Elain and Carla left the room with Dr. Alberto to go call Micah and Jim to break the news to them. Mai leaned against Lina. “Just once, I wanted something to go right in my life,” Mai whispered.
“Hey,” Lina said, “look at it this way. You’ll love your baby no matter what, right?”
“Of course!”
“Do you honestly think those Abernathy asshats would have let her live more than a few minutes after being born?”
Mai felt a protective growl start deep in her throat. She cut it off. “No,” she admitted. “They already wanted me to have an abortion.”
“Okay then. Things were meant to be this way.”
“Can you see my baby?” she asked hopefully. “In any of your visions?”
Lina sadly smiled. “All I’ve seen is her being born and letting out a healthy scream. And Micah and Jim standing by your side when she’s born.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Mai closed her eyes and leaned into Lina’s embrace. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I can’t tell you more. I wish I could see more. If I do, I’ll let you know.”
Mai took a deep, relieved breath. “That’s enough for me. That they’re there with me.” In her dreams, Jim and Micah were never there, even after they marked her. But she trusted Lina’s visions far more than she trusted her own dreams.
Micah called her once they were all back in the car. “Honey, are you all right?”
She burst into tears. “I’m sorry!”
“Why are you apologizing? We love you.”
Mai tried to speak, but she was overcome by emotion. Carla took the phone from her.
“Micah? It’s Carla. Yes, she’s pretty upset. We’ll see you when you get home. Drive safely and don’t rush.”
They rode the rest of the way home in silence. Brodey, Micah, and Jim hadn’t returned yet, but Ain, Cail, and Liam all offered Mai comforting hugs. Lina and Carla took Mai into the living room while Cail helped Elain start dinner. The others wouldn’t let Mai retreat to her room. They wanted to keep her with them, to offer her comfort.
“We’re here for you,” Ain told her. “All of us.”
“How am I going to take care of a baby with special needs?” she whispered. She looked at Carla. “I don’t know anything about this.”
Carla held her hand. “Honey, I didn’t know squat about babies when Elain was born. It’s all on-the-job training. But Ain’s right. We’ll all be here for you. I’m sure there is a ton of information out there we can look up and study so we’re prepared when she’s born.”
Lina laughed. “Just think, we can all come to one really big-ass Lamaze class. Have the whole room to ourselves for all the aunts and uncles.”
Mai smiled. “How did I get so lucky to find all of you?”
Lina grinned. “Fate might be a fickle bitch sometimes, but she usually knows what’s best for us.”
Lina was going to add something, but her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen, frowned, and answered. “Hi, Lacey.”
“I need to talk to you, dear. Alone.”
“Just a minute.” She walked down to her room and shut the door. “What’s up?”
“I need to tell you something, but you cannot say anything to anyone about it yet.”
An odd, creeping sensation slithered up Lina’s spine. “Oookay.”
“It’s about Mai’s baby.”
Lina blanched and lowered her voice, even though she knew the other shifters couldn’t hear her at the far end of the house. “We just got back from the doctor! She’s got—”
“Down’s syndrome, yes. Is she going to keep the baby?”
“Yes, she says she is.”
Lacey let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, good.”
“Um, why?”
“You might not want me to tell you.”
“Saying stuff like that doesn’t discourage me from asking, you know.”
“I saw something. I don’t know what exactly it means, but that little girl is very important. Protect her at all costs.”
“And I can’t tell anyone that?”
“No. Things will grow apparent to you eventually. You might even have visions of your own about it.”
Unable to help it, Lina caught herself stroking her own belly, where her twins were apparently having an in utero summersault competition. “Why can’t you tell me?”
“Because all the pieces aren’t together yet.”
Lacey looked across her living room at where Baba Yaga, in her matron form, was sitting on her couch and sipping a mug of coffee. Jasper sat in front of her, wagging his tail and hoping for more of the treats she’d fed to him earlier.
Lina sounded frustrated. Lacey couldn’t blame her. “What pieces?” Lina asked.
“I don’t know,” Lacey fibbed. “But please, trust me.”
Lina sighed on the other end of the line. “All right.”
“I have to go now. Thank you. Take care, and say hi to everyone for me.” She hung up and looked at Baba Yaga. “Good enough?”
The matron nodded. “Yes.”
“Why aren’t you telling Lina this yourself?”
“Because I believe she’s a little irritated at me right now. I’ve been avoiding her because she needs to be able to stand on her own and learn to trust her instincts. Suffice it to say, it’s better the information comes from you than from me. If she talks with me now, she will lose her focus on what’s important.” She finished her coffee and gave Jasper one last pat on the head before standing.
“I feel like I lied to her,” Lacey said.
“You didn’t lie. You had a vision, and you’re passing on what you can.”
Lacey arched an eyebrow at her. “You showed me the vision, of what’s to happen in the future.”
Baba Yaga shrugged. “Doesn’t matter where the vision comes from, does it?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Regardless, they cannot ever let their guard down. Rodolfo Abernathy, among others, will kill to get their hands on that little girl in the future. She must be protected until she can fulfill her own destiny.” She set the coffee mug on the counter.
Lacey put a hand on her to keep her from leaving. “Is she going to die?”
“One day. Do you mean right now? No.” She pointed a warning finger at Lacey. “I will tell you this because we are good friends. You cannot pass it on to anyone. That little girl will live a long and happy life as long as those around her take heed of my warning.” She smiled. “Your warning, I should say. Remember, Lina cannot know I was the source of this. You know how she feels about me sometimes. I don’t need to be on her bad side right now. She’s going to have her hands full with her babies. I would only be an unwanted distraction.”
“Daniel talked to me. He asked me about nightmares Callie is having. You wouldn’t happen to have any information on that, would you?”
Baba Yaga frowned. “He talked to me about them a few months ago. Is she still having them?”
“He says she has no memories of them when she wakes up.”
“I swear to you, I don’t know why she is.” She went silent for a moment. “I will follow up with Daniel and my sister. Deal?”
Lacey nodded. With that, Baba Yaga disappeared.
Lacey dropped onto her sofa. Jasper shoved his head into her lap. She absently stroked his head as she pondered the immortal’s warnings.
Chapter Twenty
To take Mai’s mind off the news, Lina, Elain, and Carla decided to throw her a kick-ass baby shower-slash-belated bridal shower.
Well, mating shower.
None of the women had the heart to leave the men out of the celebration, so they included them in the fun. Following an afternoon full of games, snacks, and cake, Elain eventually snuck away to have a few minutes alone.