Lexi opened and closed a couple of cabinets,but most were empty. Thankfully, their garden would start yieldingsome produce soon, and the goats would provide milk and cheesewhile the chickens produced eggs.
They wouldn’t have as much now that themarket was gone, but they were better off than most, and they wouldget through this. If push came to shove, they could travel toanother marketplace, but the closest one was now an hour away.
She didn’t want to think about making thatjourney as she closed the cabinets and went to the fridge. Sheopened the refrigerator and removed a piece of cheese.
“Yes,” she said as she took a knife from thedrawer and sliced off a couple of pieces from the block.
“What happened to your neck?”
Lexi sighed. She’d dreaded this conversationand had hoped that Sahira wouldn’t notice or question her on it,but now that she had…
“Cole,” Lexi admitted, and Sahira’s eyesdarkened as her hand tightened on the knife. “It wasn’t onpurpose!”
Lexi told her what happened, and though shedidn’t think Cole would like her revealing his nightmares to heraunt, she couldn’t hide them from Sahira. If her aunt didn’t knowthe whole truth, she would hate Cole, and Lexi couldn’t havethat.
When she finished, Sahira’s hand relaxed alittle on the blade, but she still looked murderous.
“He’s dangerous,” Sahira said.
“Not to me.”
“Your neck says differently.”
“He’snotdangerous to me. This was anaccident. It won’t happen again.”
“If it does, I’ll castrate him.”
Lexi gulped. “He doesn’t sleep when I’mthere. He stays up the entire time instead because he wants me tostay with him.”
Sahira’s brow furrowed, and her mouth pursed.“That’s… odd.”
Lexi didn’t respond.
“I still don’t like it,” Sahira said.
“I know.”
Her aunt sighed and set down her knife.“Here.” Sahira reached into her apron pocket and set a bottle ofblue liquid on the counter near her.
“What’s that?” Lexi asked around a mouthfulof cheese.
“Birth control. Use it.”
Lexi almost choked on her cheese but managedto swallow it. “Sahira—”
“Take a sip every night, and it will keep youfrom getting pregnant now and in the future.”
Lexi cursed the blush creeping up her cheeksas she studied the liquid and her hand fell involuntarily to herbelly. She knew it wasn’t possible, but the idea of Cole’s babycaused a small thrill of excitement to course through her.
“Cole is on birth control,” she said.
“Hmm,” Sahira grunted. “It won’t hurt to haveyou both on it. Besides, he might have used it wrong or messedsomething up or forgotten to take it, so there is always thatpossibility. And….”
“And what?” Lexi prodded when Sahira’s voicetrailed off.
Sahira lifted her head, and their eyes met.Then she tossed some herbs into the pot. “And you’ll be preparedfor the next man.”
Lexi felt like Sahira had slapped her, butshe managed to keep herself from recoiling. She kept tellingherself she was prepared for Cole not to return, but hearing Sahirasay it slammed the reality of it home.
