Ella I stumble through the doors of the clinic with immense difficulty, Cora leaning heavily and moaning on my one side, Rafe’s carrier bouncing against my other. People’s eyes go wide when they see us, but they quickly scatter out of our way to make room, shouting for nurses and doctors to come a
Hank takes another deep breath and roughly scrapes his palm down over his face, putting the thoughts together. Then he turns away from me, barking something out to the nurses about getting an ultrasound machine in here right away. He turns back to me. “Do you know how far along she is?” he asks, st
Ella I fall into a little daze as I watch Hank work, as I hold my sleeping baby in my arms. It’s not that I’m not paying attention – it’s just that…I don’t really understand what they’re doing or saying, so to me it’s all just quiet repetitive work. I do pay attention, of course, when Hank deems C
I nod eagerly to Hank and then carry Rafe over to the little computer in the corner, where I open a web browser and begin to search for the contact information of the temple in the center of our city, hopping to hell the priestesses there can do something to help. ________________________ Sinclair
Ella Rafe and I are standing behind the counter, staring at the front door of the clinic, waiting for the Priestess to arrive. I shift anxiously from foot to foot and Rafe grumbles and cries anxiously in my arms, probably picking up on my emotions. “It’s okay, little baby,” I murmur, tearing my e
I grimace a little and shake my head. “I don’t think we have anything like that here, or at least not easily.” On the phone the Priestess had asked if I could come to the temple, but I had been unwilling to leave Cora if at all possible. So the Priestess had said it was all right, we could probably
Roger Less time probably passes than it feels like. Because it feels like hours of being seared by fire, of the Priest hurling spells at us. And it’s not fire alone – it’s flames first, and then slicing spells that cut at us, and then wind – and ice – and something that feels like acid in the air
“I don’t know!” he cries. “He didn’t tell us!” “What does he have!?” I command, shoving the priest’s hands away from his face so that I can look down on him again. “More priests? More defenses!?” “Nothing,” he moans, shaking his head. “We were – we were the last – we were supposed to hold you here
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