The Hunted

Chapter 45

Sean's POV

I could see her nervousness as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Do you want to wait until you've spoken to Ériu?"

"No," she mumbled, "She just had her own child. She gave up so much for me already. I can't intrude. Elatha says they will come soon." She looked up at me, her pale eyes filled with uncertainty, "Besides, we need to know how far along I am."

"Damn right, we do, chérie. I have fabulous maternity clothes to shop for and nursery items!" Gabe gushed. I swear the man was positively vibrating with excitement. Callie giggled at his hyperness.

I helped her lean back, rolling the top of her pants down to fully expose her stomach as she lifted her shirt just under her breasts. I smiled faintly as I noticed there was a slight baby bump already. I wondered if her being back on this plane of existence would cause the pregnancy to now show or even accelerate. We really had no way of knowing, this was new territory for all of us. She gave a small gasp as the gel warmed her belly. "So depending on how far along you are, do you want to know the gender?"

Her eyes clouded for a moment, then she looked at Axel. He squeezed her hand, "It's up to you, Princess. You are in charge throughout all of this, baby."

She sighed, "Then yes. When we can, I want to know."

I gave her a reassuring smile as everyone came to stand where they could see the screens. Victor had connected the monitor to three separate computer screens so that all of them could watch. He thought it only fair since technically there were eleven of us that could be the biological father. When the first images appeared, she let out a soft squeak. I coughed when I shifted the wand and then muttered, "Well, I'll be damned."

"What? Is everything okay?" she quickly asked.

I grinned like a fool, "Better than okay, sweetie." I pointed to the shapes on the screen. "Based on what I'm seeing, you're about ten weeks along, and this is baby A, and this is baby B. You're having twins, Callie."

Her eyes instantly filled with tears along with several of the others. She touched her stomach, "Twins," she whispered.

"Congratulations, love," Owen said, softly kissing her head. His sentiment was echoed across the room.

"So does that narrow the pool?" Brandon asked.

I shrugged, "I have no idea. There is still the possibility that she was pregnant before going to the Underworld and the gestation simply froze. It could also be possible that her return to the mortal plane has accelerated the pregnancy. I'm way out of my league here guys," I admitted. "I think we need to talk with her friend and even consider consulting a witch or even a seer."

****

Callie had been withdrawn since her return. While she would do her best to spend time with all of us, she wasn't always present in her mind. Owen and I had been trying to reach out to several of the witches we had consulted about Sang years ago. "I mean, you're the doctor, Sean. How do you think she's handling all of this, honestly?" he asked, his hand raking through his hair.

I blew out a breath and groaned, "I'm not that kind of doctor, Owen. Physically, she seems to be fine, but mentally... We need help." Just a few days ago, we'd found her wandering near the tree line, muttering about some battle and people we had never heard of, then she screamed and passed out. When she woke, she had no memory of being outside or anything she'd said.

"Ériu and Elatha will be here tomorrow. Hopefully, they can give us some answers," he said.

I agreed and headed toward the kitchen. Luke and Gabe sat with Callie who was sipping a cup of tea. "How are you feeling this morning, love?" I asked her, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head.

"Not bad. I think I slept some, and Luke made me cinnamon toast to help settle my stomach this morning," she smiled softly.

Gabe snorted, "She slept. She has the cutest little fucking snores."

"I do not," she gaped, playfully slapping his shoulder.

He feigned injury, "So aggressive." He growled, "I like it." Her cheeks flushed crimson as she hid behind her hair. It was good to see her joking and playful.

Suddenly, she straightened up and turned to the door with a sly grin. Within seconds, an unsuspecting Corey and Raven were pounced on as she launched herself out of the chair toward them. They both hit the floor with her on top of them as she let out a low growling sound. Raven's eyes instantly shifted as Sergi pushed forward. "Good morning, Zekia," he rumbled as he nuzzled her neck. Corey laughed and kissed both of them soundly before helping her up. She quickly latched herself to Raven but refused to let go of Corey's hand either. They came back to the table as Luke handed them cups of coffee and tea. "What has you so playful, little mate?" Raven spoke, but you could see Sergi still just below the surface.

She nipped at his neck and giggled, "I'm just happy, bear." I think we all breathed a sigh of relief at that comment. Her eyes turned toward me. "Is it safe to shift, I mean for the babies?"

"I...I'm not really sure, sweetie. Without knowing exactly what they are, I can't fully say. I think you may just have to trust your instincts on this one." She seemed to ponder my words for a moment, then grinned.

"Okay." She giggled, then whispered in a sing-song voice, "Marc's in trouble."

We all raised our eyebrows in question when Axel and Marc came into the room arguing. "Did you really have to burn them off? I mean, seriously, it was my favorite pair of pants - not to mention the last pair of shorts I have here," Axel grumbled.

"I said I'm sorry," Marc begged, "It's your own damn fault for looking so fucking sexy."

"Ahem," I said, clearing my throat and alerting them to their audience.

"Shit. How much of that did you hear?" Marc groaned.

"Well, we got the abbreviated version, but a certain little girl knew you two were spatting before you even entered the room," Luke laughed. "How did you know that, Callie?"

She blinked, "I don't know. It was like I could feel it. Kind of like I can feel the connection between Raven and North or Corey and Raven. Of course, then there's the pull with Sean and Owen, and you and Gabriel." Her hand moved in front of her like she was trying to touch something only she could see. "It's like tiny threads connecting everyone, then there are more threads connecting certain pairs or groups."

"So if you can see these threads, do you think you could concentrate and follow the thread from the babies to their fathers?" Corey asked.

Callie blanched, "I...I don't know." She started to tremble as if the thought terrified her.

Raven began rubbing her back and hair, whispering into her ear. Her entire body seemed to just melt against him as he spoke where none of us could hear. After several minutes, her breathing evened out as she fell asleep in his arms.

"What was that all about?" Axel asked. "Her panic was suffocating, but what caused it?" He was right, I think we all felt it to some degree. She went from happy to terrified in a flash.

"She fears the past repeating," the Russian said with sad eyes. "Afraid to disappoint the fathers if she and the children die."

I felt the hollow ache in my chest from when Isaiah died. I wasn't even his biological father, yet still, it ate at my soul. For Kota, it was worse. Callie knew all of this. She knew of our suffering and now she lived with the fear that she would put all of us through it again. No wonder she's not sleeping.

Author's Notes:  Smut ahead... you have been warned!