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He nuzzled the side of my neck. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“It still doesn’t feel real. I keep thinking I’ll wake up and I’ll still be in that cellar.” I shuddered. “Lemaire…he said he’d sold me to another vampire. He was taking me to whoever it was. The baby would’ve been born a slave.“
Talon swore roughly. “Did he say who?”
“No. All I know is that it was a man. Lemaire said ‘he.’”
He was silent for a couple of beats. “There aren’t that many vampires who keep blood slaves any longer. We’ll track the SOB down. In fact, I may know who—” He broke off, shaking his head, and I knew that was all I’d get out of him. “Anyway, it will be handled. That’s a promise.”
Olivia arrived, dressed in pink joggers and a yellow hoodie, a cheerful, very capable whirlwind. The first thing she did was check my pulse, then hook me up to an IV, “for dehydration,” she said.
Next she whipped out a special stethoscope and listened to the baby’s heart. She examined me internally, too, then pulled my sleepshirt back down and tucked the covers around me again.
“He’s got a good, strong heartbeat. We’ll keep an eye on things, but he should be fine.”
I let out a breath and met Talon’s eyes. He was smiling, his relief clear. He squeezed my shoulder and pulled up a chair next to the bed. “And Eden?”
“She’s doing great,” the nurse-midwife said.
“Good.” His jaw worked. “That’s good.”
My brain had cleared enough by then to realize my parents must be worried sick. “My mom and dad,” I asked Talon. “Do they know what happened?”
“They were the first ones I called when you went missing.”
“Oh, God. You have to tell them I’m all right.”
Talon took out his phone. “Brien or Cain probably already contacted them, but I can text them anyway.”
“Please,” I said.
“Everyone knew,” Olivia said. “Talon had the whole island out looking for you. The man didn’t rest the whole time you were gone.”
“Yeah?” I eyed him, stupidly pleased. He’d said something like that earlier but it was still dawning on me how much he cared for me.
Talon glanced up from his phone, giving me the same intense, burning look he’d given me in the dinghy. “Hell, yeah,” he said, all growly vampire.
Olivia patted my leg. “I want you to take it easy for the next twenty-four hours, okay? Just rest and a little gentle exercise. We’ll monitor you both to make sure everything’s okay.”
Talon’s phone pinged. “It’s your mom,” he said, showing me the screen.
She’d sent me their love and a string of heart and hug emojis, then told me to rest now, they’d call tomorrow.
Talon pocketed his phone. “I’ll have Smythe set you up with a new phone,” he told me as a knock sounded on the outer door. “That will be your food,” he said.
He left the bedroom, returning with Rio and a wiry older woman in a black T-shirt and white jeans, her nut-brown hair cropped short and streaked with gray.
“This is Mrs. Park,” Talon said.
So this was Twilight’s grandmother. There was a family resemblance—the same honed muscles, the same confident stride. The wooden tray she had tucked beneath one arm seemed somehow wrong; those strong hands seemed like they’d be more at home with a weapon than something so domestic.
“Hello.” I struggled to sit up in bed, almost pulling my IV out.
Olivia clucked in dismay, but Talon was already there, lifting me up and tucking a large pillow behind my back.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said when I was settled again. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Rio.”
Dipping her chin in dignified acknowledgment, Mrs. Park unfolded the tray’s legs, placing it over my lap. She took the containers from the insulated bag Rio carried along with a plate, bowl and silverware, and in moments, I had a bowl of steaming chicken wonton soup and two slices of toast before me.
