Gabriel swept her up and patted her back as a wail broke the barrier of her shock. “She doesn’t know any better, Raven. Try not to yell. You’re scaring her.”
“She tried to eat the cat!” Raven said tersely. “Something had to be done.”
With another poof of white feathers, Charlie wiggled from Gabriel’s grip and flew to the table, where she landed near the lamb and unceremoniously sank her teeth into it.
“I guess she’s hungry,” Clarissa said, hiding a laugh behind her upturned plate.
Raven shook a finger at her sister. “Don’t encourage her. It’s not funny.” She tried her best not to laugh and only succeeded in pressing her lips tightly together as the sides of her mouth lifted.
Avery snickered.
“Charlie, come here. I’ll fix you a plate.” Raven reached for her daughter, but the little girl tore off a piece of meat and flew to the top of the china cabinet, where she ate from her hands while she surveyed them all from above.
For a second, Raven just stared at her daughter, thinking how feral she looked tearing into the meat with her teeth. Then panic planted a seed and grew a little garden in her mind. “She can fly.” Raven gaped at Gabriel. “Our daughter canfly!”
“Yes, she can,” Gabriel said proudly.
“What are we going to do? She looks like a wild animal. I can’t have her flying across the room every time she sees something meaty! What about Mom? The last time she saw me, I was pregnant. I can’t bring this with me into her world.” She pointed a hand at her daughter.
Nathaniel tapped his pipe against his chin. “We could drug her if you’re not averse.”
Raven gave him an incredulous look. “Of course I’m averse! I’m not going to let you tranquilize my baby.”
“Perhaps ye could make a changlin’ baby from magic. Animate a doll or such,” Xavier offered.
Clarissa tipped her head. “That is a tall order. Sarah and David are going to want to hold their grandchild. It would take one hell of a spell to make a fake Charlie seem human.”
“Can we borrow a baby?” Nathaniel asked. “Surely you must have some American friend who can—”
“Lend me their newborn?” Raven fixed him with a pointed stare. “Sorry, no.”
“Now that you say it, it does sound like a rather steep ask.” Nathaniel tugged at the cuffs of his suit jacket. “Only trying to help.”
Avery’s face turned solemn. “Maybe we should tell her the truth.”
“Now I’m sure you’re crazy!” Raven blurted. “Maybe I could pretend to still be pregnant. Technically, I conceived in February, which would make a human due date of November, but we were married in June. Could I convince her the pregnancy happened after?”
Avery rolled her eyes. “She suspected you were pregnant on your wedding day. Plus, you must have mentioned a due date to her.”
“No. I don’t think I did.” Raven tried to remember. “It’s the simplest solution. We can leave Charlie here with the oreads, and I can pretend to be”—she did a quick calculation—“seven months pregnant with a March due date.”
“And in March, then what?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Avery sighed and started loading her plate. “It’s Christmas, Raven. We are going to show up at Mom’s, and she’s going to have a million questions about where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing. Do you know how hurtful it’s probably been for her not to hear from us all this time? All she knows is that her three daughters have fallen off the face of the earth for months. How long can we keep this up without breaking her heart? What excuse could you possibly give for not calling her when the baby is born?”
Raven felt her face grow hot, and she tossed up her hands. “I don’t know, Avery! I’ve been a little preoccupied with staying alive and finding the golden grimoire. Oh, and raising a flying, meat-eating baby. Cut me some slack here!”
“I’m just saying sometimes the truth is the best option.” Avery used her fingers to pop a green bean between her teeth and then took a seat across the table.
Gabriel rubbed a hand over his face. “Whatwouldhappen if we told her the truth?”
Raven gasped. “Not you too? She’ll never believe it. She’ll think we’ve all gone mad.”
Avery pointed at Charlie, who’d finished her meat and was dangling her chubby feet over the side of the china cabinet. “How can you deny it with that in front of you?”
Raven scowled.
