Fated

by Karen Lynch

  He rubbed his chin. “It’s hard to say. Sara’s unlike full-blooded Fae, and we can only guess how her magic will progress. Tell me what happened tonight.”

  Sara told him how she’d jumped without meaning to, and he nodded thoughtfully.

  “You consciously jumped back to the house?”

  “Yes.”

  Her answer pleased him. “Very good. You’ll be jumping with ease in no time.”

  “What about the fluctuations you felt? Am I losing control of my power again?”

  Her voice trembled and I wanted to go to her, but I knew she wouldn’t let me near her if there was the slightest chance of her hurting me.

  Eldeorin smiled. “I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t fix, Cousin.”

  Her shoulders sagged in relief.

  He looked at me. “I’ll need to link with Sara to determine what the problem is. It might cause her to have some minor outbursts of magic, so it would be best if you leave us.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was leave Sara when she looked so distraught, but she needed his help more than she needed me right now.

  “I’ll be downstairs,” I told her.

  She gave me a brave smile. “Okay.”

  I walked out, shutting the bedroom door behind me, and went downstairs where I was met with worried faces and a flurry of questions.

  “She’s okay,” I said in a low voice. “Eldeorin is with her now, and he’s going to figure out what caused her to jump like that.”

  I looked at the kitchen window, which was now covered by a tarp. As I’d thought, someone had cleaned up the glass and debris, and wrapped up all the food. There wasn’t anything for me to do but wait, not that I would have gone far from Sara.

  Unable to sit still, I paced the area at the bottom of the stairs, while the others talked quietly among themselves. I didn’t want to think about the possibility of Sara enduring what she had during her liannan. It had been so difficult for her, emotionally and physically, and she’d had to train hard just to regain control of her power. I sent up a silent prayer that she didn’t have to go through that again.

  Almost an hour passed before I heard our bedroom door open, and Eldeorin appeared at the top of the stairs. His face gave nothing away when his eyes found mine.

  “You can come up now.”

  I took the stairs two at a time, and ran into our bedroom. Sara stood near the French doors, looking out at the snow, so I couldn’t see her face.

  “Sara?”

  Seconds passed before she turned to look at me, wearing a slightly dazed expression. Dread churned in my stomach, and I took a step toward her.

  “What is it?

  “It’s…” The dazed look left her eyes and she smiled. For a moment, her body seemed to be surrounded by a soft white glow.

  I shot Eldeorin a questioning look and found him smiling, too.

  “It seems congratulations are in order.”

  “What?” I asked dumbly.

  I swung my gaze back to Sara, and she wordlessly laid a hand over her stomach. It took me a few seconds to register what she was telling me. My knees weakened and I had to grip the post at the foot of the bed to stay on my feet.

  My eyes lifted to meet hers again, and she nodded at my unspoken question.

  I went to her and cupped her face in my hands. Her green eyes brimmed with happy tears, and I brushed them away as they fell.

  “A baby?” I said hoarsely. “We’re having a baby?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  My chest expanded as an indescribable joy filled me, and I reached down to splay my hand across her flat stomach that would soon grow round with our child.

  Slipping my other hand behind her head, I pulled her to me and kissed her with a fierce tenderness that left us both breathless. I was about to pick her up and carry her to the bed when a throat cleared behind me, reminding me we weren’t alone.

  “I’ll be leaving now,” Eldeorin said, sounding amused. “Sara, I’ll be by in a few days to check on you. But from what I can see, she’s healthy and strong.”

  “She?” I turned to him, stunned. “You can already tell it’s a girl?”

  “Only a female child would inherit Sara’s magic, and this one’s already a strong little thing. She’s the one who sent them off on their little adventure tonight.”

  I stared at him, reeling from the news, and he shot me a devilish grin.

  “Rest up, Daddy. You’re going to need it.”