Pregnant And Rejected

Chapter 164- Telling Lila

Selene

After two full days of arguing about my plans to go to Tartarus – most of which were devoted to convincing the Betas it was the right thing to do even though we’d already reached that agreement with Helene – Aiden, Donovan and I have finally reached something

close to a detente. The Betas have accepted that I’m going to Tartarus whether they like it or not, and now Helene and I are well under way planning out trip. After reviewing the quickest route to Tartarus over and over again, we finally moved on to figuring out how we‘re going to disguise me, what precautions I’ll take to avoid Blaise, and how to convince Bastien to believe me over Arabella.

I’ve continued training with her day and night, moving on from bending shadows to working on hypnosis, harnessing moonlight and putting people to sleep. I’m not very good at the latter two, but I’ve made surprising progress with the hypnosis, so much so that Helene offered me rare praise after our first session, telling me my efforts weren’t half bad.

In the meantime I’ve been trying to figure out how I’m going to explain what’s happening to Lila, let alone how I’m going to work up the strength to leave her. I’ve never been away from Lila for longer than a day or two, and at least one of those occasions was her k********g, so I don’t exactly have strong positive feelings associated with the idea.

I wish I had more time to prepare her for my departure, letting her sit with the idea for a day or two would surely be better than surprising her with it and immediately disappearing, but we simply don’t have the time to spare. So today I’m going to spend every last second of my time with my pup, and tomorrow we’ll both be leaving Elysium – Lila traveling West with Drake and Sophie, and me traveling to the far East in hopes of rescuing Bastien from Arabella’s cruel clutches.

I’m so lost in my thoughts about what is yet to come, I forget to hide my pensive mood from my daughter.

“Mommy, wha’s wrong?” Lila asks, coming to stand beside me as I finish doing the dishes from Breakfast.

“Sorry Lila bean, I was just thinking. Are you almost ready to go?” I ask her. “Mommy I’s ready hours ago!” She announces dramatically, throwing her dark head back in exasperation.

“Alright, alright.” I laugh, drying my hands, “let’s go!”

I’ve been promising Lila a real trip to the zoo after our last attempt was thwarted by Frederic’s k********g scheme, but this time it’s going to be just us. Sophie is spending the day with Drake, so I’ll have an abundance of quality time with my little girl, and countless chances to break the news of my departure to her.

Of course, when it comes down to it, Lila has so much fun zooming around the enclosures full of exotic animals that I’m loathe to ruin her good mood. Still, I know it has to be done. As we stroll through the aquarium, surrounded by glowing turquoise light, I say, “I have to tell you something Angel.”

In hindsight I realize telling her here may have been a mistake, because she’s so

to ceiling tanks lining the walls, that she isn’t listening to a word I say. “And dat one’s Gil, and Flipper,

the room, I lift her into my lap and wrap both arms around her, resting my

like da pretty speckled one.” She announces happily, pointing to a lionfish. “That is a good one.”

– though now rather than being preoccupied with what’s in front of her, her thoughts seem far away. I have no doubt she’s remembering running through all of the floating city’s canals, it used to be impossible to get her to come inside when the sun was

would you like to visit them?” I suggest, praying the

down in my lap. “Can I,

Aunt Sophie have invited you to come stay for a few weeks. You can see all your friends and ride the boats, then you can go searching for manatees and have pancakes at the

d’we leave?” She exclaims, already jumping down from my

her and pulling her to a stop

disappears, confusion

–

What’d you mean?”

old enough to understand why bad

it hurts now but in two years Lila won’t even

I think morosely. Don’t say that. Luna snaps. Thinking that way doesn’t

my attention back to my daughter. “I don’t want to lie to you, Lila. So I’m going to tell

her

him home.” I admit, dragging my knuckles across her cheek. “He’s a little lost, just like I was when

I come with

the news as gently as I can, but it hurts just speaking the

safe.”

Lila thinks for a moment, her lower lip pushing out in

back?”