"Yeah, and Simone too." Arela steps forward and rubs her hand over my stomach. The baby responds, rolling around and kicking at her hand. She giggles. "Hello, little one!"
I smile at her. Everyone wants to touch my stomach but it kind of freaks me out. I don't like people touching me on my best of days, let alone when I'm cranky, emotional, and feeling protective of my unborn child. But I don't mind it when Arela does it. Perhaps because I know she'd never harm me, or because the baby seems to like her voice. Either way, she's one of the few I don't swat away.
"Hello, Ever." Amren nods at me as he glides into the room. "Dare, how are you both today?"
"Impatient," I clip out, giving him a pointed look.
"So sorry. We were attending to Doyle."
Instantly I feel like the biggest jerk on the planet and embarrassment heats my cheeks. How could I have forgotten about Doyle? After I brokered the deal with Queen Mab, she'd followed through on her promise, delivering the antidote. Or that's what she'd told us. Doyle is no longer getting sicker. Instead he's gotten back to his healthy self. The only problem is he won't wake up. After a screaming match with the Queen of the Winter Court, when I accused her of breaking her blood oath and called her a few choice names, Arela had stepped in with a message from the Goddess herself.
Doyle needs to decide to come back on his own. For all intents and purposes, he's healed. But still he sleeps. We've tried everything. Talking to him, yelling at him, joking with him, pleading with him. I even insulted him, calling him the ugliest sleeping beauty I'd ever seen. None of it worked.
The Goddess told Arela that we need to be patient. It has never been a virtue of mine, so we went in search of what else we could do to wake him up. I sent Puck off on a mission to bring us some answers and he's been gone for weeks. The last we heard, he'll be back soon, but that was two weeks ago. I'd worry, but he's about as crafty as they come.
"I'm sorry, Amren. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. I know you're working hard." Simone walks into my field of vision and I smile at her. "You too, Simone. Thank you for all that you're doing."
They both nod in acknowledgment, Simone gracing me with a smile of her own. "How are you feeling today, Ever?" she asks.
"Like I'm ready to have this kid at any moment. Walking is slow, movement is limited, and I'm hungry all the time."
She laughs. "Sounds about right. But you're staying as active as you can?"
"Yeah, I'm still training Kiara." I catch Dare rolling his eyes out of the corner of my own and I smack at his arm. "Hey, I can still manage a roundhouse kick despite the sack of potatoes that's currently sitting on my bladder."
Dare looks to Amren, his face mulish. "Please tell her she should not be moving like that. If she falls, she could hurt the child."
Amren purses his lips. "It's true that you should be careful, Ever. But if you limit your movements to perhaps your upper body and just keep the leg movements to brisk walks, you should be okay."
I point a finger at Dare. "Ha! I told you so!"
He shakes his head, mumbling in Goblin to himself.
I clap my hands together. "So, are we going to get this show on the road? I'm dying to know!"
Simone chuckles and grabs a jar of something off the counter, walking toward me. "This is ready now. We've got to put it right on your belly, so lift up your shirt." Dare growls, looking around, and I rub up and down his arm.
"No one is here to see me, Dare. It's just us and Amren and Simone."
"And me!" Arela chirps from across the room.
Simone looks to Dare, waiting for him to give his approval. He nods and she uncaps the jar. I lift up my shirt and shift in the chair. I'm so excited I could dance around the room, but at the same time, I'm so nervous I could puke in that bucket Amren has in the corner. And poor Dare. He's been overprotective to the nth degree. The further along I get, the growlier he gets at anyone who gets within five feet of me. Simone told me it’s a goblin thing. They're protective of their offspring and their mates. Dare and I still haven't confirmed we're mates, but according to Simone, the ability for us to create a child together bodes well.
Simone dips her hand into the jar, the dark brown substance making a squishing sound. "It will be a bit cold when I put it on. Sorry about that."
I frown. "It's fine. So long as whatever’s in that mixture of yours doesn't eat me." I open my mouth to ask what exactly is in it but then think better of it. Better if I don't know.
Simone spreads the paste across my belly and we all watch. The baby moves beneath my skin, a flurry of activity. I move my hand to place it on my belly but Simone catches my hand.
"You can't touch it. Let the mixture give us an answer first."
"Got it. No touching." I reach for Dare's hand and he's already holding it out, ready for me. Thank the gods for this man and his ability to read my mind despite the fact that we can't actually read each other’s minds.
As we watch, the mixture starts to move on my stomach and I gasp. What in the actual fuck is this shit?
"This is normal, Ever. Do not be alarmed." Simone smiles warmly at me and I bare my teeth in response.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Simone." Slowly the mixture splits into two circles. First the right one forms into an uppercase Y with a line running through the center. The second clump of paste forms into a triangle with a line coming from the top. I look to Simone. "What does that mean? Is it confused?"
Simone looks over her shoulder at Amren. "Could it really be?" Her voice is soft and she looks awestruck.
"I suppose it could. Nothing is ever ordinary with these two," Amren replies.
"Would someone tell me what the fuck is going on?" I shout, my nerves getting the better of my manners.
"You see here?" Simone points to the triangle with a line above it. "You're having a little girl."
Warmth flows over me and I squeeze Dare's hand, looking up to see his reaction. He's slack-jawed and his eyes are watery. My big bad goblin is just as emotional as I am.
"And what about this Y-looking thing over here? What does that mean?"
Simone laughs and holds her hands in front of her like she's praying. "That means you're having a little boy."
Shock hits me like a bullet and I flinch back. "You just said it was a girl though." I look up to Dare, confused. "Which is it, Simone? Don't play with us please."
"I'm not playing with you, Ever. You're having a boy and a girl. Twins. You're having twins."
My vision goes blurry, and after the word twins, my ears ring. Two. Two children. At the same time. This isn't what the prophecy said. I’m only supposed to have one child. Just one.
Dare kneels in front of me again, his hand still in mine in a white-knuckled grip. "Ever? Ever, talk to me."
"Just give her a moment. This is a lot to take in." Amren walks forward and I watch him in a daze. He waves a bowl of something under my nose and I flinch back.
"What the fuck was that?"