing at all.”
“When did it stop?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I guess I haven't felt sick since we arrived. I felt nauseous then, but that was probably the portal.”
Striker and Marianne exchanged a pointed look and I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“It seems like the progress of your pregnancy and the morning sickness stopping might be related.” Striker explained. “Jerome will want as much information as possible when we get back.”
Conal was standing by the window, eating his breakfast with a fork. “How accelerated could this be? Are we going to wake up tomorrow morning and find she's ready to give birth?”
Marianne shook her head. “We have no way of knowing.”
I smiled at Marianne fondly. “I wish you could get your fortune telling thing working again.”
Marianne sighed. “Not as much as I wish. It would be so helpful and yet there's not a sign of it, despite the others getting their abilities back in increments. I'm thinking now it's gone forever.”
“You're young,” Striker assured her. “No offence, baby, but it didn't ever function all that well in the first place.”
Marianne poked her tongue out at her husband.
“Oh God.” I dropped my fork to the plate and stared wide-eyed at Marianne.
“What?” Striker questioned immediately.
“The orb,” I whispered, my heart pounding. “What if it was the orb?”
For a moment there was stunned silence as all three of them stared at me wordlessly. Conal dropped his plate onto the desk and came to kneel beside me, his hand reassuring on my knee. “Sugar, let's not get too freaked out. It might be coincidental that this happened after you got hit by the orb,” he said confidently, although his tone didn't match the worry in his eyes.
“Let's get you back to Zaen,” Striker agreed quietly. “Jerome needs to know about this immediately.”
Chapter 43: Test Subject
By late afternoon on Christmas Day, I knew how animals must feel in a research laboratory. Jerome had run every single test he could think of, taken scans, done blood tests – and could find no apparent reason for my pregnancy's rapid acceleration.
For the first time all day, I was alone and relishing the peace. A smile played on my lips as I recalled the reaction when we'd portalled back this morning - we'd been greeted with a stunned silence, followed by a flurry of activity as Conal escorted me to the hospital and Jerome immediately did a scan of the baby. I don't think anyone had been subjected to a scan with so many people in the room – nearly everyone I loved had been there, anxiously watching the monitor. The sigh of relief had been audible when Jerome announced the baby appeared to be perfectly fine.
After an initial panic, I'd calmed down upon seeing the baby moving happily on the screen. With the accelerated growth had come more detail, we could see his tiny hands and feet, the curve of his nose – even the little movement when he'd placed a tiny finger to his mouth to suck. Seeing him look so perfect on the little screen had allayed many of my fears.
At Jerome's urging, I'd contacted both Nememiah and the spirits, seeking information as to why this had happened. Although I'd received no direct answers, they'd assured me the baby was okay and all I could do was accept their reassurance. Unfortunately, I was the only one who was willing to accept their word for it – I knew even now Jerome, Epi, Ben and Ripley were poring over Epi's numerous volumes of information, seeking a definitive answer about the normality of my pregnancy.
In the meantime, I was stuck in the hospital. Jerome had point-blank refused to consider my request to leave, insisting he would be observing me for at least forty-eight hours. Although I'd argued voraciously, promising I'd come to the hospital for him to do his tests, he'd said no. Consequently, I was stuck here on Christmas Day, with people coming to measure my belly and check the baby's heartbeat every two hours.
I'd slept for a while, waking to find a note from Conal saying he'd gone to visit with his Mom and Nonny and would return soon. I briefly contemplated breaking out, but knew Jerome would only drag me back again. For the first time in three years I'd almost been looking forward to Christmas, only to find myself denied the pleasure. I wondered whether Kazuki had enjoyed his new sled.
There was a knock at the door and when it was pushed open, Goren appeared in the doorway. “Little One, are you feeling well? May we come in?”
“Sure.” I pushed myself higher on the pillows and watched curiously as Goren and a woman entered the room. It was only when I saw her startling aquamarine eyes that I realized it was Arasinya. She smiled warmly as she reached the bed, extending her hand to me.
“Charlotte, it is a pleasure to meet you in less stressful circumstances.”
I took her hand and smiled shyly. “You're feeling better?” She looked infinitely healthier, her slender figure draped in a gorgeous dress of burnished gold. Tall and graceful, she had long blonde hair which was the color of sunshine, braided loosely and hanging down her back. She wore no makeup, her features perfect as she gazed at me with a warm smile. Unlike Goren, she had no tattoo-like drawings on her skin, and I wondered if this was an elemental difference between elves and fairies. She did have an intricate display of jewelry dangling from her pointed ears, large loops and swirls of textured gold, which hung to her shoulders from points all along the shell of her ears.
“I'm feeling much better,” she agreed. “We of the Fae rely on the sun, the moon, the elements are what keep us alive.” She trembled a little, her eyes sad. “The Drâghici kept me in darkness for so long, I felt sure I would die.”
“I'm glad that wasn't the case,” I assured her. Turning to Goren, I scrutinized his pale features. “Are you recovering?”
Goren nodded, a twinkle in his violet eyes. “Yes indeed, Little One. Epi and Jerome counteracted the poison and I am recovering well.”
“We owe you a great debt, Charlotte,” Arasinya said, still gripping my hand in hers. “The risks you took to rescue Goren and myself – our words of gratitude hardly seem enough.”
I took a steadying breath. “I'm hoping you'll offer us a little more than your words.”
Goren and Arasinya exchanged a glance and Goren smiled widely. “You see, Arasinya?”
Arasinya's blue eyes were luminous. “Goren told me how very d
irect you can be. It's a quality I can appreciate.” She squeezed my fingers. “Yes, we will offer you a great deal more than that, if I can win back the throne.”
My heart lifted at the thought of having the Fae on our side. Before I had an opportunity to respond, the door opened and Jerome and Epi strode in. “Ah, our patient is awake,” Epi announced happily.
Jerome unhooked a chart from the bottom of my bed and glanced at the notes. “There's been no change since this morning, Charlotte.”
“Great, does that mean I can get out of here?” I asked impatiently.
Jerome rolled his eyes. “No, it most certainly does not. The rapid progress of your pregnancy happened overnight. I want you in here until tomorrow morning at least, to ensure it doesn't happen again.”
“Didn't find anything helpful in your books, Epi?” I guessed.
“I'm afraid not,” Epi answered. “Despite intense investigation, there's little information available regarding angel pregnancy.”
Arasinya patted my shoulder. “I sincerely hope it has nothing to do with the injury you sustained during our rescue.”
I shrugged, coming to the conclusion Arasinya was a very touchy-feely person. Since arriving in my room, she hadn't stopped touching my hands and arms. “I don't suppose you know anything about angel pregnancy?”
She smiled and shook her head. “I'm afraid not. The original Nememiah's Children had died out by the time I was born, I had no contact with any of them.” She glanced at Goren, “What of you, Goren? Can you think of anyone who may have knowledge?”
Goren thought for a moment. “There are some. Unfortunately, we cannot contact them, not until the situation with Aethelwine has been resolved. They are within the Realm but under her tyranny for now.”
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