I look up at Sinclair then, my eyes pleading. I know that if I ask him, if I want it enough, he’ll pick me up and carry me bodily out of this hospital right now. But he slowly shakes his head too, letting me know he agrees with the doctor. “I want you home as well, baby,” he murmurs, “both of you. B
Ella “All right,” the doctor says, sweeping into the room where Sinclair and I are resting together on my hospital bed, my head on my mate’s shoulder as we watch some daytime soap opera. I perk up at the doctor’s entrance, eager to hear what he has to say. Sinclair gives a little groan as he sits
“Doctor.” Sinclair’s voice is quiet, almost muffled with the distance, and I lean forward to hear better. “How much do you get paid here?” The doctor scoffs and tells Sinclair that, quite frankly, it’s none of his business. “It is now,” Sinclair replies. “Because whatever it is, I’ll pay you dou
SinclairI wake, a few hours later, jumping up straight the moment I realize that Ella isn’t next to me.She had drifted off to sleep hours ago after a simple dinner and a movie marathon. While she dozed next to me, I’d spent most of the late hours of the night answered the stack of emails piling up
“Everything,” she murmurs, grabbing and pulling open a pack of licorice. “That’s also why I couldn’t wake you to bring me food. I didn’t know what I wanted. Turns out, I wanted it all.” I grimace as she takes a bite of the licorice, ripping it off with her teeth as she turns a curious gaze to me. “A
Ella When I open my eyes, Sinclair is already gone, despite the fact that he got maybe five hours of total sleep last night. He was gone as soon as his head hit the pillow when we got back to bed. I had taken a moment to nibble on a little madeleine cookie that I’d snuck into the pocket of my robe
“Oh,” I say as I fall back against my pillows, my eyes going wide. “Wait, so you’re not seeing Roger anymore?” “I was never seeing Roger in the first place, Ella,” she lies, sounding rushed and embarrassed. Then, I hear someone calling her from wherever she is. “I’ve got to go - I’ll fill you in l
Sinclair“Hey baby!” I say cheerfully to Sinclair as he appears in the doorway to our room late that night, leaning against the frame and smiling tiredly at me. “Do you want some pizza?” I hold up the greasy square box perched on the edge of my nest. “There’s only half a slice left but…” I shrug, “i
He shakes his head at me as tears fill his own eyes and he leans forward, pulling me against him while somehow miraculously managing not to crush our children between us as he holds me tight in his arms. “So, I guess it wouldn’t matter,” he murmurs against my hair as I sniff back my tears and nod.
“Even more than the kids!?” I gasp, my mouth falling open a bit. “I mean, the kids,” he says, shrugging as if they’re not much, which makes me laugh. But then he goes a little rigid as he realizes something, raising his eyes to glare at me a bit. “Wait, are you saying you like the kids more than m
Ella “Nope,” Sinclair says, heaving himself out of bed and grabbing his phone off the bedside table as he does. “I can’t live like this, Ella – I’m calling Roger, I’ve got to know –“ “Dominic!” I say, laughing and grabbing for him, trying to catch the edge of his pajamas and failing because I’v
She laughs and I look first at Sinclair, who shrugs, and then back at my sister. “Come on,” Roger says, nodding at the crowds of people waiting to congratulate us and at the small table of refreshments. “Let’s decide this over some champagne.” Sinclair nods at me and I sigh, moving with my famil
The last image, though, lingers. Ariel, with Rafe and Jesse on either side – as they always are – and her two mates behind her. All standing together on a battlefield with Ariel at the center, magic welling between her hands and passing to her brother, to her cousin. Their faces are serious as t
Cora The images of Ariel’s future come in quick flashes, and somehow I get the impression that the Goddess is eager to share these glimpses of her life. The ones that come first are what I sort of expected, especially after seeing some images of Rafe’s childhood and hearing about the ones that
“We are not,” Cora scoffs, gently taking Ariel into her arms as Sinclair and I laugh. Roger grins, leaning forward to kiss me on the cheek before passing Jesse to me. “You know I’m kidding, right, Ells?” he whispers. I smile at my brother-in-law and gently pat his cheek. “When in doubt, Roger,”
Ella Three weeks later – Ariel was born under a waning quarter moon, not a new moon like her brother and her cousin – I stand anxiously in the woods, my little girl held tight in my arms. “I’m sensing some anxiety,” Cora says, grinning at me with a little too much glee as she comes up to my sid
“Oh my god,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth. “Oh my god,” I sit up straight, staring at Henry, my eyes flicking to his legs – because honestly, I don’t even notice his chair anymore, or think of him at all as someone whose abilities are hindered. Or of me as someone who is able to do an