Page 88 of Escape from the Green

"Yeah."

My lips pressed together for a long moment, thinking. "Not worried, no," I decided, shaking my head. "I would prefer to wait for that, but if the fates have something else in mind, I would be happy to carry your baby, Drake."

His eyes went gooey at that. "I'd be happy for you to carry it too, honey. But we're going to go ahead and use something from now on. We're new. We need time to... be new."

"New," I mused. "I feel like we have been together forever already," I told him, shrugging.

"We've been through a lot," he agreed.

"It was all worth it," I told him, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed, voice fierce. "So, how's the bed?" he asked, smile warm.

"You're in it. So it's perfect." I paused, pushing back the twinge of insecurity in my belly, reminding myself that we were beyond that now. "Would you come stay with me here?" I asked, forcing my eyes to hold his, watching as the red got brighter.

"If you'd have me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

And so we moved in together.

And we made a home together.

And before we knew it, Ostara was here.

And it was time to leave it.

TEN

Amy

"Mom, we have enough food for two weeks. We're only going to be gone half a day," Drake insisted as Aya shoved more food pouches into his pockets.

"Just in case you get sidetracked. You should always be prepared," she insisted, frantically rubbing her hands down her thighs, over her belly, wringing her skirt between her fingers.

Nervous.

She was nervous.

Scared that her son that she had just gotten back was going to leave again.

She'd asked why we wouldn't bring someone else with us. Kieran had volunteered, but everyone knew he would never be allowed to leave now that he was an elder. Tsar had been another choice, young enough and reckless, and happy for an adventure.

But the elders had voted four-to-one that if we were going to risk ourselves, we were only going to risk ourselves. No one else would get caught up in our troubles.

It was a fair point, I guessed, even if I bristled a bit at the idea that wanting the freedom to come and go as you chose was somehow anyone's business but our own, that it was ridiculous that they could choose if others were allowed to leave if they wanted to.

Backward.

There was still a bit of backwardness in our clan.

I guess maybe that was the price you paid for complete and utter safety.

No one seemed to question if that was a fair trade. Giving up freedom for safety.

I guess it depended on how much you had to lose.

My hand brushed over my belly, flat, nothing blooming within it, as evidenced by the moonsickness that had greeted me that very morning.