Page 33 of Of Flame and Fury

I chuckle. “Probably not, but shoot anyway.”

She smiles. It’s the first time I’ve seen her pretty grin all night. “The spell you cast was meant first and foremost to protect Celia and send her somewhere safe.”

I sit up, listening closely. “That’s right,” I agree.

“Then why was she the last to appear here?” Emme asks. “You arrived first. Shouldn’t it have been Celia?”

“And me last?” I offer.

“Yes.”

Her question has merit. I give her the most feasible answer I can. “The power I launched at that creature fed the spell. Since I’m the one who cast it, it sent me first.”

“Why was I next?” Emme asks.

“I fought it,” Celia admits.

“Yes,” I agree. “You didn’t want to leave Aric.”

Celia runs her fingers through her long waves. Unlike the rest of us, her hair isn’t coated with eyeballs and bowel juices. “My biggest fear is losing my baby.” She glances down. “But losing Aric…I don’t want her to grow up without a daddy.”

Like we did, she means. Shayna eases away from her post and speaks softly. “You said, ‘her,’” she points out. “You’ve been calling the little dude ‘him’ for the longest time.”

Shayna is purposely diverting the conversation away from losing Aric and back to Celia’s sweet child, where it belongs. Celia knows as much but allows it anyway. She turns to me. “In Taran’s vision, the baby I held looked like Aric.” She smiles softly. “I don’t know. I guess we assumed we’d have a son. Except every now and then, I start thinking that maybe she’s a girl.”

“Why, Ceel?” Shayna asks.

Celia’s cheeks redden. “I don’t know. It’s nothing specific. I can just picture myself holding a little girl sometimes.”

I almost suggest she’s having twins, but keep my mouth shut. My vision seems like so long ago. I only saw one child. That doesn’t mean there won’t be more. Except given what’s happening, there aren’t any guarantees. The future remains unclear for all of us.

“I feel Puppy again,” Shayna says when Celia grows quiet.

Celia greets her with a gentle smile. “I feel Aric too. He just seems far away.”

This mate thing can really be a blessing at times like this. I feel Gemini and his twin. It’s the only reason I haven’t blown this entire compound into oblivion. It wouldn’t be the first time I messed up Genevieve’s place. As a matter of fact, she’s probably come to expect it.

“Can I ask you another question?” Emme asks. “About the spell you cast to get us here?”

“Sure,” I ask, wondering why she appears so worried.

“Why didn’t I land here first?” Emme questions. “After spending the last few hours fighting, I was drained.”

“The last few hours?” I ask.

A small line forms between her eyebrows. “Yes. Bren and I were gone most of the night.” Her brow puckers when she looks up at the moon. “Um. I mean, it’s almost dawn, correct?”

“No, honey,” I tell her. I explain the passage of time. She takes it as well as I did.

Shock worsens her state. “It’s still early?” she asks.

“Oh, yeah. The only real time seems to pass within the house. But I’m not positive.” I roll my ankle. Emme was well enough to heal my injuries, but my muscles remain tense. “I wish there was a way to question those Nytes and get some answers.”

“Knights?” Celia interrupts.

Her features appear strained. I’m not certain why, but it gives me the barest pause. “Not knights as in from a kingdom,” I explain, trying to gauge what’s happening. “Or night as in the time of day. N-Y-T-E. It’s how Johnny announced his presence. I’m not sure if he was trying to be dramatic or if I presume their names wrong, but it’s what I’m calling them.”

“I understand,” Celia says. Her breath picks up then slows as she finishes. “And you’re certain it’s Johnny?”