“Everything okay?” I ask as I take it from him. My own nerves are shot at the thought of going home and facing CK after what I have just done. I don’t need Sebastian making it worse.
“You tell me, you are supposed to be resting,” he says with a small frown as I open the tin and swirl my finger around the soothing balm.
“I did,” I say as I finally look in the mirror and swipe my finger across my lips. It tingles slightly and I press my lips together. “I am just on my way home.”
He nods, looking anxious.
“Seb, what’s wrong?” I ask again.
He gathers me to him and clings to me. “Nothing,” he says. “I just miss you. I wish that I could spend more time with you.”
“Soon,” I say into his chest. “If all goes according to plan, we will be in the Fae Kingdoms before long.”
“I hope so,” he says sadly. “I love you, Aefre.”
“Me too,” I say quietly and then he just vanishes.
What the fuck was all that about? Why didn’t he stay longer?
I shake my head and then I look at the clock. Shit! A lot of time has passed since I puffed out to the D.F.K. No doubt CK is throwing tantrums all over the place. I really don’t want to go back to that. He has become so obsessed over me looking for my daughter, that I am starting to think he doesn’t want me to search any longer. The one place I really want to go is off-limits to me. I was told in no uncertain terms by his new Alpha to go nowhere near Lincoln or his house. It’s been difficult, especially as he lives next door to me, to stay away from the one man who always had my back no matter what stupid or dangerous plan I came up with. He always supported me.
But I get it.
I am no longer part of his life anymore, and that was my decision. I could choose to kick Chrissy’s arse again, but somehow the appeal of that has gone. It would just look petty.
Before I know what I have done, I have Astralled myself into Lincoln’s garden. I am looking up at the house, to his bedroom window, and I can see him looking back down at me. He places his hand to the window and my heart lurches. I want his arms around me. I take a step forward and then I have a flash of pain so bad in my stomach that it drops me to my knees with a gasp.
I take in a big gulp of air as the pain subsides and then I suddenly retch and spew out a stream of black blood onto the ground. I am breathing heavily, wondering what is going on, and then I feel a rush of wetness between my thighs. I cup myself and then I look down at my hand and I choke.
It is covered with blood.
“No!” I shout out as I realize what is happening. “No! It can’t be.”
The pain returns and I am trembling as the searing, white-hot heat rips through me. I am on my hands and knees when Lincoln reaches my side.
“Liv?” he asks, his voice full of concern.
“The baby,” I croak. “I’m losing it. Get someone. Get Xanthe.”
I collapse on the ground as he strokes my back and I throw up another lot of black blood.
“Shit,” Lincoln mutters and gathers me into his arms.
I can see him stare down into my lap and he tightens his grip on me. He races me into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom. He places me on the bed and grabs an ornamental basin off the dresser to place by my side. “I’ll be as quick as I can,” he says and shoots off, leaving me to suffer this loss all by myself. I call out for CK as the pain racks my body, but he doesn’t come to me.
I am sweating and covered in blood by the time Lincoln returns with Xanthe and Xane in tow. She quickly gets to work, but she soon confirms what I already knew.
I have miscarried.
Chapter 4
“I am sorry,” Xanthe says quietly as she mops my brow. She has stripped off my clothes and replaced them with a loose, white gown, one of those old-fashioned ones that I loathe. I turn away from her, feeling the loss deep inside me. She was a tough little thing. She survived Dragon Shifts, a failed Vampire transition, and the gods know what else. She fought off Thrace when he tried to rape me, and she even kicked V.A. to the curb when the Dragon was trying to get free.
How did this happen?
“I don’t know,” Xanthe says and I realize I have spoken the question out loud. “But something isn’t right.”
I look at her then and she is staring down at the blood-filled basin.