by Tamara White
“Yeah about that,” I feel a blush creep up on my cheeks. I also feel guilty for planning to leave without discussing it with them first, but I need to do this.
“I have to do this. Being pregnant is no way to finish school, but if I ever want to get a job I need to finish school. And how else am I going to do it? If I didn’t do it now, I’ll be spending the next few years trying to catch up. As it is, I don’t see myself going to college, so I need to do this.” I’m not above using guilt to let them let me go, so I make sure to add some pleading into my voice.
Teddy and Ky sit at my feet with cheeky grins. Then Teddy speaks up, “You can use that pout as much as you like but you aren’t going without us. We understand your need to complete school, but you know you don’t have to. I have enough money in my inheritance to provide for us all for the next 20 years without doing anything. If you want to do this, we’ll help you. If you want to go to college, we’ll help you. You don’t have to sacrifice anything. We’re in this together.”
“Oh, Teddy, that’s so sweet, but I can’t rely on your money. And what about you guys? Do you plan on going to college? What do you want to do with your lives? I don’t want the babies to interrupt all of our lives.”
“Evie, you need to stop thinking of it like that. The babies aren’t ruining our lives. No matter what, we’re all in this together. If you want to go to college, we’ll go with you. We’ll find a way to make it work, I promise,” Ky says, with sincerity.
How did I get so lucky to meet these guys?
“So you’re ok with me going back to the school for the next three days?” I ask.
“Only if we come along. I don’t want to leave you so soon after getting you back,” Mike says stubbornly.
Dane has stopped rubbing me to hear my answer.
“Ok, fair enough, but what about your duties as council leaders? Zach said you have postponed meeting everyone in the community because you were waiting to introduce me, but what will you do if you all leave?”
“That’s easy, our dads will cover for us. I’m sure if Dane asks Spencer to, he’d be more than willing to oversee their decisions while we’re gone.”
“Yeah, he’s been waiting for my mom to get here, so I’m sure he’d be happy to do something while he waits. Ok, so we leave for 2 or 3 days, you do your final tests, and we make it back in time to introduce you to the rest of our families and the community. Then we can make a concrete decision on what to do about the demons. Sound Good?” Dane asks, looking at the others while I’m settled in his lap. It seems like a good enough plan for me even though I’m thoroughly terrified to meet their mothers. Well, all except Ky’s.
Chapter 10
Dane
It took a lot of negotiating, but the original council agreed to temporarily take charge of the setup arrangements for the elementals, while we take care of school. Thankfully most of them agreed that it was a good idea that we get our school credentials before we take on the responsibility of leadership. That’s not to say that we won’t be taking over once we get back.
Already everyone is in love with Evie, just as I thought they would be. This morning, she came down and wanted to meet a few of the people she helped heal, so we walked through the tents set up on the back lawn and introduced her to them, explaining who and what she was.
I think, in the end, Evie was more overwhelmed by the bowing than she was of meeting the people. Most people were so grateful to be free of the demon’s influence that they offered her indentured servitude to try and appease her.
She didn’t want any of that, explaining to any who asked, that having them alive and safe was more than enough payment. She’s going to be an amazing leader.
Spencer was also happy to help keep everything under control. I know he was dying to see my mother, so I’m sure that had a lot to do with his reason for staying behind.
We don’t need to take much with us since most of our stuff is still in the house. We’re going to have to talk to Evie about where she wants to live. We guys have been discussing it a lot over the past few days, what with the babies impending arrival. They could be here in anywhere from 1- 8 weeks but it all depends on them. If Evie’s not in labour after three weeks, Christian has suggested inducing her but only if the babies are fully developed.
Mike had a great idea for our living arrangements, but we want to run it by Evie before making any final decisions. Mike’s had his eye on a property on the outskirts of the city, maybe a 20 minute drive from here, that’s been up for sale for a while. There’s already a house on the property, but it only has four bedrooms. If we’re all to fit, we might want to add on to the house.
I already have a million ideas, but we agreed to bring it up at dinner tonight.
“Evie, you ready to go yet? You know you don’t have to bring anything since you’re going back home. You should have everything you need,” Raphael calls to her, his voice a mix of sarcasm and humour.
“Grandpa, you know I’m not taking anything. It’s these babies. They think my bladder is a toy to press at any moment they please. It gets annoying going to the bathroom every 2 minutes.”
It’s cute seeing Evie frustrated about the babies. She gets this look on her face that’s pure love. Even when she’s frustrated at the babies, you can tell she holds nothing but love for them. It makes me love her even more, if that’s physically possible.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Just wait until you’re almost ready to pop, then you’ll be going every 10 seconds,” he responds with a grin.
“I’ll meet you downstairs. The others are waiting for me. See you down there,” I say leaving Evie and Raphael bantering.
Zeke
My nerves are running amok right now. We’re all ready to go. I know it’s only for three days, but it’s still messing with my mind that Evie asked me to come with her.
First, Christian told me she wanted me to come, which was a big enough surprise in itself, but last night, she asked me after dinner.
We were in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes when she asked if I would come with her and the others. She said she knew that she already asked Christian to invite me along, but she wanted to make sure it was what I wanted.
It floored me at how kind she was being, especially after everything that had happened.
Evie’s an amazing person. She’s shy most of the time, but she won’t let people walk all over her either. I’m glad that she’s not one of those self-centred, obnoxious girls who thinks because she has powers others don’t, it makes her better. If anything, it has made her more down to earth.
Her life has changed dramatically over the past few weeks, from what the others tell me, and she has eased her way into the supernatural world with no problems. Well, aside from her kidnappings and advanced pregnancy, other than that, though, it’s been remarkably good.
I’m excited to be going with her but also slightly disappointed. I’m won’t be going to the school with her, neither will Christian. We’ve agreed that Mike, Dane, Teddy, Ky, and Zach will go to the school with her, as they are going to be easier to fit in since they’ve all been. It’s one of the only times I wish I was young enough to blend in with the others like Zach will be.
Zach has already finished school so it won’t matter if he attends or not, but this way he’ll be able to be fully focused on protecting Evie.
Christian and I will spend our time packing up Evie’s belongings and taking them with us to the mansion in trips with Raphael. It will also be the best way for us to keep in touch on what’s happening back home.
Besides, with how quickly Evie is progressing through her pregnancy I don’t want to leave her sight for more than a couple of hours at time, just in case she delivers prematurely.
I’m hoping she’ll last for at least another three to four weeks, but the development of the babies will be done in 3 weeks at most. Christian isn’t sure whether they’ll stay in there longer than the three more weeks, or if she’ll go into labour the moment they reach full growth.
&n
bsp; Considering how far along she would be in human terms, she’s nowhere near as big as you would expect.
She hasn’t grown so much that it will restrict her movements too much but you can definitely tell she’s pregnant.
We had to organize some baggy clothes for her to keep it hidden from the other students. The principal and teachers are aware of Evie’s situation, but I’d like to keep the other students from finding out. School kids can be harsh on people who are different.
Evie was picked on because she chose not to make friends. Coming back with five guys to protect her, as well as being pregnant, is going to make her a target now more than ever.
I hope they can protect her better than I did Alyssa.
Teddy
Back to Ashville we go. We all want to get this over sooner, rather than later. Once we have Evie back home, we can work on getting a place ready for the babies. I know we all agreed to talk to her tonight but I’m really apprehensive. Buying a house is a big step, and I don’t know if Evie is going to like it or not.
Mike showed us the house he’s talking about, and while it looks ok on the outside, we should check it out in person before making a decision.
The house is huge and it’s on a big block of land, which will leave us plenty of room to expand. Mike’s already got ideas of a pool, and a playground being installed for the kids, an extra bathroom or two, and at least six more rooms to be added.
That makes a room for each of us, plus a room for the babies. As they grow, or if Evie develops another bond, we can add to the house.
The rooms there now are huge, but he pointed out we may want alone time with Evie so it will make much more sense if we have our own individual rooms to spend time with her.
The land on its own is big enough to fit at least three mansions on it, so it should be plenty big enough for what he has planned.
“Alright everyone. Hold on tight,” Raphael calls down to us.
We’re all lined up holding hands so we don’t get left behind. It would be easy enough for Raphael to come back, but we’d rather not do that.
The feeling of misting is pretty gross. It’s like your stomach is twisted inside out then wrung out to dry. We’re all left heaving on the front lawn of the house, apart from Dane, Zeke, and Raphael.
Evie’s actually throwing up, and I feel so sorry for her. The morning sickness doesn’t seem to help at all. Not that morning sickness is accurate. She seems to get sick randomly at every time of the day.
I worry about her getting all the nutrients she needed, since she barely keeps anything down, but Christian reassured me, when I asked him, that the prenatal vitamins he has her taking twice a day will account for any nutritional loss she has. He offered Evie pills to help with her morning sickness, but she said they upset her stomach too much to be effective.
“You ok, princess?” I ask, walking over to her crouched form. She’s on her knees bending over pretty well considering her belly is in the way but there’s no other way for her to vomit efficiently without getting on her knees. Once she’s down, it takes a while for her to get back up again without help.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It just took me off guard,” she says, wiping her face on her sleeve.
“Come on, let’s get you up to the bathroom and I’ll run you a bath. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like the best idea ever!”
“Just remember she can’t have it too hot. If she does have a bath, she has to keep her belly above the water level to stop it from making her sick,” Christian says looking over at me.
“Yes, Dr. Christian. I did some Googling about the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy before I suggested it.”
It’s true. When Evie was refusing to talk to us, I spent a lot of time on the internet trying to find out what could help her the most. A lot of the websites said a nice bath with lavender and chamomile essential oils helps relieve stress and tension, which is exactly what Evie needs.
She needs the peace and quiet to relax from the stress of the past few weeks.
“Good. Google isn’t the best though. I have some books back at the mansion if you want to read them. I was actually going to suggest you all read them anyway, because it has a few good tips for expectant fathers too.”
Zach
Evie and Teddy go upstairs so she can have a bath, while the rest of us organize the shit we’ll need for the few days.
Once Evie’s had a bath, we’re going to order in dinner to satisfy Evie’s cravings. Apparently, butter chicken is high on her cravings list lately. None of us have been able to make it to her expectations. We really haven’t had much experience cooking Indian food, so we thought we might order it in for her tonight and hopefully it will live up to her expectations.
I look around the house and take in how bare it is. Most of their stuff hasn’t even been unpacked yet. It’s all basic stuff like rugs and furniture, nothing personal. No photos, no books, just plain.
“Where’s all your stuff?” I ask Dane and Ky.
“Most of it’s in storage, but there’s more in our rooms. Mainly clothes, but there’s also our car and Evie’s. The stuff in storage can be shipped to us, it’s just the stuff in the house before we put it back on the market,” Ky says looking around.
“Ok, can Raphael actually take the cars and furniture? I mean sure he can take all of us, but a car is a lot bigger.”
I’ve been hesitant about this part of the plan. I know taking a box, or two, will work, but a car seems like a huge challenge.
“Yes, I can take the cars. When we get there after the first trip, Spencer will come back with me and help use his energy to take the first car, then we’ll take the second on the last day so you’ll have to catch the bus,” Raphael says appearing from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand.
He really knows how to sneak up on a guy.
Evie
The bath has worked wonders on my sore muscles and helped ease a lot of tension I didn’t even realize I had.
Teddy ran the bath, while I started packing away the stuff I had in the spare room. Most of it was clothes and the rest was the papers that Mike found in my old house. The only thing that held significant value to me was the bracelet that my mother gave me.
The memories my mother showed me have helped unlock some of my earlier ones. I have never been able to remember much before I was six or seven years old, but now I can remember earlier on. I remember the day she gave me my bracelet.
It was mere weeks before she died that she surprised me with a special gift. She told me she wanted me to know just how special I was, and no matter what happened when I’m older, to remember that she loves me.
As much as I want to wear it, it’s too small for me now, so I’ll have to get it adjusted when I get a chance. Not that I’ll get much time to myself, if these babies have anything to say about it.
Every day I’m getting bigger and bigger, which just makes it all the more real for me. I know I’m pregnant. It just feels so impossible at times, that only a few months ago I was all alone barely surviving, and now I’m pregnant and have people who actually care for me.
Sure, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing what with the kidnappings, betrayals, new powers, new bonds, and unexpected surprises in between.
However, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve met people that I’ll be bonded to for the rest of my life, and others that I will form a bond with. Getting to know each of them has been a great thing on its own, and while it sucked how some of the meetings happened, I don’t regret it.
The fact that all of them are coming with me back to the school apart from Christian and Zeke, makes me feel treasured. How many other women can say they feel this way with just one man? At first, it takes a bit to get used to the idea of being in a bond with more than one of them, but the feeling you get being near one of your bonds is nothing short of incredible.
It feels as if the whole world realigns and your only focus is them. The sole purpose of your life is to mak
e them happy.
Sounds cheesy, but it’s the best feeling when you’ve lived your life abused and alone, to find the people meant for your life. It makes my life feel complete.
“Teddy, can you pass me some clothes, please?” I ask through the door.
“Yeah, I just grabbed some of my clothes for you tonight. We’ll have to go through your clothes after dinner to see what fits for tomorrow,” he calls through the door before opening it and handing me a green shirt and black boxers.
It’s comforting wearing his clothes, but I definitely need to go through my own. I can’t wear the guys’ clothes to school, or even more rumours are going to be flying about. I have enough to worry about by trying to conceal my pregnancy, let alone wearing guy clothes.
I open the door to find Teddy is still standing there waiting for me. He said he would wait for me to finish my bath, but I just assumed he’d popped back to give me the clothes, then run off to help with dinner, but here he is.
“You didn’t have to wait for me,” I am flattered that he stayed.
“Are you kidding me? None of us are leaving you alone for more than five minutes without barging in to check on you. As it is, I think if one of the others was up here while you had a bath, they would have demanded to be in the room with you to make sure no one stole you from the window.”
“Seriously? They’re that worried?” I ask concerned.
“Yeah, princess, we all are. You’re pregnant, and have been kidnapped twice in the few weeks we’ve known you. Your track record isn’t exactly good when it comes to being left alone. We’ve got a pact to keep at least two of us in eyesight you at all times, so you better get used to it,” he says with a smirk, leaving me staring after him in shock.
I knew they were all worried, but to make sure that I’m watched all the time, isn’t that a bit too much?
Although, I had Christian with me last time, and even that wasn’t enough to stop us from being drugged. Not that it was easily avoidable, it just means we need to be careful who we trust, and maybe we should invest in food tasters.