It was Anthony Hanson’s words and the images they planted that followed me into my dreams.
I woke most nights with a violent jolt, drenched in sweat, the echoes of his threats still crawling through my head. Blaidd would curse his name as I dissolved into tears, helpless against thoughts I couldn’t control. This was why he hadn’t bargained with Hanson—not for his services, not for promises of future intervention. Blaidd’s world was filled with influential people, and very few of them were decent.
I couldn’t stop thinking about men who hurt children. About cases buried in sealed files, investigations quietly abandoned, truths only uncovered after the perpetrators were long dead. The knowledge existed. That was the cruelty of it—not ignorance, but silence.
Blaidd doubled my security. Two guards. A driver. It didn’t stop the vigilance that followed me everywhere. I scanned rooms. Noted exits. Listened for footsteps. I told myself it would ease with time—or when the babies came.
Fenrir soothed me in ways words never could. He shifted more often, pressing close, as if proximity alone could protect us. If he could have lain over me entirely, he would have. The wolf was obsessed with my growing belly. Blaidd said Fenrir could feel their life force. His excitement was simple, honest—and it warmed something fragile inside me.
Fenrir showed me what he felt without hesitation.
Blaidd, for all his power, had yet to learn how to do the same.
Chapter 57
Blaidd
Since Lielit was spending more time working from home, I began doing the same to keep an eye on her. The nightmares had been sporadic, and I thought the additional security would put her at ease—but nothing worked. All I could do was hold her when she woke like that. By morning, she was always back to her usual self.
Emotions were confusing at the best of times, but Lielit was giving me whiplash.
She was glaring at me as if I’d done something.
“I can’t see,” she hissed.
I realised I’d moved forward to inspect the babies on the screen. The other woman turned her face away—but not before I caught her amusement. I stepped back into position. At least Lielit let me hold her hand this time.
I missed the island. They would have been safe there.
She wouldn’t be having nightmares. She would never have encountered Hanson. I wanted to drag him from the ocean and kill him again every time Lielit shed a tear over his sorry arse.
She squeezed my hand. The glare was gone, replaced by a soft, dreamy look.
I sat back down.
And wondered if Lielit would ever look at me like that.
???
She clutched my arm, chattering as we walked out of the clinic. I stared at the black-and-white pictures.
A boy and a girl.
A son and a daughter.
One of each.
How would I keep them safe once they were out?
The driver opened the door, and I automatically helped Lielit in. I think she asked me something, so I smiled and nodded, which seemed to resolve the issue. I paused beside the boot as I walked around to my side of the car, taking a few deep breaths.
I think I finally understood Lielit’s night terrors.
The babies would be weak and useless once they were born. It would take time for them to gain strength and find their animals.
I got in the car, strapped Lielit’s seatbelt on, tucking it below her belly, and ensured the upper strap rested on her chest. I stared at the mound, closing my eyes for a moment before leaning down to kiss them.
Her warm hand rested on my cheek, her scent cutting through the haze.
