Valenlived in the mountains.Hewouldn’t be around, the same asThornewasn’t around.Buteven so,ThorneandIhad been married.Wehad a relationship.ValenandIbarely knew each other.
Thiswas too much, too soon.Andentirely overwhelming.
Focus.Itook deep breaths and tried to focus on something else.Makesome tea.No, a glass of wine would help soothe the rough edges.Wait, wine—Icouldn’t have wine!ButI’dhad wine at dinner withValenbeforeIknewIwas pregnant.Iraised my hands to my temples.Ohno.
Tea—soothing tea it was.WhenImade my way into the kitchen to brew tea,Ibarely noticed my feet on the ground.WhileIwaited for the water to boil,Itried to focus on the present.Sunlightcoming through the window illuminated the area in a warm glow.Theonly sound in here came from the gentle hum of the refrigerator.
Thekettle screeched, announcing it was ready for me to take over.WhenIpoured the water from the kettle into a mug, my hands trembled and the mug slipped from my hand.Asthe ceramic pieces shattered on the tile floor,Ijumped back to avoid being scalded by the boiling water or cut by a piece of the broken mug.
Althoughsome water splashed on my lower legs,Iwas wearing pants, so the hot water didn’t reach my skin.Ilooked down at the messI’dmade with scattered ceramic shards and spilled herbs, which perfumed the air.
Pandorarushed into the kitchen. “Iheard a crash.”
Istared at her, and tears welled in my eyes. “Idropped a mug.”Myfingers moved in slow motion down to the floor.
“Areyou okay?” she asked with concern.
Ishook my head. “Itook a pregnancy test.”Myvoice caught in my throat. “Itwas positive.”
Pandora’seyes widened in surprise. “Wow.”Herhand fluttered to her mouth. “Itake it this was unexpected.”
Thekitchen swirled around me, a rainbow of colors.Ibraced my hands on the counter and leaned against it.Thespinning stopped. “Veryunexpected.I’mshocked.”
Lucasslid into the kitchen, his expression bright with excitement. “DidIhear whatIthinkIheard?”
Oh, trembling toadstools! “Whatdid you hear?”
Hecocked his head and whispered, “You’repregnant?” but it was far from a dulcet tone.Hisgrin spread from one end of the kitchen to another. “Congrats,Cassandra!Paigeis going to be so excited.She’sgoing to be a big sister!”
AsIpicturedPaigeresponding to the news,Ismiled.Lucas’sjoy was contagious, breaking through my daze.ZoeandNovaentered the kitchen seconds later.Lucasturned to them and exclaimed. “Didyou hear the exciting news?Cassandra’spregnant!”
“That’sfantastic!”Novaexclaimed.
“Congratulations!”Zoeadded.
Theirenthusiasm reminded me that this was joyous news despite my bewilderment.
Nova’ssmile vanished as she studied my face and likely saw the worry etched there. “Isthis good news?” she asked in a gentle tone.
Pandoraheld my shoulders and steered me to sit in a chair in the conference room where we gathered for meetings. “It’sa lot to take in.Letme make you that tea.”
“We’llclean up here,”Zoeadded.
Lucaswas the first to sit with me.
“Iknew it,” he declared. “Well, not exactly.”Hetipped his head. “Isensed something different about you lately.”
Mynose wrinkled.Shiftersenses.Theywere so much more attuned to scents.Withmy child being half wolf shifter, would he or she inherit that ability?Wouldthey shift?Ibit my lower lip.Paigehad witch and fae blood, which gave her some extraordinary abilities in being in touch with the magical world, but shapeshifting was on another level.Imean, shifters transformed into an animal form.Thatwas mind-blowing.AlthoughI’dknown many shifters,Inever considered the idea of raising one.
“Howcould this happen?”Irubbed my forehead. “Weused protection.”
“Condoms?”Lucas’sbrows arched. “They’renot one-hundred percent effective.”
Igroaned and dropped my head into my hands.
“It’slike that scene inAnchorman—sixty percent of the time, it works every time,”Lucassaid.
Liftingmy head,Ichuckled, remembering the scene withPaulRudd’snasty cologne.Leaveit toLucasto make me laugh when my life has changed as quickly as a cat twitched its whiskers.
