“All that magic flying around kind of messed with me.”
“Yes, all that fertility magic,” Sarah pointed out.
“Oh, goddess, my wife is pregnant,” Dev said as though he had to say it out loud to believe it. “We’re going to have a baby.” He turned to Daniel and there was a wariness in his eyes. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Daniel. I tried to protect her but I didn’t. It’s my fault.”
Daniel’s arms tightened around me. “You don’t want a baby? I thought you would be happy about this.”
“I want it more than anything,” Dev admitted. “But it’s not what we agreed upon. We were all supposed to decide when the time was right, if it would ever be right. I took that decision away from us.”
“It was a matter of time,” Daniel said. “I always knew it was going to happen. We were fooling ourselves if we thought we could control it. I’m fine with it, Dev. I am.”
Dev tried not to laugh but failed and finally came up behind me, letting his head rest against my back. I was glad the boys were working through their angst because I was still numb. I was having a baby. It didn’t seem real, but there was another heart beating inside my body and I was responsible for that tiny sound. It was mine. It was mine, I decided. It was mine and Dev’s and Danny’s. Our baby might end up being a fertility god, but he or she would be ours first.
“Well, it seems Her Grace is in good condition.” The healer stood, clutching his bag as he walked to the door. “You will need a midwife. Until I can find a good one, the witch can make do. It is fine for you to feed your vampire, Your Grace, so long as he is not greedy. If you take his blood, you should definitely continue to do that. It will strengthen you and the child. And intercourse is permitted though, please, one at a time.”
“We will take good care of our wife,” Dev promised the healer, his hands going around my waist.
Sarah got up to go as well. “I’ll leave you guys alone to let it all sink in. Daniel, as long as Zoey starts eating again, I think you’ll feel stronger. I’ll make sure Albert makes her some ginger tea in the morning. We’ll get a couple of good meals in her and it should help.”
Daniel’s head suddenly came up. “Sarah, am I going to go through labor with her?”
Sarah bit her lip, trying hard not to laugh. “If only I could make that happen. No, you aren’t going to feel her pain and you won’t ever be able to take pain for her. This connection works to give her strength over long periods of time. It helps her to survive when maybe she shouldn’t. But I could try to work out a spell…”
“Don’t you dare,” Daniel muttered.
Sarah slipped quietly out. I let myself fall back on the bed, and Danny and Dev took their places beside me. We let our hands find each other, and I knew I wouldn’t go through this alone. A thought struck me. “Danny, you only heard one extra heartbeat, right?”
“It sounded like one,” he assured me.
“Good.” I let out a relieved breath. “Knowing Dev, I could have been having a litter.”
“I shall try hard to never give you a litter.” Dev’s hand slid over my stomach and rested there. “But twins would be nice.”
I looked at Daniel. “We have to find a way to stop this whole transference thing. I don’t want to be the reason you die, Danny.”
Daniel cuddled up, his hand joining Dev’s on my stomach. “Baby, what did you expect I would do when you’re gone?”
I tried to come up with another answer but I knew. He wouldn’t want to go on. “What were you planning to do?” I asked because the sun wouldn’t kill him now. He couldn’t just walk into the light.
“I have orders to stake him,” Dev offered cheerfully.
“What?”
Dev shrugged. “I’ve been practicing. I think I can do it in one thrust. I hope he doesn’t explode. Anyway, that’s the plan. After Danny’s gone, I’ll drink myself to death and we’ll all be together
“Yes, all that fertility magic,” Sarah pointed out.
“Oh, goddess, my wife is pregnant,” Dev said as though he had to say it out loud to believe it. “We’re going to have a baby.” He turned to Daniel and there was a wariness in his eyes. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Daniel. I tried to protect her but I didn’t. It’s my fault.”
Daniel’s arms tightened around me. “You don’t want a baby? I thought you would be happy about this.”
“I want it more than anything,” Dev admitted. “But it’s not what we agreed upon. We were all supposed to decide when the time was right, if it would ever be right. I took that decision away from us.”
“It was a matter of time,” Daniel said. “I always knew it was going to happen. We were fooling ourselves if we thought we could control it. I’m fine with it, Dev. I am.”
Dev tried not to laugh but failed and finally came up behind me, letting his head rest against my back. I was glad the boys were working through their angst because I was still numb. I was having a baby. It didn’t seem real, but there was another heart beating inside my body and I was responsible for that tiny sound. It was mine. It was mine, I decided. It was mine and Dev’s and Danny’s. Our baby might end up being a fertility god, but he or she would be ours first.
“Well, it seems Her Grace is in good condition.” The healer stood, clutching his bag as he walked to the door. “You will need a midwife. Until I can find a good one, the witch can make do. It is fine for you to feed your vampire, Your Grace, so long as he is not greedy. If you take his blood, you should definitely continue to do that. It will strengthen you and the child. And intercourse is permitted though, please, one at a time.”
“We will take good care of our wife,” Dev promised the healer, his hands going around my waist.
Sarah got up to go as well. “I’ll leave you guys alone to let it all sink in. Daniel, as long as Zoey starts eating again, I think you’ll feel stronger. I’ll make sure Albert makes her some ginger tea in the morning. We’ll get a couple of good meals in her and it should help.”
Daniel’s head suddenly came up. “Sarah, am I going to go through labor with her?”
Sarah bit her lip, trying hard not to laugh. “If only I could make that happen. No, you aren’t going to feel her pain and you won’t ever be able to take pain for her. This connection works to give her strength over long periods of time. It helps her to survive when maybe she shouldn’t. But I could try to work out a spell…”
“Don’t you dare,” Daniel muttered.
Sarah slipped quietly out. I let myself fall back on the bed, and Danny and Dev took their places beside me. We let our hands find each other, and I knew I wouldn’t go through this alone. A thought struck me. “Danny, you only heard one extra heartbeat, right?”
“It sounded like one,” he assured me.
“Good.” I let out a relieved breath. “Knowing Dev, I could have been having a litter.”
“I shall try hard to never give you a litter.” Dev’s hand slid over my stomach and rested there. “But twins would be nice.”
I looked at Daniel. “We have to find a way to stop this whole transference thing. I don’t want to be the reason you die, Danny.”
Daniel cuddled up, his hand joining Dev’s on my stomach. “Baby, what did you expect I would do when you’re gone?”
I tried to come up with another answer but I knew. He wouldn’t want to go on. “What were you planning to do?” I asked because the sun wouldn’t kill him now. He couldn’t just walk into the light.
“I have orders to stake him,” Dev offered cheerfully.
“What?”
Dev shrugged. “I’ve been practicing. I think I can do it in one thrust. I hope he doesn’t explode. Anyway, that’s the plan. After Danny’s gone, I’ll drink myself to death and we’ll all be together
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