Accidental Surrogate

First Night My mate listens carefully as I tell him, in full detail, everything that happened when the Dark God took me outside of time and gave our little daughter our gift.

I mostly look down at her while I tell the story, wondering how this perfect, tiny little angel being could have an ounce of darkness in her.

But even as I wonder that, I consider what the Dark God told me that not everything that is in darkness is bad.

But is that just something he said to distract me, to make me more compliant to accept his “gift?” Was it, as I suspected, a curse?

“And then I was back,” I say, looking up into Sinclair’s face as he listens closely.

“And, obviously, distracted by the insane pain of childbirth.” A smirk pulls at his lips then, but I can tell that my attempt at humor didn’t go very far towards distracting him. He’s quiet for a long moment, looking towards Rafe but really staring into space as he sorts through his thoughts.

I give him a second to work through it, but I interrupt when I can’t stand it any longer. “So?” I ask quietly. “What do you…think?” “Well,” Sinclair sighs, turning his attention back to me and to our little girl, who eats hungrily, clearly not having lost her appetite after such a dramatic early encounter. “I certainly wish that the Dark God had simply sent a flower arrangement or a toy. But…I honestly don’t know. We need much more information before we can plan any sort of action.” “Action?” I ask, a little confused.” What on earth can we do? It’s done, Dominic.

any precedent for this, if you’re all right with him knowing? And ask Cora to contact your

it through, though, Ella,” Sinclair says quietly, reaching his long arm up to tuck my hair behind

going up. “I’d just like all the intel we can get.” “Me too,” I say, giving him a little smile. But then, even despite my desire to keep pushing on this, my eyelids start to flutter. I blink hard, shaking my head, working to stay

with a yawn. “But then, yes, after that…we’re both

you concentrate on that,” Sinclair says, moving a plate with a simple panini and a bottle of water to the bedside table next to me. “And eat if you can, yes? While you do that, I’ll get Rafe settled.” I nod, finally starting to feel completely drained as the adrenaline of the day starts to slip from me. I take a lazy bite of my sandwich, barely tasting

my arms, not wanting to let her go, but Sinclair just laughs softly at me and murmurs that she’ll be right here at my side. I take one last peek at Ariel’s face and see that she, like me, is

I yawn, and settle

me up every couple of hours needing to be fed again. The next day passes pretty much in a blur, with me catching sleep when I can and attending to Ariel when she needs it. I’m not in a total fog the whole time – I still spend time with my son and talk to my mate and admire my baby – but most of the time? Most of the time Ariel

we need to get used to our new patterns. He spends time with her as

exhausted as me – I definitely get to keep that title. But that first night – it’s not precisely easy on

why I’m surprised, frankly, when Cora, and Roger, and Jesse, and Henry all come trooping in the evening after Ariel

laughing, pleased. “Did – did I know you were coming?” “Oh my god,” Sinclair says, turning to me and cocking his head to the side. ” Did I did I seriously forget to tell you?” I burst into laughter as he