Amongst other things.
She was freaking out and binge drinking.
I was deciding that my tactic of talking about it didn’t make me feel any better and also deciding I was her ride home (as well as Pop’s, I’d already confiscated his keys, they were in my purse).
“Wow,” Marlene breathed. “So… he was hot?”
I looked out the window. “Very hot.”
“And he was good in –” she started.
I cut her off not looking at her. “Very.”
“Girl,” she drawled out so the one word syllable had seven.
I sighed.
Her hand touched my arm and I felt her get close so I looked to her to see her face had grown soft.
God, I loved Marlene.
“Honey, are you sure you don’t want to go to that witch?” she asked quietly.
Except, right then, I didn’t love her so much.
“I told you, no.”
“Circe, really, I don’t know. You have a baby on the way.”
“I know and it’s still no.”
Her eyebrows went up. “But maybe he’s back there pining for you, kicking himself that he screwed things up, wanting you home. Maybe he’s worried about you, where you are, where his baby is, wondering if you’re both all right. Did you think of that?”
No, I hadn’t. Though Lahn pining for me was a joke. He was probably raping and pillaging and cutting people up with his sword.
And he had the Xacto to turn to.
“I don’t care,” I replied. “But, no, in truth, I haven’t thought of that but Lahn is not the kind of man who pines. He can get what he needs from a variety of women and he can have another wife in a less than a year and a half. And most of the women he could chose from would be panting to have him. He’ll be just fine.”
“Cir –”
I pulled my arm from her hold but grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Really, honestly, honey, like I said… no. He’ll be fine, I’ll be fine and my baby will be fine. No witch. No going back. And I want another baby shower after I have this kid and at that one…” I grinned, “you serve alcohol.”
She stared at me. Then she grinned back.
Marlene was over the moon she was giving me my shower. She’d been planning it since she found out I was keeping the baby which was the day she first saw me back and learned I was pregnant. Half of Seattle was attending. She’d asked my friends, her friends, her friend’s friends and had probably put an announcement in the paper with an open invitation (just as long as they brought gifts). When I’d registered at the baby store, she’d jerked the scanner thing out of my hand, made my selections and I could swear I saw drool on her lip once, she was so rabid. She was baby bonkers. She couldn’t wait for me to have this kid.
Okay, I was back to loving Marlene.
Therefore, I let her hand go, pulled her in my arms and hugged her.
“Love you, baby,” I whispered in her ear, she gave me a squeeze and whispered the same words back.
I pulled away and turned my head when I heard my father shout, “Time for fuckin’ cake!” and I saw him walk out of Ernie’s kitchen (Ernie was one of Pop’s best friends, Pop and his boys ate lunch at Ernie’s greasy spoon practically every day if their move was even a little close to it and therefore Circe’s party was at Ernie’s).
He had a big, rectangular cake in his hands, the kind with white frosting, thick frosting swirls around the edges and massive frosting flowers, these yellow. His face was brightly illuminated by the candles burning on the cake and his eyes were brightly lit at the thought he’d soon be eating birthday cake.
Seriously, my Pop was birthday cake mad. He’d serve birthday cake with candles if a new day dawned if he could.
He walked toward Circe and he was, for some reason, starting a chorus of “For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow”.
I looked to Circe who was beaming.
She was happy, no doubt about it. She was safe in this world, my friends and family had accepted her (and our story, weirdly) without qualm (well, by the time I got there they had).
She was no longer the toy of a tyrant or the plaything of a ship full of pirates.
She was free.
This was good.
Very good.
Two good things came out of this. Circe was smiling, her eyes alight and I had a life I knew I’d hold precious currently kicking in my belly.
I smiled.
“Circe?” Marlene called and I turned to look at her.
She looked alarmed.
“Circe!” she shrieked and I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn’t get words to come out and everything, Marlene, the restaurant behind her, the booths, everything was… it was…
It was melting!
Oh fuck!
My head snapped to my father.
“Pop!” I screamed but nothing came out even as I saw the wavy vision of him drop the cake to the ground and start running my way.
He didn’t make it.
All had gone black.
Then it went bright with sparkling shots of pure gold.
Then I was standing in the middle of a cham, a fire burning behind me and a woman with wild, ratty-assed hair wearing a rough sarong tied around her neck fell in a dead faint to the stone at my feet.
I saw movement in the shadows.
It came toward me.
I looked up as it formed into a man’s body and when I did I looked into Lahn’s dark eyes.
“No,” I whispered as he kept coming at me.
I lifted a shaky hand, palm up toward him as my eyes drifted down to the woman at my feet. She was out like a light.
She’d depleted her magic bringing me back.
My eyes went back to Lahn to see he was upon me, the hard muscle of his chest at my palm. I took a step back, he moved fast as lightning and I was lifted in his arms.
I arched my back and screamed, “No!”
“Rayloo, kah rahna fauna,” he whispered, his arms going tight and strong as iron.
I closed my eyes hard and my body went slack in his arms.
“No,” I whispered.
Then we were out of the cham, my ass was on a horse and I felt Lahn immediately swing up behind me.
I opened my eyes to see the Avenue of the Gods in front of me and feel Lahkan under me.
Lahn’s arm got tight around my protruding ribs, he bent me low to Lahkan’s back, he buried his heels in his steed and we shot down the avenue toward Korwahn.
Fuck.
Chapter Thirty-One
The Search
Six weeks later…
Tigresses purred.
I knew this because my now full grown one was lying on her side in bed with me, I had my big belly pressed against her back, my hand was sifting through her soft, thick fur and she was purring.
She was glad her Loolah was home. I knew this not only because of the purring but because she told me.
Suddenly her head came up sharply and she moved quickly to her belly, looking down her body to the door, the purr gone, a low growl in her throat.
I closed my eyes.
Lahn was there.
“Off, beast,” he ordered, she growled a bit more and he clipped, “Off.”
She let out another growl, turned her head to look at me, I smiled at her, she blinked her blue eyes and only then did she get up and prowl gracefully off the bed.
I closed my eyes and waited for it.
I didn’t wait long. I never did.
Lahn joined me in bed then he pulled me to his side, shoving his arm under me and holding me close as he reclined on the pillows.
I had no choice but to rest my head on his shoulder so I did. I kept my eyes closed. Then I opened them because his fingers were drawing random patterns on my hip over the silk of my nightgown and that felt better with my eyes closed.
The problem was, I could see his chest when my eyes were open.