SWNOVELS Chapter 102
Chapter One Hundred and Two
"She's right here! She's right here, I've got her!"
Mia rushes into the room, my baby in her arms.
The sight of her isn't enough. I need to touch her-to hold Merilee and prove to myself that she's real. I've already missed so much of life, and I can't stand to miss another second.
Mia hands her over immediately.
"I didn't mean to scare you. We were talking outside, and Cam went in ahead," she explains. "He'd been talking with Eric and figured it would be easier to finish the conversation face to face. Merilee's fine, she's here."
Mia's words are reassuring, but they pale in comparison to the sight of my baby's face. She's awake, but listless.
I stroke her cheek with the back of one finger. She's so soft, so fragile. At eighteen months old, she should look more like a toddler than a baby by now, but she's still small, like time has slowed for her.
She babbles when I kiss her forehead, no complete words, just sounds. But there's recognition in her face. I cradle her close to my chest, wishing I could protect her, that my body alone was enough of a refuge for her.
But no amount of loving her will undo the damage I've done.
She was never safe, even when she was still inside my body. That's what doomed her in the first place.
Around me, I'm dimly aware of the others exchanging greetings. Lorelei's mother, Diane, comes in.
Cam and Mia reunite with Eric.
I tune it all out, pouring my attention into Merilee. It's not hard. The three of them are so comfortable with each other, so at ease together, it's like I'm not here. It's my fault I'm on the outside of their group. The list of things that are my fault is endless but right at this moment I can't regret any of it.
Those choices brought me Merilee.
Mia lays a hand on my shoulder and I startle.
"Can we talk? Alone?" she asks.
My heart speeds up. The last time I was this close to Mia, she tried to rip my jugular out with her teeth. I don't think she's going to hurt me
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now-not when I'm mated to her beloved Alpha Eric and doing so would hurt him-but I'm not jumping for joy at the prospect of a heart to heart either.
"It won't take long. And Merilee can stay with us," she says. "It's important."
I sigh. "Fine. Let's go somewhere more private."
The bedrooms in the house are the same as I remember them-there are sturdy, hand-hewn wooden beds draped in thick quilts and elk hide blankets in the center of each room, and blocky red and blue prints of
animals and birds hung on the walls.
I lead Mia to the biggest one. There's a cradle in the closet. I pull it out for Merilee, but at the last second I change my mind and keep her in my arms.
Mia clocks the gesture and smiles at me. It's a small, cautious smile, but it catches me off guard.
"Cam told Eric you were delayed, but we only beat you here by a few minutes. What happened?" I ask, putting off whatever heartfelt, emotional conversation she wants to have.
She puts a hand on her belly, instinctually, though she isn't showing yet.
"Did Eric mention the baby?" she asks. "It's Cam's. I was already pregnant when Eric and I...sorry, you probably don't want to hear about that."
"We covered all that," I answer. "Is there a problem with your baby? The one on the way?"
She shakes her head. "No, Cam was just being over protective. He wanted me to stay behind while he brought Merilee here. You know Cam-when he wants something his way, it's a chore to change his mind."
I'm not sure how to react to that. We're not the kind of sisters who joke around about our husbands, and swap stories about their bad habits. We're the kind of sisters who steal each other's husbands and try to kill each other.
"Anyway, that's how I persuaded him
to stop arguing with me and get on the plane already," she says. "I told him that all that fierce,
over-protectiveness he felt for our new baby must be exactly how you feel about Merilee. It's how he feels about her, and the twins. In the end, we only left about two hours later
than we'd planned."
My heart softens a little. Cam and I weren't perfect together, but he's always been a good dad.
"Why did you come?" I ask her. "Cam could have brought Merilee by himself, while you stayed safe in the Healmsworth lands."
"I'm not here for Merilee, actually," she says. "I'm here for you. I saw something, and it's got me worried."
From the tone of her voice, I know what kind of seeing she means. She means a vision. More Seer Sister, Moon-touched shit. Exactly what I don't need right now.
"I have to ask you, Ashley," she says somberly. "How far are you willing to go to save your daughter? What are you willing to lose?"