Accidental Surrogate

Accidental Surrogate Chapter 371-Unleashing the Flame

Ella

I fall into a little daze as I watch Hank work, as I hold my sleeping baby in my arms. It’s not that I’m not paying attention –

it’s just that…I don’t really understand what they’re doing or saying, so to me it’s all just quiet repetitive work.

I do pay attention, of course, when Hank deems Cora patched up enough to roll her over onto her side so that they can

perform an ultrasound. Cora gives a low moan when the nurses move her, a sound which at once pains me and gives me

a little thrill of hope. Because as much as I hate to hear my sister in pain –

Damn it, at least it means she’s alive. I watch carefully as the nurses hold her still, as Hank expertly spreads some clear

jelly on her stomach and then begins to search for a heartbeat. Then I bury my head in my hand a few moments later

when he finds it – a fast, faint fluttering of noise. My little niece or nephew, still fighting for life.

I drag my hand away from my face a moment later to see Hank nodding to his nurses and Cora lowered back on her belly.

Then, Hank turns to me, pulling off his gloves as he crosses the room and falls into a crouch so that we can be almost

face-to-face while I stay seated.

“You saw?” he asks, looking up at me a little from his lowered place on the floor. “Yes,” I reply, nodding sharply. “The baby

is alive, but – ”

“Right,” he says, glancing back towards Cora. “It’s – it’s not preferable, obviously, for a mother to be so gravely wounded

so early in a pregnancy. Frequently the body will decide…” he sighs and shakes his head, trying to come up with the right

words. He looks up at me as he finishes his thought, “the body will sometimes decide, Ella, to prioritize the mother.”

“So miscarriage…” I say, looking over at my sister.

“There’s a higher risk of it right now, yes. Ella,” he says again, his voice curious now, drawing my eyes back to him. “Did

Cora ever mention to you the possibility…”

going with this. “I can do it,

to understand what I’m talking about if I start babbling on

robes and the God of Darkness. “As we were getting away they they bound my gift and my

tried to heal her in the car,

can – you

wounds like that -”

my eyes at Hank suddenly, a little disturbed by his curiosity about the gift when we should be

my sister. What, really,

hands up in a little plea for forgiveness. “I’m I’m just a

bodies. The idea of being able to wield medicine like that – it’s

little sigh and nod, my eyes moving back to Cora, wanting to move on from

and looking at Cora himself. “It would help Cora,

don’t know, Ella, unbind the gift? I know a lot about wolf biology, but not a lot about the religion or the

of the priestesses of the Goddess, your mother? Could they

with her? Ask for her

as I realize that – that

really good idea, Hank,” I say, getting quickly to my feet and

please?”

of the room. “Of course, Ella,” he says. “The entire

Cora now. “I’m going to run some tests,” he murmurs, taking a

each other, if we have

and then carry Rafe over to the little computer in the corner, where I open a

the contact information of the temple in the center of our city, hopping to hell the priestesses

something to help.

Sinclair

before us sweeps a fist out in front of him, his teeth

the hit first, yelping and turning away as the fire burns him, singing the

but burning out before it gets

of attack turning into one of pain as I turn my back to the fire but feel it curling at my

of my neck – a deep and searing touch that’s gone

at the sound of my men behind me likewise taking the brunt of the flame, I turn back

back to Roger’s

the priest says, his teeth gritted as he glares at us. “I will burn you until your charred skeletons

are left -”

won’t,” I snap, taking another step towards him. “Or

eye – frustration, I think, in being caught out. Roger, understanding my

to prowl forward