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“What if it’s what?” Her frown softened to a warm smile, and she unlatched my fingers from her arm. “You’re just having bad dreams, is all. Here, I’ll show you.”
“No, Anya! Come back.”
Instead, she kept on toward the armoire and knelt down, peering beneath it. “Nothing, except a few horrific dust bunnies. Good grief, I’ll have one of the girls take care of that.”
I let out a sigh of relief, the tension in my muscles easing. Maybe it had been nothing more than a lingering nightmare.
“Perhaps you could do with a bit of light in here.” She strode toward the curtains and threw them back, letting in bright beams of light that had me shielding my eyes.
“I don’t know what my problem is. I keep hearing voices, and my dreams areawful. Jericho seems to think it’s normal pregnancy stuff.”
Silence hovered between us as I realized what had just slipped out of my mouth.
“Pregnancy?” At the air of intrigue in Anya’s voice, I lifted my gaze to see her brow winged up. “You are with child, Miss?”
Nerves still rattled, I feigned a smile for Anya’s sake. “Um. Yes. Just under four months.”
“Well.” Anya clasped her hands together and chuckled. “Oh, my. You and the Master. This is … this is wonderful!”
“Thank you, Anya. If you could keep it between us for now, though, that’d be great. I just don’t want any–”
Raising a hand in the air, Anya shook her head. “Say no more. Your secret will not pass these walls, Miss. But what a secret indeed! The Master as a father?” She slapped a hand over her mouth, wearing an incredulous expression. “Well, it sounds so strange to say! I never thought I’d see the day.”
That made two of us. I hadn’t really planned on a pregnancy at any point in my life. Had never fantasized about being a mother, or pictured myself capable of keeping something other than a cactus alive. And that was pushing it. “Do you remember pregnancy, at all?”
Brows lowering, the older woman sighed and clasped her hands. “No. Not a single moment. I remember our last conversation about Aurelia, and some vague memories of her, but … that’s all, I’m afraid.” Anya frowned, as though trying harder to remember.“Seems it was just too long ago for me.”
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the pregnancy was the loneliness of it. I had no sage advice, not that anyone would’ve been able to offer much about a child whose father happened to be half angel.
Except …
I did knowoneperson, if I could call her a person. Lustina’s mother, Catriona, who I’d stumbled upon in the bookstore.
Gabriel had been Lustina’s father, an archangel, and if anyone might’ve had a clue about all these strange symptoms, it was her. If by chance she was still there, and still remembered me, perhaps I could bounce the millions of questions I had off her. At least find out if what I was feeling was normal. I’d read about headaches during pregnancy, but nothing like the odd dreams, hallucinations, the screaming, and black vomit.
Jesus, what had my life become that I was hopeful for a centuries-old ghost to be the afterlife version of Doctor Spock?
An intense shifting in my stomach had me snapping upright, and I set my hand against my belly, feeling something snake beneath my skin.
“Is everything all right?” Anya tipped her head, drawing my attention to her.
With a sheepish smile, I nodded. “It’s the baby.” I bit my lip, contemplating the next question. “Wanna feel?” Although I smiled through the offer, I hoped she’d decline. It all still felt kind of weird to me, and I vowed never to be the crazy, pregnant woman who shoved her belly in everyone’s face for a grope.
Her brows pinched together, a dubious expression claiming her face. “How far along did you say you were?”
I shrugged. “A little over thirteen weeks, give, or take.”
“And you feel movement already?”
“Yes.” Much as I wanted to tell her that I was pregnant with a sentinel who clearly didn’t follow the rules of human pregnancies, I didn’t want to leave her questioning my sanity.
“That seems unusual. I may not remember anything about my own pregnancy, Miss, but I certainly recall that one does not feel a baby move so early.”
With a nervous chuckle, I lowered my gaze to hide a frown. “You’re welcome to feel for yourself.” At that point, it was a matter of defending myself.
With what I perceived as reluctance, she reached toward my mostly flat belly and rested her palm there.
A couple of seconds passed before I felt a punch so intense, I flinched. “Ah! Jeez. Did you feel that?”
