Accidental Surrogate

Ella

“I can’t wait any longer” I say, two hours, one shower, and three sandwiches later. I stand up in the tiny steel kitchen, accidentally scattering the bag of chips I was picking at all over the counter. Honestly, I wasn’t even eating because I was hungry. I was just trying to distract myself.

“Ella,” Sinclair sighs, reaching for my wrist.

“No!” I say, moving away from his grasp. “They’re being selfish! They know I’m dying to know!”

“Let them take their time!” Sinclair urges, standing up with me. I turn to glare at him and see him looking longingly at the hallway as well.

“See?” I say, pointing at him and narrowing my eyes. “You want to go too.”

Caught, he looks at me and grimaces a little. “Well, obviously I want to go talk to them, Ella,” he says, rolling his eyes. “He’s my brother as much as she’s your sister – I want to know as badly as you do –”

“Then let’s go!” I laugh, slapping my hand on the table and grinning down at the baby, who looks at me curiously. I laugh again at his expression and coo down at him. “Let’s go see your auntie and your Roger and your new cousin!”

“Ella,” Sinclair warns, stoic. “It’s not right. They’re entitled to their time alone!”

“Oh whatever,” I say, waving a hand to dismiss the Idea as I grabbing the half–empty bag of chips off the table. “She’s probably hungry. She’s a pregnant woman! She needs sustenance!”

And then, before he can stop me, I’m charging down the hall, determined to see my sister and learn everything.

“No, stop!” Sinclair calls half–heartedly behind me, and grin over my shoulder at him, because I know he could catch and stop me if he wanted to. I laugh then, hurrying towards the door to our room and reaching for it, thinking that my mate is just as nosy as I am – he just has more qualms about indulging in it.

rap lightly on the door before pushing it open. “Hello!” I sing, sweeping into the room, my heart swelling with happiness when I see Cora laying down on the bed, her head propped up against the pillows, her shirt pushed up a little and Roger pressing his ear low against her stomach.

into a huge smile that does my heart so,

the bunker. And as I cross to her I think, suddenly, about the insane swing that this day has taken.

まず

this morning – that I killed a man, ripped

bedroom…

Cora gasps, her voice suddenly worried. Suddenly alert, Roger sits up, likewise looking at me

bed and doing my best to smile at them as Sinclair comes to the door. “It’s just been

clicks her tongue, realizing that she, too, forgot about my morning in the excitement of this afternoon, and she opens her arms to me so I can come in for a hug. Sinclair closes the door behind him and comes to my side, taking the baby from me before I move across the bed and allow Cora to wrap me

the baby happily tucked against his arm. All

turn to Cora. “Come on,” I say, poking her with my elbow. “Cheer me up, then, distract

Ella,” she says. “I’m barely pregnant. If a woman came to me in this condition, just hardly having

brushing his hair away from his face. “Because,” he says, smug, “the child has incredible genes – the paternal

swats his head a little,

his brother, curious. “Do

drops a little, making my stomach twist.

at Sinclair, blinking, remembering. “Yes,” she says softly. “I remember you talking about the bond.” She turns to Roger now. “You can feel the same

can feel it,” he says to her, reassuring, but then he looks back at Sinclair. “But it feels….different to me,” he

feel it, yes?” I say eagerly, leaning forward, wanting it to be all right. Sinclair slides his

like what I felt with Rafe. If you feel it, it’s real. But what do you mean when

the baby, from very early on. And you said that you knew that Rafe was

not getting a sense of the baby’s sex?” I ask, leaning forward to stare at

“I feel the link, for sure. But I’m getting…” he sighs and opens his eyes, looking over at Sinclair. “Less information, I guess, than you did.”

and puts a hand on his brother’s shoulder, not concerned but wanting to