Taco huffed at me and started tearing at an orange with his claws. He shot a glare in my direction, slowly taking a bite out of the exposed fruit. Little bastard was trying to psyche me out.
Shaking my head, I placed a hand on my stomach, feeling the slight bump. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Did that mean I was further along than I thought? When I looked at Mary questioningly, she sighed, obviously annoyed that Ethan and I were in a panic over something so trivial.
“You’re Vampire. Things are always more enhanced with you. Your sense of smell, sight and hearing for example. That includes pregnancy.” Mary walked back to the stove and started the bacon and sausage. She hummed to herself as if the bomb she just dropped on me hardly mattered.
“So my pregnancy is enhanced? That means–”
“It means you’re going to come to term a lot faster than a human woman.”
I started pacing. “This can’t be happening! I’m not ready to be a mother. I can’t do this.”
Standing, Ethan grabbed me by the arms and stared into my eyes. “We’ll get through this together.”
“You’re not the one bringing an evil baby into the world!” I snapped, then felt guilty. He was just trying to make me feel better. Taking a deep breath, I forced out a smile. “Sorry. This is just getting to me, that’s all.”
Pulling me in for a hug, Ethan ran a soothing hand down my hair. “I understand. I’ll be here to help you through it all. I promise.”
“Until I go crazy on you again.”
He chuckled. “I think it’s expected with pregnancy.”
I groaned. “Now everything that happens is going to be because of this pregnancy. I’m losing my body to children!”
Mary shook her head, an amused smile on her face. “You’ll come to love them, just like I do your mother. It grows on you, despite feeling like your freedom is slipping away.”
“My freedom?” I squeaked.
“You had to point that out.” Ethan shook his head, pulling me back over to my chair. “Breakfast is almost done. Just relax.”
Taking a seat, I breathed in deeply, hoping my anxiety would disappear. I knew I was letting things get to me, but kids changed your life. There was no way in hell I was ready for it.
Mary brought over a plate of food and set it in front of me. I stared at it, feeling myself getting queasy just from the smell. “I’m not hungry.”
Mary put her hands on her hips. “Those babies need food.”
“Everything is going to become about them, isn’t it?” I sighed, shoving the plate away. “My stomach is upset. I’ll eat in a little bit.”
Mary walked back over to me, a smile on her face. “I have something to show you. You might find this strange, but it’s really fascinating.”
“Please tell me you aren’t going to show me a childbirth video or something,” I groaned.
Ethan’s face paled. “Yeah, please tell me that’s not what you have planned.”
“Wimps. Both of you are acting childish. It’s a beautiful thing!” Mary sat down in the chair across from me and sighed. “I have something much better to show you, though. You’ll love it. I promise.”
Reaching for my hand, Ethan gave it a squeeze, trying to comfort me. The longer he held my hand, the calmer I became. My body warmed and muscles relaxed. It was then I realized he was using magic. I gave him an alarmed look, but all he did was smile and pucker his lips, blowing me a kiss. Deciding I should just take the gift, I let my body relax.
Mary nodded her approval, noticing the change in my posture. She rested her elbows on the table and held her hands in the air. Then she lowered her head, mumbling some words I could barely hear. A ball of magic appeared in her hands, raising several inches above them. Different colors flowed through it, changing from purple to green to red, reminding me of a rainbow.
The magic slowly grew lighter in color until it became clear, like a bubble. It jiggled several times as images began to form within in. Ethan and I leaned forward, noticing two people in the middle. Both had dark hair, one a woman and the other a man. They looked awfully familiar.
I gasped, then whispered, “This that them?”
Nodding, Mary grinned. “These are your children as adults.”
I didn’t know what to say. Smiling, I nodded. “They look like their dads.” The woman looked like Ethan, the man more like Drake. They appeared to be happy. Which, as a mother, was all I could ask. Maybe there was hope. Maybe binding the powers of Drake’s child could save him from a nasty future. Anything was possible, right?
The ball squirmed violently, and Mary’s face scrunched. “Oh shit,” she mumbled as the ball exploded. Wet magic flew in all directions, some hitting my face.
“What the-” I started, interrupted by Mary’s laughter.
Ethan got up to grab me a towel. He started to wipe my face, a smirk on his own. Growling, I snatched it from him. “Well, that was a special moment, Gran, but why did you ruin it by bursting the bubble?”
“We needed some laughter in here!” She got up and reached over to tweak my nose. “You’re so cute when you’re pissed off. And I like being called Gran.”
Sighing, I got to my feet and wiped off my robe. I had to change now. Grabbing a piece of bacon, I gave Ethan a quick kiss and headed into the bedroom, thinking about what Mary just showed me.
Closing the door, I fell back against it and pressed my hands to my stomach, staring down at it. I couldn’t believe I was already showing. And seeing what they would look like as adults was even more amazing. It didn’t help my nerves, though. The magic Ethan passed to me helped a little
