“Conal tells us you brought Lucas to physical solidity,” Epi said, settling in the chair by the bed. “That's excellent news.”
Arasinya nodded her agreement. “When Jerome approves, I will give you access to my ancestors, so you may confirm what Goren told you. It seems prudent to wait until the problem with your pregnancy has been resolved.”
The door opened again and Conal walked in, followed by Rowena, Matt and Misaki, with Kazuki cuddling in Misaki's arms.
“Wott! Wott!” Kazuki shouted happily and I held my arms out to the little boy. Misaki dropped him carefully onto my lap.
Conal threw me a wink. “Hey, 'Wott'.”
I smiled warmly as Kazuki snuggled in my arms and Conal leaned over to brush a brief kiss across my lips.
Arasinya smiled at Kazuki, her eyes filled with maternal delight. “Charlotte, we will leave you with your family and visit again tomorrow. I understand this celebration – Christmas,” she said the word as though she'd never heard it before, “is very important in your world.”
I smiled shyly. “You're welcome to stay.”
Matt nodded his agreement. “Charlotte's right, why don't you stay? From what I can figure, half of Zaen are on their way to visit with Charlotte and share Christmas with her, so the more the merrier I say.”
Goren and Arasinya exchanged a long glance and Goren inclined his head. “Thank you. We will accept your kind offer.”
Over the course of the next hour, more and more people crammed into my hospital room – Marianne and Striker, Ben and Holden, Nat, Ambrose and Joe. They were followed by Nonny, who carried a tray of food, and to my surprise, Conal's mother Amoux. She bent over and brushed a soft kiss against my cheek, her eyes warm.
“Merry Christmas, Charlotte.” She handed me a brightly wrapped parcel and I looked at her curiously. It had been decided the adults would forgo presents this Christmas, the task of procuring items only being implemented for the children. To receive a gift from Conal's mother was surprising, to say the least. Seeing my puzzlement, Amoux explained further. “Technically, it's for the new baby.”
I tore the wrapping from the parcel and gazed at a beautiful snowy-white knitted wrap, admiring the intricate pattern. “Amoux, it's just beautiful.”
Amoux gazed at the wrap reverently. “The wrap was knitted by my Great-Grandmother for her own children. It's been passed down from generation to generation and has been used by every baby born in our family.” She glanced at her son and inclined her head towards him, her black eyes filled with love. “Conal himself was wrapped in it when he was a baby.” Her attention returned to me. “Charlotte, I would be honored if you will use the wrap for your baby.”
“Oh, Amoux,” I said softly, fingering the beautiful wrap in wonder. “I appreciate it so much. But it's important to your family…”
Amoux nodded. “You're right, it is. And I know how important you are to Conal. I've seen in the past week or two how happy you have made my son. Nonny and I agreed, we want you to use the shawl for your new baby.” She smiled coyly. “Perhaps one day your baby will call me Nonny.”
I looked up into Conal's delighted eyes and smiled. “Perhaps he will.”
The door opened yet again and Gabrielle appeared, expressing surprise at the amount of people in the room. She was followed by Ripley, Acenith and Katie, at which point Jerome grumpily declared the visitor limit had been reached. Katie ran towards the bed and drew me into a delighted hug and I slid across the bed to allow her to join Kazuki and I.
“Did you have a good Christmas, Katie?”
The young girl nodded happily. “We ate turkey and had balloons, and I got a new doll. This afternoon Striker and Marianne played in the snow with me and Nanny Cecilia got hit in the head with a snowball! It was so cool!”
I chuckled. “Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas!”
“I know!” Katie agreed with a giggle. “Cecilia says Striker hit her with the snowball, but he pretended he didn't. Even though he did.” She glanced up at Striker and he winked.
“Let's keep that as our little secret, hey kiddo? Cecilia might try and hit me with a snowball if she discovers it was me.”
Gabrielle hugged me and lifted her attention to the space inches above my head.
“How's my aura looking?” I questioned softly.
Gabrielle nodded approvingly. “Much better than it did. A little apprehension, but there's something new.”
Conal frowned. “Anything wrong?” He reached for my hand and clasped it in his.
Gabrielle cocked her head to one side. “It's actually very interesting. I've never seen anything like it.”
Jerome interrupted his conversation with Epi to listen. “What do you see, Gabrielle?”
Gabrielle studied the air above my head for another few moments before she spoke. “Charlotte's aura and that of the baby have intertwined. There's a rainbow of love between the two auras.”
I grinned happily. “So the baby loves me?”
“And you the baby of course,” Gabrielle agreed. “It's uncommon to see that relationship develop so early between mother and child.”
“Could it to be caused by the acceleration of the pregnancy?” Jerome questioned.
Gabrielle's eyes narrowed. “I'm not sure. But there's something even more fascinating.”
“What's that?” I asked.
Gabrielle grinned. “It seems the baby has developed a strong sense of affection for Conal.”
Conal's head lifted. “For me?”
“Remember how I told you about the rainbow auras? Which show relationships between people?” Gabrielle asked.
I nodded. “You can see the connections between people, how they feel about one another.”
Gabrielle smiled in agreement. “It appears your baby has developed a great deal of affection for Conal. So much so, the aura between him and your child is almost as strong as the relationship between you and Conal.”
I met Conal's eyes and he grinned at me. “So that's good news.”
I was delighted by the connection my unborn child had apparently made with the man I loved. How it had come about, I had no idea, but I was deeply comforted by the notion.
Gabrielle was still reading my auras, her head tilted to one side as she studied it. “Not only does your baby love Conal,” she remarked, “apparently the baby has developed a liking for Rowena, Ben,” her eyes darted backwards and forwards, following the invisible strands of the aura, “Marianne, Holden, Nonny, Ripley, Acenith, and Striker.”
“Hey, how come I missed out?” Matt protested, though his broad grin softened the words.
Conal appeared to be trying to work out the connections. “Seems to me it's everyone you spend a lot of time with, Sugar,” he suggested.
“Well, that's it – I need to spend more time with you, baby,” Matt announced and everyone laughed.
“This is a remarkable ability,” Goren said. “I'm interested to know if you can read my aura.”
Gabrielle met his eyes and smiled. “Yes, I see both your aura and Arasinya's.”
“You see nothing untoward?” Arasinya questioned.
Gabrielle shook her head, grinning at me. “No, there is nothing untoward in your auras.”
Goren searched Gabrielle's eyes, then my own before realization dawned in his. “Ah. Obviously you have already tested us in this regard, Little One?”
I lowered my gaze to Kazuki, he was sitting in my lap, playing with a toy car. “A precaution, Goren.”
“I assume we passed the test?” Arasinya queried, with a twinkle in her eyes.
I nodded and Conal squeezed my fingers. “I have to protect the people of Zaen.”
Goren smiled his approval. “Of course you do. As we feel a need to protect you, Little One.”
“It's the blood running in her veins which causes this desire,” Epi responded.
I scowled at him. “It might be my charming personality.”
“Nah, couldn't be that,” Striker disagreed with a
grin and I laughed aloud.
“Regardless of the cause,” Arasinya chuckled, “we will do everything we can to protect you and your child.”
I inclined my head to her. “Thank you.”
A nurse appeared in the doorway and grinned at the sheer volume of people in my room. She spied Jerome. “Time for measurements, Dr. Harding.”
“All right, you lot. Time to say your goodbyes.” Jerome announced gruffly. “Get out and go home.”
“In case she has to pop the kid out in the morning,” Striker announced, to a wellspring of good-natured chuckles.
I rolled my eyes at him as I said goodbye to everyone.
“I assume you'll be staying, Conal?” Jerome questioned.
“Yeah,” Conal immediately agreed.
Striker chuckled, eyeing the narrow hospital bed. “In that bed? If the baby has another growth spurt, it'll bounce you straight out on the floor.”
“I'll take my chances,” Conal announced casually.
Jerome waited until everyone left the room, leaving Conal and I alone with him. “All right, young lady. Let's see what's happening.”
I shuffled down in the bed until I was lying flat and Jerome used a small monitoring device to listen to the baby's heartbeat. “Perfect,” he murmured softly, before measuring the circumference of my expanded belly with a tape measure. He raised his eyebrows as he compared the measurement with my chart. “No change.”
“Great. Can I go home in the morning?” I demanded.
Jerome shook his head. “Will you stop asking? For Christ's sake, you're like a broken record,” he grumbled. “I'm not going to release you until I'm certain everything is okay. Now try and behave yourself, for once in your life, and do what you're told.” Despite his cranky words, he leaned over and kissed my forehead, nodding to Conal. “Goodnight, you two.”
Conal and I were finally alone and he leaned over and kissed me thoroughly. “Thank God,” he murmured, when he straightened up.
I raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
Conal grinned. “For Jerome's atrocious bedside manner. He sure can clean out a room like no-one else I know. Suits me just fine - I don't like sharing you.” He leaned down beside the bed and picked up a bag. “I brought you some fresh clothes. Thought you might like a shower to freshen up.”
I smiled, appreciating the thought. “Thanks.”
Conal's eyes held a mischievous glint. “Thought I'd get Marianne to pick something.” An uneasy look must have flashed across my face, because he chuckled. “Just kidding. I got Rowena to sort it out.”
Checking the bag, I was relieved to discover some of my favorite pajamas and fresh underwear.
Conal smiled. “I think I might have preferred Marianne's selection.”
I flushed with embarrassment, pulling the covers back to head to the shower. Conal caught my hand, drawing me into his arms and hugged me close. “You are so beautiful.”
I grimaced at the compliment. “I look like I swallowed a basketball.” Having expanded so quickly, I was self-conscious and uncomfortable with the sudden changes to my shape. Most people who have a baby had time to get used to the changes in their bodies – I hadn't been afforded the same circumstances.
Conal shook his head, tilting my face to meet his. “You. Are. Beautiful,” he breathed quietly, his eyes filled with desire. “The most beautiful woman in the world. I love you.”
I smiled and stood on tiptoes to kiss his lips. “I love you too.”
By the time I'd showered and came back into the room, Conal was on the bed and he held up the covers I could slip beneath them, then captured me in his arms. “Better?”
“Much better,” I agreed, snuggling against his chest.
A companionable silence built between us for a few minutes, until Conal spoke. “When did you start considering Zaen home?” he questioned, his expression thoughtful.
I frowned. “I do?”
Conal nodded. “This morning you told me you wanted to come home and tonight you told Jerome you want to go home.”
I thought about it for a minute or two. “I don't really know. I guess when I'm with Rowena and Ben I consider myself at home.”
Conal kissed my forehead. “The relationship between you and them never ceases to amaze me. They really are like parents to you.”
“I guess they are.” I smiled at him, tracing my fingers across his cheek. “Speaking of amazement – did you know your Mom was going to give me that beautiful wrap?”
Conal nodded, kissing my mouth softly. “She spoke to me about it a few days ago.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I feel really honored.”
“You should. That baby wrap is really important in my family.”
I smiled. “I guess I don't understand why she would let me use it. She hardly knows me and I'm not family.”
“I'm hoping one day you will be, Charlotte,” Conal admitted huskily. “One day I hope you'll be my wife.”
I was silent for a long moment, considering his statement. It made me nervous on a number of levels, not least of which because I felt a flurry of concern that things were moving too fast. But more so, Conal's willingness to give up what he'd had all his life gnawed at me. “Conal, I don't want you to lose the pack. It's important to you,” I stated evenly. Despite his assertion that he was prepared to give up the pack for me, I didn't want to be the catalyst of such a momentous decision. “I can't be the reason for you giving up the pack. It frightens me to think one day you might wake up and regret the decision.”
Conal gazed down at me, his expression filled with sincerity. “Charlotte, I love you with everything I've got. I'm going to love you with every fiber of my being for the rest of my life. I can't and I won't give you up for anything on the planet.”
Despite his assurances, it took a long time to get to sleep that night, worrying about the ramifications of any decision he might choose to make.
Chapter 44: Joined
“… we have been deceived! We have not even been dealing with the true leaders of the Fae!” Hyperion stood by a fireplace, his face filled with fury. “And Arawn had paid for their foul deceit with his eternal life!”
“They will all pay for their deceit.” Bellona was lounging in an ornate armchair, eyeing Hyperion with cool composure. “They will all serve us in the future, Hyperion.”
“We should kill them all!” Hyperion's sandaled feet slapped across the floor as he threw an expensive-looking vase into the fireplace, watching the sparks flare up from the flames as it smashed into tiny pieces. “There should be no mercy for any of the vermin now! It is the very least we can do to honor Arawn's memory.”
“Agreed,” Bellona said idly, studying her red-painted fingernails. “I believe we should tell our fighters to slaughter everyone they locate. It will allow us to complete this coup quickly and commence our plans for ruling the minority classes.”
Odin was pacing back and forth across the black marble floor and he turned to the others. “We must reach agreement with the Fae. Regardless of this fiasco, we will continue negotiations with Queen Aethelwine…”
The scene changed swiftly and I found myself in another room, watching Archangelo as he swallowed down the contents of an ornate gold goblet. He dropped the goblet carelessly onto a small table and slumped down onto the bed, laying back against the pillows.
“Sleep my boy,” Alberich Bran urged him. “Sleep and tell us what happens in Zaen…”
Again the surroundings altered rapidly and I found myself face to face with Archangelo. I couldn't understand what was happening and from the confusion in Archangelo's eyes it seemed he was in a similar predicament. His attention flickered around the place we found ourselves in – there was nothing to indicate where we were. Everything was white, reminding me of my first meeting with Nememiah and I wondered if it was him who'd brought us here.
Behind the Archangelo standing in the room with me, I saw a duplicate Archangelo laying on the bed, Alberich Bran still standing beside him
. Twisting on the spot, I saw myself lying in bed with Conal, his arms wrapped around me as we both slept peacefully. It was uncanny and I couldn't begin to comprehend how this could feasibly be happening. There was no reasonable explanation, and yet, here we were.
Archangelo turned towards me, looking as bewildered as I was. “Where have you brought me?” he demanded harshly.
“You can see me?”
He took a step forward, a smirk curving his lips. “Of course I see you. As you no doubt can see me.” His eyes grazed across my body and I lowered my eyes, coming to the understanding that wherever we were and whatever was happening, Archangelo would have no doubts left about my pregnancy. My belly was full and rounded, clearly visible in the pajamas I was wearing. Was I still asleep? Was this part of a nightmare? As if confirming my fears, Archangelo spoke. “You bitch; you are pregnant to the leech scum! How is this possible? How can you be filled with his spawn when only days ago there was no sign?” He narrowed his eyes, a combination of rage and desire strangely mixed in his features. “You let the vampire taint you with his seed!” He stepped forward, his gaze focused on my abdomen. “I will remove that devil's spawn myself!”
I stumbled backwards, away from him. “Don't you touch me!”
Archangelo continued his steady onslaught, the muscles in his neck tightly corded with fury as he approached. I realized now, how Gwynn had felt with Arawn stalking her and could sympathize. “You will be mine, Charlotte! I will not accept this – ever! You are mine and I will cut that leech spawn from you and replace it with what should be there! My child!” His attention was captured by the bed behind me, for the first time he noticed the duplicate of myself and Conal laying curled together in the bed. He scowled, rage growing in his eyes. “Hai fottutamente! You sleep with the dog as well? I knew you were lying, you fucking bitch!”
I swallowed nervously and turned to run. His hands linked around my throat and he squeezed cruelly, the pain unbearable as I struggled to breathe. I could feel him hard against me, his arousal against my back as black spots formed in front of my eyes…
“Charlotte! Wake up, love! Charlotte, you must wake up to stop this! Please Charlotte, I beg you - wake up, my love!” Lucas's pleading reached my ears, over the sound of blood rushing as I started losing grip on consciousness.
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