She slipped back into the Laird's quarters to find her friends deep in conversation about what could be done. Galen gave her a smile, which she struggled to return, sitting down in the seat beside him and trying to focus on the conversation. Her heart was pounding, her pulse feeling unpleasant and sticky in her head as it pulsed in her temples, and she tried to take a few deep breaths, feeling suddenly hot and cramped in the tiny little room.
"Maybe I should just go," she pointed out when an uneasy silence fell, the eyes of the group on her. "Do what he wants. Go to Faerie, be his immortal wife or whatever –"
"No," Anna said immediately, her jaw clenched with determination. "No way are we letting you do that, Julia –"
"It's no guarantee of our safety over here," Elena said softly, shaking her head. "And it's more likely than not to mean a lifetime of misery for you. More than a lifetime. These creatures… you can't trust them –"
"He said I'd be happy," Julia pointed out. "I could – I mean, I've already started one new life, right?"
"Julia," Galen said, his voice taut with feeling though he was clearly trying to keep a level head in front of his Captain and the Laird. "I admire your courage and spirit of self-sacrifice. But we can't lose you like this."
"It's worth considering, that's all," she said irritably. "You saw his army, didn't you? Is the Keep in any state to fight off a full army of – of hulking monsters and Wisps?"
"We are," Brendan said firmly… but his face was worried. "I mean, we're low on iron arrows, but the men of the Watch are –"
"I don't want anyone to die for me," Julia said flatly, trying to focus. Her head was buzzing, and her heart was pounding, and she felt sick to her stomach and oddly dizzy, as though she'd been running… was she dehydrated, or something? With shaking hands, she picked up a glass of water, but she was trembling so much that she spilled half of it. There was a worried look on Galen's face as he reached out to help her steady her drink and she murmured a distracted thanks.
And then, abruptly, she was sliding from her chair, blackness rising up to claim her. The last thing she was aware of were the worried shouts of her friends – and Galen's arms around her, holding her up as she lost consciousness.
Chapter 57
It was hours later that she finally woke up. Before that, all she could remember was a strange blur of not quite consciousness… she hadn't been out cold, exactly, but she'd been so out of it and disorientated that she couldn't speak, couldn't react as her body was carefully lifted by a distraught Galen and carried to the castle sickbay. She was distantly aware of being examined, monitored, propped up as a glass of water was held to her lips… and then she was asleep, lost in a deep, strange dream of glowing green eyes and a new home, a new land, even stranger than this one... but in that dream, despite all its beauty, the only thing she could think about was Galen, and how miserable she was to have left him behind…
When she opened her eyes, it was to see Galen sitting beside her, a worried, dreamy look on his face as though he was utterly lost in thought. She realized blearily that she was in her own room, tucked up safely in bed, and an older woman was leaving the room, someone she'd seen around but only vaguely recognized. The woman gave her a soft smile from the doorway as she closed it behind her, and Galen stirred, a delighted smile spreading across his face as he realized she was awake.
"Sorry," she said automatically, pulling herself upright in bed. It was full dark outside the window, she realized with dismay… just how long had she been unconscious? "I just got all – dizzy, or something, I don't… how long was I out?"
"A few hours," Galen said softly, a wondering look on his face that was confusing her a little. Why was he looking at her like that? She reached up and wrinkled her nose at the disarray her hair was in, and Galen chuckled as she set about trying to fix it. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Embarrassed, mostly. Can't believe I fainted like that. It's not like me," she said, frowning a little. "I'm usually pretty good under pressure. Guess the stress got to me. Did we decide anything about Glimmerbright –"
"Oh, yes. You're not going," Galen said flatly. "I made it very clear that anyone trying to give you to that monster is going to have to go straight through my blade. Your friends were in agreement, too," he added with a smile dancing across his handsome face. "You've got some staunch defenders among those women. I thought Elena was going to take Brendan's head clean off."
"He wanted to send me away?"
"Oh, no. He had some daft idea of tricking Glimmerbright somehow –"
"That's a great idea," Julia protested, struggling upright in bed – but Galen pushed her back down, a worried look on his face that made her frown. "What? Why are you acting like I've got ten broken ribs?"
"Julia –" He hesitated, a curious look spreading across his face. "Do you not know?"
"Know what?" She blinked at him, taken aback. "Is something wrong with me?"
"No, lass." A wondering smile broke out over his face. "I assumed you'd known, that you were waiting to tell me, or… I thought women knew these things."
Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat as a suspicion flared to life in her chest – a suspicion that terrified her as much as it thrilled her. "Galen?"
"That was the castle midwife," he said softly, and the suspicion flared into astonishing certainty as she stared across the bed at him, utterly taken aback by this new revelation. "She said… Julia, she said –"
"Holy crap," she breathed. "I thought I was late, but I didn't think –"
And then he was hugging her, holding her close as she laughed with giddy shock. It was such an unbelievably bizarre time to be finding something like this out – but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but overjoyed by it. A child, she thought dizzily, she was going to have a child – her whole world seemed to be collapsing and rebuilding itself around this unbelievable new future that was opening up before her. A child. A baby with Galen's gray eyes —
"Are you … happy?" she asked, finally, blinking up at Galen with sudden shock. He'd been blindsided by this as much as she had – and she had a suspicion that becoming a father hadn't exactly been high on his list of priorities when the two of them had started courting. But he stared back at her, looking actively offended by the question.
"What the hell do you mean, am I happy? Julia, I'm overjoyed. This is – this is among the best pieces of news I've ever received, you daft woman. Am I happy," he grumbled, rolling his eyes.
She laughed breathlessly, tears standing in her eyes, acute relief washing through her. "I guess I can't go to Faerie," she said.
"You weren't going to Faerie regardless," Galen growled. "That Glimmerbright can choke on iron if he thinks you're going anywhere with anyone but me."
She couldn't help but laugh at that, dizzy and overjoyed. They'd missed dinner in all of the excitement, and though Julia couldn't help but feel that she should get back down to the Laird's quarters to continue the meeting, Galen made it very clear that she was to take it easy in bed for the remainder of the evening at the very least. But she was feeling a lot better now that the stress of the meeting was gone and she'd had a few hours of sleep, and it only took a few minutes of pouting until he gave in and agreed to escort her to a more comfortable resting place…
"Much better," Julia said smugly as she settled down comfortably into Galen's bed in his quarters. He grinned, settling into the bed beside her with his arm around her shoulder. They'd sent down to the dining hall for some food to be sent up to the room – mostly leftovers from dinner, though Julia grinned at the inclusion of a rather hearty desert. Someone in the kitchen must like her… or was it possible that word had spread of her condition?
"I don't think so," Galen said, shaking his head. "The only people who know are you, me and the midwife… and the Keep's midwife is notorious for her secret-keeping."
Julia nodded, grateful for that as she set about eating her dinner. Her mind was still racing, but she'd settle
d down a lot more. It was strange… now that her pregnancy was confirmed, she felt an odd calm about the whole situation. Could it be the hormones, already taking over? She'd never really given much thought to whether or not she wanted children… it had always been a question she'd been putting off until her career was established, until she met a partner who wanted children too or, more to the point, wanted them with her. But now that the question was 'when' and not 'if', she realized with a giddy rush that she was looking forward to the challenge that motherhood would bring.
Her only worry was that Galen wasn't equally thrilled about their future child… but the more she looked at him, the wondering look that hadn't quite left his eyes, the way he kept smiling at her when he thought she couldn't see him… well, she had a suspicion that the two of them were going to get on just fine.
"We have three days, right?" she said softly, picking at her dessert. Blair had sent up some delicious fruit tarts, sweet and spicy, and she had a suspicion that there had to be some kind of magic involved, they were just that delicious. "Three days until Glimmerbright comes back."
"I don't want to think about him," Galen said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Not right now, at any rate."
"We have to," Julia said gently. "But… I think I have an idea. Something that might get rid of him once and for all."
"Is it my knife in his throat?" Galen said darkly, making her giggle. "Because I think that would help a great deal. You can't lead an army of monsters with an iron blade in your throat."
"Probably not," Julia said drily. "But you'll understand if I'd prefer the father of my unborn child not risk his life in single combat against a powerful, immortal Unseelie Sidhe."
"That's what I was doing when we met," Galen pointed out with a grin. "Are you trying to change me, woman?"
She grinned. "Oh, yes. But we'll get to that later. For now… do you think Maggie would come and visit if I invited her? I have a few questions…"
Chapter 58
In the end, they spent most of the three days in bed. It wasn't that she was feeling particularly weak or frail – after her initial episode of dizziness, her health seemed to return in full force, especially with a few hearty meals and a good night of sleep under her belt. But Galen seemed worried about her… and she had to admit, it was rather pleasant to catch up on her sleep, especially with her attentive lover administering to her every need.
A messenger went down to speak to Maggie – Elena herself rode out, Julia found out later, surprising her. The woman so rarely left the Keep. It seemed she'd taken a special interest in the subject of Glimmerbright, and when she brought Maggie to Julia's door, she could tell she was worried about her. The news of her pregnancy had not reached the other women… nor did she want it to. Not just yet, at any rate. They had plenty of other things to be worrying about… and from what Elena told her, everyone had just assumed that it was the stress that had overwhelmed Julia at the meeting the night before. Well, good. The fewer people who knew about her pregnancy, the fewer people would know about her plan.
She sat with Maggie for a few hours. Ever the gracious guest, Old Maggie had brought along a curious herbal blend that they poured hot water over, making a spicy and delicious tea that seemed to energize her. She hesitated before drinking it, thinking of her condition… but Maggie's eyes sparkled.
"Nothing to worry about," the old woman said meaningfully, her eyes flicking down toward her belly for just a moment before she winked. Julia's eyes widened in surprise.
"Did someone tell you?"
"They didn't have to. It's written all over your face." She chuckled. "Congratulations, lassie. All blessings upon you."
She bit her lip, smiling absent-mindedly at the congratulations, but worried. "You could tell straight away. Is that… is that a Fae thing?"
"What, paying attention?" Maggie chortled. "Not exclusively, no. Plenty of humans with that gift… and plenty of Fae without it."
That was good. And when Julia explained her plan, she was heartened by Maggie's enthusiastic response. They talked for a few hours, working out the finer details of the plan, and when Maggie headed back to her cottage, Julia waved her off with a smile, suspecting that, despite the old woman's cranky outlook, she'd just made a new friend.
Galen was curious, when he returned from his watch duty on the Wall, but Julia dissuaded him from asking too many questions about her plan. She wanted to keep it to herself, worried that if he knew about it, he might tip her hand, somehow. He was worried… but when he pressed the matter, she squared her jaw, looking him straight in the eye. This was going to test their relationship, she suspected.
"You have to trust me on this," she said simply, spreading her hands. "I know that's not easy for you. I know how obsessed you are with protecting me, with keeping me safe, with knowing every detail of what's going on… but this time, you just have to trust. Okay?"
"Julia…" He ground his teeth, that old frustration flaring up, but she held steady, holding his gaze, keeping her breathing settled.
This conversation could make or break them. It was time to put it to the test, all his claims that he'd changed, that he trusted her now, that he saw them as equals – that he didn't feel the need to be her jailor, her protector. That he would support her even without knowing the details of what he was supporting her in.
Because without that kind of trust… how could they build a life together?
"Do you trust me?" she asked, looking him straight in the eye.
He heaved a sigh, rubbing his face with his hands, clearly struggling. "I want to," he said softly. "I just… Julia, I don't want to lose you."
"If you don't trust me, you've lost me already," she snapped, trying to keep her temper. "If you don't think I can handle myself, then we can't have a relationship of equals. You'll always be my protector, not my partner. I can't be with someone who thinks of me as someone weaker than them. So, if you want us to be together… you have to trust me."
He was quiet for a long time, gazing into the fire as the night drew in around them. She felt more frightened than she'd felt in a long time, more vulnerable, more exposed… but at the same time, even as her heart pounded in her chest, she knew she was doing the right thing. They had to establish this baseline of trust if they were ever going to build anything together. She knew it, and so did he. And when he looked up at her, his face was clear, and though he still looked worried when he nodded, she knew he'd come around to her position.
"Good," she said softly, a smile spreading across her face.
He drew her into his arms, holding her close, and the two of them lost themselves in each other, celebrating their union, the new life they would be bringing into the world, and the new closeness they were going to share.
The morning of the third day dawned bright and cold. Julia felt restless all day, finding herself wandering the castle idly, searching for something to do to keep her occupied until nightfall came and brought Glimmerbright with it. She spoke with everyone she ran into, curious about what had been going on outside of the walls of Galen's quarters, and learned very little. Gossip had been flying around the castle, of course, about what had happened, the army that had arrived at the gate. A few people had been worried that Julia herself had been struck down with some kind of curse – she quickly reassured them that she was fine, just a little stressed out by what had happened, which seemed to satisfy them. Good. She didn't want the story of her pregnancy getting out just yet… for a number of reasons.
"Is it true?" Amelia whispered when she spoke to her, her blue eyes enormous. "Does that Fae creature want you for his bride?"
"It's true," she agreed softly. "He's offered to stop wreaking havoc in the area if I'll agree to go with him and be his bride."
"Are you going to?" Amelia asked, looking terrified but curious despite herself. "I mean… there are worse husbands out there, I'd bet…"
"I'm not going anywhere," Julia said firmly. "And he's not going to hurt us any longer, either. I promise
."
Amelia smiled at her bravely enough, but she didn't look convinced. That was fair enough, Julia thought, shaking her head as she watched the girl leave. She wasn't exactly convinced herself that she could pull this off. But she had to try. For the sake of the people of the Keep and of the village, for the sake of Galen, and for the sake of the life growing in her belly… she had to do everything she could to ensure a safe future for all of them.
"Is this why you brought me here?" she whispered, gazing out over the Loch from her favorite vantage point on the roof. Sometimes, she imagined the Sidhe who'd brought her from the future back here were out there, gazing up at her through the water of the Loch. "Was this your big plan – get me to fix all this?"
There was no response, of course, and she sighed. It was late afternoon, the sun hanging low in the sky as it headed steadily for the horizon. He'd be back soon, she could feel it in her bones – back at the gates with his army, ready for her answer.
"I wish you'd picked someone else," she said softly, shaking her head. "Someone who knew what the hell she was doing. I'm just a wildlife photographer. Couldn't you have brought a hostage negotiator, or someone like that? Someone with real skills?"
Only silence, and the washing of the waves on the shore of the Loch. She sighed, smiling to herself a little at how silly she was being. Nobody was out there, nobody was listening… the creatures who'd brought her here had no interest in her feelings on the matter. She rested a hand on her belly. Still flat as it had ever been… which was to her advantage, after all. But she knew what was there. She knew what was growing within her.
And she knew she was going to do everything she could to ensure a happy future for that child… no matter how much it scared her.
Chapter 59
Woken By The Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance-Highlander Forever Book 7 Page 26