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“What next?”
Holding up a finger, I silently tell her to wait. I grab our bags and pull her along, not wanting the pilot to have specifics.
We head around the far side of the airplane hangar, where there is an old car waiting for us.
“We’re going in that?” Penny asks.
Trying to remain reassuring, I put our backs into the backseat. “It’s all I could manage at the very last minute. From what I gather, there are not really any car rentals to be had here.”
Penny raises a brow but don’t complain. We get in and head out, following the only road that leads through the grassy field and crawls along the sandy coast.
The sand is almost white here, nearly blending in with the sun-bleached grass that grows quite close to the shore. From the car windows, the water looks so deep blue that it’s nearly black, the waves ebbing and flowing onto the sand.
Looking at it, the view is quite bleak. I wonder, suddenly, if this is the view that my mother has been looking at since she arrived here.
A muscle tics in my jaw. I look back at the road, forcing my mind to worry about more important things. Like making sure I’m not being followed or otherwise surveilled in any way.
But checking the rearview mirror is simple enough. As we leave the tarmac behind, the road behind us remains empty. This place is remote, to say the very least.
I open my mouth to say something to Penny. But her head is leaning against the window and her eyes are closed. I frown.
She can’t possibly still be tired. She has slept almost all day, despite the airplane being uncomfortable to relax in.
My eye traces a line down from her sleeping face to her swollen stomach. I swallow and avert my gaze, focusing on the road. Definitely easier not to think about how my life is going to change soon. Or about the fact that I helped to make a tiny human being. And it is growing and growing inside her body, all the time.
Persephone has morphed into a ticking time bomb and I have to figure out how the fuck to deal with it. While at the same time coping with my brothers and Constantine and anyone else that might want to hurt either Persephone or myself.
Around the car, the wild, long grasses begin to grow shorter and less shaggy. The world takes on a distinctly green hue. The ocean recedes from the road, although it is still visible and vast.
I drag a hand over my mouth and chin as I try to break it down, step by step.
A half an hour later, I drive the car around a wide turn, still thinking through my options. I notice a weather-worn sign that says SULA on the right side of the road.
And like as if by magic, a lighthouse suddenly juts out at the earth, a tall white building that is worn with age. Just behind it, the town suddenly appears, a jumble of white buildings with black roofs and red buildings with white roofs. The buildings stand in stark relief against the vibrant green grass and the brilliance of the few rocky bluffs. The houses are placed seemingly at random elevations, many forming small clusters.
I slow down as I enter the town, reaching over to wake Penny up. Her shoulder feels hot to the touch. When she wakes, she sits up, and I can see a sheen of sweat on her brow.
“Are ye feeling okay?” I ask.
Persephone yawns. “Maybe I’m coming down with something.” She shrugs a shoulder. “Please tell me we are about to arrive somewhere with a real bed and a hot shower.”
“Aye. According to my phone, we’re three minutes out.”
She looks around, glassy eyed. “That’s nice.”
Casting a glance over her form, I try to guess at what might be wrong with her. Is this something that is normal for pregnant women?
Or is it more insidious than that?
For a hot second, I lament the fact that I never even considered becoming a doctor. In the military, I suppose I had a choice… But I was already too busy cracking skulls to even think about taking that path. I can always get a doctor… but there are very few men with my set of unique skills in the world.
Same for my brothers. I suppose we Lyon men are a violent clan.
My phone buzzes, declaring that I have reached my destination. Pulling up outside the little cabin I’ve rented, I consider it for a moment.
Penny clears her throat. “It’s very tidy looking. I like the red walls and white roof.” She tilts her head. “It looks cozy.”
Getting out of the car, I eye the cabin. It is really chilly here, colder than I expected and twice as windy.
