Mai clamped down on Jim’s and Micah’s hands and kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut. When it was over, the doctor covered her up with a sheet. “All done. I want you to stay right there for a few minutes. I’ll come back in and check on you before I let you get up to get dressed.”
Mai nodded and waited to open her eyes until she heard the exam room door close and knew they were alone again. She looked at Jim, then Micah. “There’s something wrong,” she whispered. “I feel it.”
“Honey,” Jim said, “the doctor told you it’s normal to feel like that. Please don’t worry. That kind of stress is what’s not good for you. You’re going to be fine, and so is our baby.”
Micah nodded. “He’s right. Let us do all the worrying about you. That’s our job.” He smiled and brushed the hair back from her forehead. “You just enjoy letting us spoil you rotten.”
She forced a smile she didn’t feel.
“Hey,” Jim said. “We’re going to meet with Lina’s architecture company tomorrow. Get things started on designing and building our house.”
“Yeah,” Micah said. “Just think, you can decorate it however you want. Whatever you want.”
She felt bad that her mood was in the crapper when her men were trying so hard to make her feel better and put her mind at ease. “I love you two. You have no idea how much.” Their beaming smiles made her feel a little better.
An hour later, they were in the car and heading home. Mai lay down on the backseat, her hands gently caressing her belly.
* * * *
A week later, Micah and Jim had taken a day trip to the east coast with Brodey to pick up a trailer of new stock they’d purchased from a rancher in Homestead. Mai felt her heart jump in her throat when her cell phone rang, the ID displaying Dr. Alberto’s private number.
“Mai? It’s Dr. Alberto.”
Her hands trembled. “Yes?”
“Can you please come to my office today? I received your test results back and I’d like to talk to you about them…”
Mai didn’t hear the rest because she let out a sob. Lina, who’d been watching TV on the sofa, threw herself out of her seat and waddled over to Mai. She grabbed the phone from her. “Hello? Who is this?”
Mai’s entire body felt cold as she watched Lina.
“Dr. Alberto, hi. It’s Lina Alexandr…” She watched as Lina’s face suddenly turned into an inscrutable mask. “Okay. Her guys aren’t here, but we’ll bring her up right now. We’ll be there in about an hour. Thanks.” She hung up.
Mai burst into tears.
Lina was comforting her when Elain walked in from the backyard a few minutes later. “What’s wrong?’
“Can you come with us?” Lina asked her.
“Where are we going?”
“The doctor wants to see Mai.”
“Let me grab Mom.” Ten minutes later, the women were in Elain’s car and speeding down the highway toward the interstate. Carla was put in charge of calling all the men and giving them updates as to where they were heading.
When they reached the office, they were immediately escorted back to the doctor’s private office. She didn’t keep them waiting.
“What’s wrong?” Mai asked. “Please, don’t keep me in suspense.”
The doctor handed her a box of tissues. “I received your amnio test results back,” she said, her voice low and her face a mask of concern. “The results indicate your baby has Down’s syndrome.”
The room went quiet. Mai tried to absorb that information. “What…what is that? I’ve heard of it, but what is it? Is she going to be okay?”
The doctor clasped her hands in front of her on her desk and Mai only absorbed half of the information. She was vaguely aware of Carla keeping a firm arm around her shoulders and handing her fresh tissues, while Lina and Elain took over asking the doctor questions.
“What are you trying to tell me?” Mai finally asked. “Are you trying to tell me I should abort my baby?”
Dr. Alberto vigorously shook her head. “No, that’s absolutely not what I’m saying at all. That is a personal decision. If it’s a choice you want more information on, I’ll get that for you, too. I am simply laying out all of your options. Down’s syndrome is a common birth defect, unfortunately. I’ve dealt with it many times in my practice. However, while I have seen occasional birth defects in shifter babies, usually they’re very minor ones and involve parents who are weak shifters without the ability to shift. I’ve never experienced a shifter baby with Down’s syndrome. I’ve never even heard of it happening. I called around and no one else has, either. Those of us who are doctors and who are shifters, or at least who are shifter-friendly, we’re a pretty tight-knit bunch. We keep each other up to date on things in case we need treatment advice.” She sighed. “No one could give me any advice other than proceeding as if she’s a normal human baby.”
Mai caressed her stomach again. The baby kicked.
Mai burst into tears. “I want my baby,” she sobbed. “I don’t want to get rid of her.”
The doctor stood and rounded her desk. She knelt before Mai and grasped her hands in hers. “Then I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to help you and your baby get through this safely. All right?”
“So will we,” Lina said. “You’re not alone.”
“The guys are going to hate me,” Mai whispered.
“No, they won’t,” Elain insisted. “They love you, and they love that baby. Look at all the ‘Daddy’s Little Princess’ onesies they bought last week.”
That got a tiny smile out of Mai. “You think so?”
Carla hugged her tightly. “I’m sure of it. It’s okay. You’re not alone. We promise you.”
* * * *
Elain and Carla left the room with Dr. Alberto to go call Micah and Jim to break the news to them. Mai leaned against Lina. “Just once, I wanted something to go right in my life,” Mai whispered.
“Hey,” Lina said, “look at it this way. You’ll love your baby no matter what, right?”
“Of course!”
“Do you honestly think those Abernathy asshats would have let her live more than a few minutes after being born?”
Mai felt a protective growl start deep in her throat. She cut it off. “No,” she admitted. “They already wanted me to have an abortion.”
“Okay then. Things were meant to be this way.”
“Can you see my baby?” she asked hopefully. “In any of your visions?”
Lina sadly smiled. “All I’ve seen is her being born and letting out a healthy scream. And Micah and Jim standing by your side when she’s born.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Mai closed her eyes and leaned into Lina’s embrace. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I can’t tell you more. I wish I could see more. If I do, I’ll let you know.”
Mai took a deep, relieved breath. “That’s enough for me. That they’re there with me.” In her dreams, Jim and Micah were never there, even after they marked her. But she trusted Lina’s visions far more than she trusted her own dreams.
Micah called her once they were all back in the car. “Honey, are you all right?”
She burst into tears. “I’m sorry!”
“Why are you apologizing? We love you.”
Mai tried to speak, but she was overcome by emotion. Carla took the phone from her.
“Micah? It’s Carla. Yes, she’s pretty upset. We’ll see you when you get home. Drive safely and don’t rush.”
They rode the rest of the way home in silence. Brodey, Micah, and Jim hadn’t returned yet, but Ain, Cail, and Liam all offered Mai comforting hugs. Lina and Carla took Mai into the living room while Cail helped Elain start dinner. The others wouldn’t let Mai retreat to her room. They wanted to keep her with them, to offer her comfort.
“We’re here for you,” Ain told her. “All of us.”
“How am I going to take care of a baby with special needs?” she whispered. She looked at Carla. ?
??I don’t know anything about this.”
Carla held her hand. “Honey, I didn’t know squat about babies when Elain was born. It’s all on-the-job training. But Ain’s right. We’ll all be here for you. I’m sure there is a ton of information out there we can look up and study so we’re prepared when she’s born.”
Lina laughed. “Just think, we can all come to one really big-ass Lamaze class. Have the whole room to ourselves for all the aunts and uncles.”
Mai smiled. “How did I get so lucky to find all of you?”
Lina grinned. “Fate might be a fickle bitch sometimes, but she usually knows what’s best for us.”
* * * *
Lina was going to add something, but her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen, frowned, and answered. “Hi, Lacey.”
“I need to talk to you, dear. Alone.”
“Just a minute.” She walked down to her room and shut the door. “What’s up?”
“I need to tell you something, but you cannot say anything to anyone about it yet.”
An odd, creeping sensation slithered up Lina’s spine. “Oookay.”
“It’s about Mai’s baby.”
Lina blanched and lowered her voice, even though she knew the other shifters couldn’t hear her at the far end of the house. “We just got back from the doctor! She’s got—”
“Down’s syndrome, yes. Is she going to keep the baby?”
“Yes, she says she is.”
Lacey let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, good.”
“Um, why?”
“You might not want me to tell you.”
“Saying stuff like that doesn’t discourage me from asking, you know.”
“I saw something. I don’t know what exactly it means, but that little girl is very important. Protect her at all costs.”
“And I can’t tell anyone that?”
“No. Things will grow apparent to you eventually. You might even have visions of your own about it.”
Unable to help it, Lina caught herself stroking her own belly, where her twins were apparently having an in utero summersault competition. “Why can’t you tell me?”
“Because all the pieces aren’t together yet.”
* * * *
Lacey looked across her living room at where Baba Yaga, in her matron form, was sitting on her couch and sipping a mug of coffee. Jasper sat in front of her, wagging his tail and hoping for more of the treats she’d fed to him earlier.
Lina sounded frustrated. Lacey couldn’t blame her. “What pieces?” Lina asked.
“I don’t know,” Lacey fibbed. “But please, trust me.”
Lina sighed on the other end of the line. “All right.”
“I have to go now. Thank you. Take care, and say hi to everyone for me.” She hung up and looked at Baba Yaga. “Good enough?”
The matron nodded. “Yes.”
“Why aren’t you telling Lina this yourself?”
“Because I believe she’s a little irritated at me right now. I’ve been avoiding her because she needs to be able to stand on her own and learn to trust her instincts. Suffice it to say, it’s better the information comes from you than from me. If she talks with me now, she will lose her focus on what’s important.” She finished her coffee and gave Jasper one last pat on the head before standing.
“I feel like I lied to her,” Lacey said.
“You didn’t lie. You had a vision, and you’re passing on what you can.”
Lacey arched an eyebrow at her. “You showed me the vision, of what’s to happen in the future.”
Baba Yaga shrugged. “Doesn’t matter where the vision comes from, does it?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Regardless, they cannot ever let their guard down. Rodolfo Abernathy, among others, will kill to get their hands on that little girl in the future. She must be protected until she can fulfill her own destiny.” She set the coffee mug on the counter.
Lacey put a hand on her to keep her from leaving. “Is she going to die?”
“One day. Do you mean right now? No.” She pointed a warning finger at Lacey. “I will tell you this because we are good friends. You cannot pass it on to anyone. That little girl will live a long and happy life as long as those around her take heed of my warning.” She smiled. “Your warning, I should say. Remember, Lina cannot know I was the source of this. You know how she feels about me sometimes. I don’t need to be on her bad side right now. She’s going to have her hands full with her babies. I would only be an unwanted distraction.”
“Daniel talked to me. He asked me about nightmares Callie is having. You wouldn’t happen to have any information on that, would you?”
Baba Yaga frowned. “He talked to me about them a few months ago. Is she still having them?”
“He says she has no memories of them when she wakes up.”
“I swear to you, I don’t know why she is.” She went silent for a moment. “I will follow up with Daniel and my sister. Deal?”
Lacey nodded. With that, Baba Yaga disappeared.
Lacey dropped onto her sofa. Jasper shoved his head into her lap. She absently stroked his head as she pondered the immortal’s warnings.
Chapter Twenty
To take Mai’s mind off the news, Lina, Elain, and Carla decided to throw her a kick-ass baby shower-slash-belated bridal shower.
Well, mating shower.
None of the women had the heart to leave the men out of the celebration, so they included them in the fun. Following an afternoon full of games, snacks, and cake, Elain eventually snuck away to have a few minutes alone.
Elain sat on a fallen log at the edge of the woods and stared at the house. On the lanai, she could hear the happy sounds of her family, both real and adopted, celebrating. She didn’t look up when Ain separated from the group and silently walked across the yard to join her on the log.
He clasped her hand in his. “Penny for your thoughts?” he finally asked.
She took a deep breath and let it out as a long sigh. “I don’t know what I’m thinking right now. The past few weeks have been nuts. I’m still trying to sort it all out.” She looked at him. “And I feel bad for Mai and her guys.”
“Why?”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “Duh.”
He shrugged. “Does it look like they’re feeling sorry for themselves?”
She watched the three lovebirds chatting with Zack and Kael. All of them were smiling and apparently happy.
Ain let go of her hand and draped his arm around her shoulders. “Let me let you in on a little secret. While we might have a shitload in common with wild wolves, there is something we don’t share. If a child is born with a disability, we gather around the family to love and protect the child. We don’t kick it out of the den to die.”
She snorted. “I bet the Abernathys would.”
“You’re not half wrong. But if you haven’t guessed, there aren’t any other Clans who do stuff the way Rodolfo Abernathy does things. And for damn good reason.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and watched the festivities.
“What else is bothering you?” he quietly asked.
Why deny it? “I want a baby,” she whispered. “I didn’t think I would. At least, not anytime soon. But I do. I really do.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Not right now.”
He must have felt her tense to rebut him, but he squeezed her tightly against him. “I don’t mean that as an order. I made you a promise to do things our way for six months, and that I wouldn’t get you pregnant during those six months. Remember?”
“Oh. Oh, yeah.” He had, after she rescued him from the animal shelter in Virginia. She sighed. “Can I ask you to let go of that promise?”
He chuckled and pulled her into his lap. With his hand on her chin, he gently tipped her head so he could stare into her eyes. “I keep my promises, love. I promised to be a kinder, gentler Prime. And yes, I do want children. As much as part of me would love to carry you back into the wood
s here and take you right now, I think we need to wait. A few more months isn’t a long time. You’re going to be an aunt to Mai’s pup, as well as to Lina’s…well, whatever they call baby dragons.”
She laughed.
“There’s my girl,” he said. He kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly savored it. When he lifted his mouth from hers, he said, “Believe me, when we’ve all sat down and talked about it and we know all four of us are on board, then okay. I’ll fuck your sweet brains out until you’re pregnant.” He slipped one hand down her body and laid it on her belly. “I’ll kiss your beautiful body every morning and thank you for being our mate.”
She laced her fingers through his. “I don’t know. I’ve heard women in labor curse their men. Remember what I did to Paul Abernathy.”
He nuzzled the side of her neck. “I’ll make sure I have a set of three locking steel chastity belts ready to protect us.”
That made her laugh. She snuggled in his arms and watched as Liam and her mom talked off to one side of the lanai. She didn’t miss how often her mom smiled at something Liam said, and how he’d been looking at her the past few days. She didn’t want to hope despite what Lina had said, but some tiny piece of little girl still inside her desperately prayed.
Ain whispered in her ear. “It’s okay to hope, love. They might find happiness together. Please don’t be disappointed if they don’t.”
She sadly sighed. “Wouldn’t he have pinged on her as his mate if they were meant to be?”
“Not necessarily. It’s different when a wolf’s mate dies. We mate for life. Sometimes the survivor will go on to find love again even while holding on to the strength of their initial bond in their heart. It’s not unheard of.”
“It’s possible?”
“Very.”