Page 7 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

"Yay." He flung his little arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. "You're coming with me, right? You're not sending me with just Nana again?"

"I'm going with you. Nana gets to rest today. You can watch your show in my room."

"Thank you." He gave her another slobbery kiss, then rushed around the table and gave Leehy a quick peck on the cheek so she wouldn't feel left out.

When he disappeared down the hallway, her mother pulled his plate toward her. "It would be a shame to let good food go to waste. Want to split it?"

"No. Enjoy." Sullha refilled her coffee cup from the carafe.

"I saw you pressing that spot again," Leehy said. "You should see the doctor about it."

"It's nothing. Just stress."

"And you know that thanks to what education? Let the doctor decide if it's nothing."

"Bridget is on maternity leave, and Julian has his hands full with the five from the chests. I'm not going to bother him with a stomachache that is probably just gas. I always get bloated when I'm worried."

Her mother reached over and laid a hand on her wrist. "You're afraid it won't happen."

She nodded, since there was no point in denying what was obvious. "I'm afraid that they were right about us, and we are indeed inferior, that we can't transition because we don't have what it takes."

"We are not inferior," Leehy said. "We might not have what it takes to become immortal, but that doesn't make us lesser."

It wasn't exactly comforting, but for her mother, it was the best she could do, and it was enough to make Sullha suddenly emotional.

"Maybe you are pregnant," her mother said. "I doubt the transition can happen while a female is carrying a child. It would be dangerous for the baby."

"I'm not pregnant, Mother. I had my period right on time."

Her mother shrugged. "That was right before you invited Yaaf into your bed. You might be pregnant and not know it."

Sullha swallowed. That hadn't occurred to her, and now that her mother had planted the seed of doubt, she was panicking.

What if she was?

Did she want to have another child?

Someday, sure, but not right now. What would Yaaf say?

"I'm going to text him." Sullha pulled the phone out of her pocket.

Her mother rose to her feet. "I'll be in my room. Call me if you need me."

"I will."

The doorbell rang five minutes after Yaaf had gotten the text, and as she opened the door, he looked at her with worried eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she said. "And that's the problem. And then my mother planted the idea in my head that I might be pregnant."

His eyes widened. "Is that possible?"

"I'm a healthy female in my prime." She took his hand and pulled him with her to the couch. "Of course it could happen. We weren't using protection."

"We couldn't," he said.

"I know. But that means that instead of transitioning, I might be having a baby." She pressed her hand to the spot that bothered her and wondered if it could be related to pregnancy.

She didn't remember anything like that when she had been pregnant with Tomek.