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“We must be patient.”
“The barrier is still up, so that’s good, right?” Tatiana asks. “It means she still has power.”
“I still have power… I think.” I croak out the words, and both sets of eyes—the same color as mine—lock onto me.
“You’re awake! Oh God, we were so worried.” Tatiana rushes over and sits next to me. Her hand goes to my head to feel it before she pulls away and smacks me across the face.
I cringe, rearing my head back. “What the heck?” I hold my cheek, and she glares at me with her mouth set in a snarl. “Why did you do that?” She pulls the blankets away from my stomach and looks at me.
“Do you care to tell us about this?” Tanya leans over to see what Tatiana is questioning. I glance at my round stomach and protectively lay my hands on it.
“Are you pregnant?” Tanya asks, confused.
“It would seem so,” I reply.
Tanya shakes her head as Tatiana swears.
“You did that…” She waves her hands around. “You risked your life and your unborn baby for what?”
“For all of you. Did I do it? Is that thing gone?”
“It is, but your barrier is still up, and those birds are still here, flying above the house.”
“Who’s the father?” Tanya asks.
“Grim, obviously,” Tatiana says, and I raise an eyebrow in surprise.
“How did you know?”
“We could see you on the other side of the barrier, even when Grim was there. He was touching your belly, and you did as well. I knew then you were hiding something.”
“I wasn’t hiding it…” I take a deep breath. “I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
“How could you not tell us?” She looks down at my stomach, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I just didn’t think.” I shrug.
"You should have told us. It’s a joyous occasion,” Tanya adds.
I offer her a small smile, and she returns it, but hers is much bigger.
“I didn’t intend to hide the fact I am pregnant. I just needed some time to absorb it. It was a lot to take in.”
When I sit up, my head spins. I lift my hand to my head and see markings decorating my arms. There are black swirls stuck to my skin like a tattoo.
“Yeah, we can’t work out what that is. Does it hurt?” Tatiana asks as I study them.
They wrap around my arm and go all the way up to my shoulder. I pull my shirt off to see if they’re anywhere else, but it doesn’t appear as if they are.
“It doesn’t hurt,” I tell them, running a finger along one of the swirls. Then I look back at them. “It worked? Has it definitely gone?”
“You killed it. To be honest, it was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed,” Tanya whispers. “Just before you fell, that thing exploded, and the sky lit up. Black smoke rose, and a loud clap was heard before sparks rained down everywhere.” Tatiana nods as Tanya describes what happened. “Grim picked you up and walked straight through your barrier, carried you to the house, and placed you in bed. He didn’t leave until this morning. He’s been here for days, and he was drained. He looked terrible, as if he needed…”
“Death,” Tatiana finishes for her. “It’s like he needs souls to survive in this world. He was almost vanishing in front of our eyes, if that’s even the right word.” She shrugs. “Anyway, he made sure we would stay by your side until his return. So here we are.”
“Yeah, he’s bossy,” Tanya whispers, then giggles.
I smile at her words.Grim, bossy?He’s always so misunderstood.
