“I—”
“Moira will be devastated if you don’t come.”
“Hmph, and Fae don’t lie, my ass.”
Shaye laughed and shook his head. “Nay, we can’t lie. Therefore, shewillbe devastated and then I’ll have to intervene.”
“Fine, fine.” Rori waved him away, watching the handsome Faery slip out of the room.
The door never had a chance to close before Cael burst in, crossing to the bed in a few long strides, and plopping on the edge of the mattress. The tea sloshed, but curled back into the mug without spilling.
He supported her hand and lifted the mug to her mouth, his eyes glittering like an excited boy. “Make sure you drink that entire mug. I’ll sit here and help you, if I must.”
“Cael, I’m capable of doing it myself, thank you.” She took a drink to placate him, then shimmied to the edge of the bed. “Let me go to the bathroom real quick.”
She started to put the mug on the nightstand as she stood, but Cael caught it, leading it up to her face. She narrowed her eyes as he beamed a bright smile at her.
He nodded. “Drink.” Another nod, his smile widening. “Go ahead, drink.”
“Cael, what’s gotten into you?” She lowered the mug and stared into the dark liquid, now questioningwhattype of tea she was being coaxed to drink. “You know what? I think I’m going to reconsider this tea.”
Cael wedged himself between her and the nightstand, waving his hands in surrender. “No, no. You need your strength. You need alotof strength. And all the replenishment you can muster.”
A crease deepened across her forehead as she witnessed the old Cael breaking through the surface of a grieving Cael. Nowhere in his eyes did she see sadness. Nowhere in his face were there lines of sorrow. The damn man glowed like he’d just won the universe’s greatest jackpot.
“Uhh, care to tell me what’s going on? And why the tea obsession?”
Cael blinked at her. “You’re the one who just finishednursing school. You tell me. Clinically, you’re definitely depressed, but let’s tick some things off, shall we?” He tapped one finger. “Lack of appetite.” He tapped a second finger. “Puking constantly.”
The crease smoothed.
Cael ticked a third finger. “Cassy said you missed your cycle?—”
“Oh, God.”
As if the world hadn’t spun enough on her in the last few weeks, she was thrown on another tilt-a-whirl. Cael caught her by the elbows, steadying her on her feet. She stared up at Cael, jaw slack, a wild sweep of butterfly wings flying around her chest. Cael laughed, leaning close, his excitement palpable.
“Rori, you’re pregnant!”
40
The day had finally come, a day years in the making. A milestone achievement. Proof she had pulled herself out of one life and would begin another.
Thaddeus’s absence was no less heartbreaking, but now she had more than just herself to take care of.
After Cael’s announcement—the news was discovered by Shaye when he assessed her after she’d passed out—something switched on inside her. A light. An understanding. A fullness that had been missing. Thaddeus completed her on so many different levels, there would never be another to fill the void he left.
But a child…
His child.
She made instant changes, starting with the tea. She drank it religiously, and began feeling its magical effects by the first night. As the nausea subsided, she slowly increased her food intake, not wanting to shock her system after weeks of neglect. Cael made it a point to reinforce that she maintained good health. Apparently, carrying a Fae child in a mortal womb required more nutritional supportthan a mortal fetus.
Guilt niggled at her every time she thought about her selfish behavior while in the grips of severe depression, and the possible harm she may have caused her baby.
Three days later, she had a lot of improvement to make, but she’d placed herself on a better path than she had been headed down. She still cried at night when she lay alone. She spoke to Thaddeus as if he lay beside her in the bed while caressing her belly. She talked about her hopes for their child, questioned if it would be a boy or a girl, have his fair hair or her fiery mane. His blue eyes or her green. She found a new comfort in these conversations, even if others may consider her a little nuts.
She found a way to cope with the loss of her love, and turned that pain of loss into a beaming ray of hope and anticipation.
