El let out a small sniffle and wiped the tears running down her cheeks.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.I’m safe and being taken care of, webothare,” she said, wishing so badly she wasn’t telling him she was pregnant over the phone.
Even though she knew they wouldn’t be excited, she wished she could tell them face-to-face.With every passing day, she grew a little more excited, even though she knew the outcome.Her connection with the baby was getting stronger.
“Where?”he choked.
“Yes, I’m pregnant,” she whispered.
“How?I don’t understand?”
“I’ve been pregnant before we even knew about the prophecy.Every time Willow checked me to make sure I couldn’t get pregnant, she was actually just checking on the baby.”
Trip’s silence told her how angry he was.
“I know.I was angry, too, but this is our child—all of ours child.We have to do what we have to do for her now.I don’t know if I’ll see you all again before…”
Her emotions were getting the best of her, and she had to take several deep breaths and swallow the giant lump in her throat before continuing.
“I don’t know if we’ll all be together again before I deliver her, so I want you to promise me that you four will work together to protect her.”
“You can’t—“
“I may, Trip, there’s nothing we can do about it, so you have to tell the others, and you all need to prepare to raise her without me.Make her a nursery and read books.Hell, I don’t know, find a mother who can help teach you things.”
“El, I don’t know if I can talk about this,” Trip said, his voice gravely.
“You must!Please, promise me you’ll prepare for her,” El demanded.
“We will.I promise.I’m going to make you another promise to.”
“Please don’t.If you don’t know for sure that you can keep it, then don’t make it,” she begged.
“We will all be together again soon.I promise you that, El.”
Willow motioned for her to end the call, and El sobbed, her hand covering her mother as if she could stifle the sound.
“I have to go.I love you, Trip; I love you all so much.Please tell the others how much I love them.If I can call back, I will.”
“We love you too, El.We’ll find you.”
“Hurry,” she whispered and then disconnected the call.She let the phone fall to the counter as she drifted down to the floor.The pain of missing them had become unbearably strong, and El was too tired of fighting to even try and ward it off.
Chapter 30
Shawn
William,or Herb as the Pantera knew him, was more than accommodating.Trip simply walked straight up to his door and knocked.The elderly panther welcomed them in his home, saying he figured eventually someone would come around asking questions.The fact that the man seemed so easy mannered and welcoming gave Shawn some hope that not all of the Pantera pride members were like the lions described them.
Shawn wasn’t really considering joining them or submerging himself in their lifestyle, but he also didn’t like the idea that his heritage was made of villains.Shawn had always prided himself on doing what was right and protecting those he thought needed it.
“Yes, it’s been years since I’ve seen your mate’s mother, but I figured word would get out eventually that I had helped her,” Herb said as everyone filed into the house.
His house was small, and from the looks of it, Herb spent most of his time in the living room.There were blankets on the chair he plopped down on and a discarded television dinner next to him.
“What did our mate’s mother tell you?”
