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Finn has moved to stand behind my chair and is leaning against it. “He never looked at Posey like that,” Finn points out to me quietly.
“Like what?” I ask, playing dumb. I twist to look up at one of my oldest friends.
“Like he would burn the world down for her and make her Queen of the Ashes.”
I study how Xavier approaches Cat once she’s nodded her acceptance of his help. Still, Xavier hesitates before touching her, trying to guide her through finding her own power within. I get to my feet and create my own snowball then hurl it at Kai. He’s so intent on what Xavier is saying and offering his own tweaks that I nail him in the side of the head.
“You know, I’m not afraid to hit a girl,” Kai warns.
Xavier finally glances away from Cat to see what chaos I’m causing.
“She’s not the only one who needs to be stronger and better,” I point out, a sword lengthening in my hands. I twist it around before holding it in front of me.
Kai presses his lips together. “Is this really the best idea?”
I straighten. “Why wouldn’t it be? Because I’m a goddess, or because I’m pregnant? Because if either of those are the reason, I’m really going to kick your ass.”
“It’s because we’re all going to protect you, Daphne. Nothing is going to happen to you,” he tells me, still not brandishing his own weapon.
“Because everyone did such a great job of that the first time around?”
Kai flinches, and I might not be looking at them, but I would bet money that Finn and Xavier do too. I lower the weapon a fraction. “You had no problem training me before. I want the same treatment now. I need to be able to throw down with Posey.”
Kai doesn’t respond. He strikes, swinging his sword at me with vicious accuracy. Metal vibrates in my hands as I block the blow. We parry, going back and forth, Kai showing me how to advance, correcting my form as I go. When we pause to get water, I see Catalina and Xavier talking, still working on building her defenses. Finn comes up behind me, and I surprise them both by swinging my blade just in time to block him.
“Again,” I demand, lifting my sword for another round. I should be taking it easy; there’s a tightness in my core muscles that I attribute to not only carrying around a baby but also swinging a sword.
After a half hour, exhaustion pulls on me, and I step out of the fray, leaving Finn, Kai, and Xavier to coach Cat. I rub my stomach, afraid I pushed too far. Why did I push? Why did I insist? Was it my own pride, my own hubris, that I’m better than everyone expects?
A hand on my shoulder startles me from my thoughts. “Are you all right?”
I look up and meet Xavier’s ice-chip eyes. “Fine. Just tired. I thought I might take a relaxing dip.” I gesture at my outfit, which becomes a green bikini, putting my bump even more on display. Xavier’s eyes linger over my swollen stomach before he meets my gaze.
“I think I’ll join you.” Xavier doesn’t bother waiting to see if I’ll object. He just strips down, his pants turning into swim bottoms. His fingertips graze my spine and I can feel warmth thread through my body, soothing the muscles around my belly. He pulls his hand back just as quickly.
“If you insist.” I turn to Cat. “Do you think you can handle a metamorphosis, or would you like help?”
“I can try it first?” She closes her eyes, no doubt attempting to envision the outfit she wants to be wearing. I give it my best effort to hold in my snort when her outfit changes not into the bathing suit she probably intended, but a clown costume.
Finn is less gracious and bursts out laughing. “Unless you want to go swimming as Bozo, you might want to reconsider letting us help,” he tells her.
Cat’s green eyes open, and she looks down at the colorful baggy jumpsuit, complete with stripes and odd shapes and ruffles around the sleeves. Her lower lip sticks out in a pout.
“You’re probably overtired,” Xavier tells her gently.
Finn, however, is intent to make this worse, and reaches out to squeeze the big red nose she gave herself. “How did you manage this?”
“I was trying to focus on not making a fool of myself,” she whines.
“May I?” Xavier offers, stepping toward her. She scowls at him before nodding. The clown getup is gone in a blink. In its place is a chic black one-piece with a plunging neckline and nearly nonexistent back.
I look away from Xavier and Cat when I catch the heat in his eyes while he looks at her. I walk toward the water, heading for a small tide pool, with Kai following close behind me. I’m so grateful to be able to ease in and lounge in the small, wide pool without being worried about waves crashing in my face.
“Where is your wife?” I ask, turning to face Kai as I settle into the water. It’s going to be a disaster and a half getting out, but I wouldn’t trade this comfort for the world. Absently, I stroke my bump, finding solace in it.
Kai settles in beside me, smiling at how I’m touching my stomach. “She’s looking for her mother, trying to figure out what her end game is. You’re really not going to find out what you’re having?”
“Nope,” I confirm, looking at the horizon. “I’ve been disappointed too many times before to find out. I want to hold on to my hope, but keep it at arm’s length. I’m trying to temper my emotions.”
