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"It smells amazing," Phoenix offered diplomatically.

I took a deep breath. This was it. "I owe you all an apology," I said, my voice shakier than I'd like. "Especially you," I added, looking directly at Bayer. "What I said was cruel and unfair and completely untrue."

Bayer's expression softened slightly, but he remained where he was, keeping his distance.

"I was scared," I continued, the words tumbling out now. "I'm still scared. Everything's happening so fast, and I just..." I swallowed hard. "I push people away when I'm terrified. It's what I do. But that doesn't make it okay."

The kitchen was silent except for the soft bubbling of the sauce. I fidgeted with the dish towel, twisting it between my fingers.

"And I'm freaking out because I'm going to get fat," I continued, my voice rising slightly. "Like, really fat. Bear-cub fat. I'm going to waddle and none of my clothes will fit and my ankles will swell to the size of watermelons."

A smile tugged at the corner of Bayer's mouth.

"And I'm going to have weird cravings," I rambled on. "Like pickles dipped in peanut butter, or raw meat, or—crap—what if I start craving honey straight from the hive? Am I going to turn into Winnie the Pooh? Is that what happens when you're pregnant with a bear cub?"

The tension in the room broke as Kaylan snorted, and Phoenix's lips twitched into a smile. Emery, who had appeared behind them with Tia and Callie in his arms, was openly grinning.

"And I'm terrified of giving birth," I confessed, my voice dropping slightly. "Like, has anyone considered the logistics here? I'm five-foot-six on a good day, and you" —I pointed at Bayer— "are basically a redwood tree. This baby is going to be huge."

Bayer took a hesitant step forward. "Danny..."

"No, let me finish," I insisted, needing to get it all out. "I've been a complete ass. I'm scared of everything changing, but that doesn't give me the right to hurt you. You've been nothing but patient and supportive, and I..." My voice cracked embarrassingly. "I don't deserve you, but I need you. I can't do this alone."

Bayer crossed the kitchen in three long strides, pulling me into his arms with such gentleness it made my chest ache. I buried my face against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent of pine and earth and home.

"You're not alone," he murmured against my hair. "You'll never be alone, Danny."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice muffled against his shirt. "I didn't mean it. Any of it, and when we’re alone, I need to tell you more."

His large hand stroked down my back soothingly.

I pulled back slightly to look up at him. "Can you hear the heartbeat?" I asked; it was suddenly so important.

Bayer's eyes widened, surprise and hope flickering across his face. "I can, yes, but I didn’t want to put extra pressure on you."

"It's still terrifying, but...it's real. And it's ours." I took a deep breath. "So yes, I'm pregnant with your bear cub, and I'm going to need bigger pants soon, and I'll probably cry at commercials, and I'll definitely blame you for all of it."

"You always cry at commercials," Emery put in, rather unhelpfully in my opinion.

A smile broke across Bayer's face, transforming his features with such joy it stole my breath. "I can live with that."

Someone cleared their throat pointedly, and I remembered we weren't alone. I glanced over Bayer's shoulder to see the others watching us with varying degrees of amusement.

"If the drama portion of the evening is complete," Phoenix said dryly, "perhaps we could discuss what we learned from the silver-skins while we eat this excellent dinner Danny has prepared?"

"Right," I said, feeling my cheeks heat as Bayer reluctantly released me. "Dinner. Yes. That's a thing we should do." I pointed to Bayer. “Ben helped, so get him and Rhys.”

I busied myself with the pasta while Bayer went to fetch the boys. By the time everyone was seated around the massive dining table, I'd managed to compose myself somewhat, though I still felt raw and exposed.

"So," I said, passing the garlic bread to Emery, "what did our vampire friends have to say for themselves?"

Phoenix and Bayer exchanged a look that made my stomach tighten with apprehension.

"There may be two revenants," Phoenix said without preamble. "Or possibly a revenant being controlled by a rogue silver-skin."

I nearly dropped the serving spoon. "Two? As in, twice the fun of trying to kill us all?"

"Dimitri seemed genuinely shocked," Kaylan added, twirling pasta around his fork. "Either he's an exceptional actor, or this situation is even more unusual than we thought."