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A light that begins in the center of her belly.
A gleam that intensifies as her shock becomes a smile. And that smile, a delirious laugh. “Well, talk aboutwowfactor.”
CHAPTER TEN
KARA
“What part of this do I get to call the weirdest?”
Kell’s quip percolates a response from deep inside me. From the same place that my little twig has suddenly gained some blooms, sending a spectrum of color up to my ribs and down to the crests of my thighs. One moment, I’m a blue butterfly, soaring above those beautiful new branches. The next, I’m as brilliant as one of its flowers, my orange petals blowing in a summer wind. Then I’m part of that wind, carrying purple clouds and golden rain over the landscape of my spirit. A valley that’s filled with so many of those amber drops I’m bathing in all their incredible warmth.
And hope.
And life.
And love.
A love I’ve never dreamed of—or dared to dream of—before. A fulfillment I’ve never imagined. A union I’ve never conceived. The only magic that comes close to it is my memory of when I knew I’d fallen in love with Maximus. I was in my car, stopped at a red light between Beverly Hills and his place in South Park. It was the first night we’d spent together, though I had yet to know that. I was only hoping he’d let me in—though not just to his apartment. He was already a part ofmyheart and soul, and I was desperately hoping he’d accept both from me. My heart raced and careened, preparing to see his glory again…
Now, my heart races with a different love. A new kind of connection.
I’m smitten with nothing but…light.
Witheverythingthat isthislight.
The glow that grows stronger once I slip out the bottom three buttons of my shirt.
Beneath the fabric, the shape of my stomach is unchanged—a truth that’s slightly strange because I’m tempted to look for the colored halogen light that’s undoubtedly been shoved under my skin. But if that were the case, the light wouldn’t be widening as I run my hand over it. Nor would it be doing the same for Maximus’s cautious touch, only to shrink and fade once Dr. Doug pressed in.
“Ah!” he exclaims. “Ahhh…haaa! Seems we have a shy one here, folks.”
“A shywhat?” Kell demands. “You’re seriously not going to declare this diagnosis now. You haven’t done an exam or run any tests.”
“Sister. My sweetness.” I reach out and wrap my hand over hers. “He doesn’t have to.”
She snaps a sharp glare. “Excuse me?”
“Nothing to be excused for.” When my attempt at glib only gets me more of her stern pout, I wrap my fingers around hers. “Hey. Come on. Where’s the let’s-get-excited bandwagon you and Jaden were riding last night?”
“Stopped in its tracks,” she retorts. “Because there’s something on them—like an offspring who’s already decided the rave has started and has popped open the glow sticks to prove it.”
Dr. Doug jabs her with an amused side-eye. “You’re really not aware that you did the same thing to your mother?”
Kell’s eyes are wider than an electrified lemur’s. “Huh?”
“Oh, yes. All three of you,” he emphasizes. “Except the glow was strictly red.” He shakes his head with a quiet laugh. “The poor thing. By her last few months, she was wearing corduroy and velvet in public to keep everything hidden.”
“Oh, dear,” Kell mutters. “And that was before either of them were trendy again.”
He arches both bushy brows, sage as a skinny owl. “That woman has made innumerable sacrifices for you three.”
“No shit,” Kell rasps. “I had no idea.”
“Me neither,” I say. “But why only red? What does that mean…about this?” I gesture toward my middle.
“Undoubtedly, it’s royal blood,” the physician says. “A bloodline that stretches up to the All-father.” He hardly pauses before barreling on, almost as if remembering an important point. “So your mother really never told you about thefloga moro? Why?”
“The baby glow,” Maximus quickly translates.
