We’d almost mated. The beast inside me, usually pretty genial, was as pissed off as I was and making it known. My emotions roiled and I had to resist the urge to hand the baby back to Hope and haul Evie over my shoulder once more to take her so we could finish what we started.
A gentle hand pressed against my forearm. Hope. “Do you need a moment?” she whispered, her eyes filled with concern.
My nostrils flared and I willed my fury into submission. The golden light sweeping over the room faded little by little until it was gone. A sharp shake of my head, and Hope nodded.
“Again, Rowan, I’m so sorry. Couldn’t be helped.”
Declan was staring at me with barely suppressed mirth. Asshole.
Evie swayed gently from side to side, speaking to the baby in nonsensical words. Her messy hair fell over one shoulder. She smelled like me, as she should. We’d been tangled together for the last sixteen hours. If I had my way, we’d be tangled together for sixteen more.
Evie covered the baby with the blanket in the car seat and lifted her gaze to me. “This should be impossible.”
I shook my head. “Maybe the mother is human.”
Evie’s brow furrowed. She brushed her fingers over the baby’s cheek, releasing a tiny thread of watermelon tourmaline colored magic. Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue before dimming. She shook her head. “Full chimera.”
Declan spoke up. “Still not impossible. Fertility rates are usually low within Keeps.”
We both ignored Declan’s knowing smirk. My Keep was about to have a historical baby boom after Evie’s magic had saturated the land and turned every single shifter here into feral, horny beasts.
Hope snorted.
“But,” Declan continued, “many of our shifters are full-blooded, even with human mothers. Genetics are funny things. This could be how the swans turn their curse around.”
Evie frowned at the baby. “I have to assume they’ve already tried mating outside their race.”
Hope rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so quick to give them the benefit of the doubt. Many shifters refuse to dilute their bloodlines, no matter that doing so could save their kind.”
“I have no idea how to take care of a baby,” Evie murmured, more to herself than any of us.
Hope rose and walked over to Evie, leaning forward to brush her fingers through the baby’s hair. “Our Keep has a larger population of women than any other.” She lifted her shoulder.“And our men are no slouches, either. It takes a village, Evie. We all love babies. This little thing will want for nothing.”
Evie sucked in a sharp breath. “You want to keep her?” Her eyes shimmered with tears. “A Chimera baby?”
Hope stared at Evie for a long moment, her lips tightening. “I am sorry you ever experienced hatred for what you are. She’s a child, Evie. Of course, we’ll keep her.” She smiled at her, and touched Evie’s hand. “Look at that sweet little face. Everyone is going to eat her up.”
A shuddering breath racked Evie’s slender form, breaking my heart in the process. I’d kill Caelan twice over to prevent him from ever shattering her self-confidence like he’d done before.
“I don’t think we should tell Barrett.” Evie glanced at me. “I’m not sure why. Just a feeling.”
“Then we won’t.” I walked over and held my arms out. Evie gently handed the baby over and hovered as I rocked her from side to side.
I hid my smile. “She’s lovely.” Large, guileless blue eyes stared up at me. “Maybe five months,” I murmured, turning my attention to Hope. “Did they leave anything for her?”
Hope shook her head. “Just the baby, the seat, and a note tucked inside the blanket.”
She slid over a cream-colored envelope. The front was blank, and I got no scent from the paper or the ink when I held it to my nose.
“I tried, too, and couldn’t pick up a scent. Whoever this was knows what we are.”
The note was written in a spidery, feminine scrawl and only had one word.
Protect.
The rest was a blurred ink line.
“And they know Evie is here. Where was she?”
