All The Queen's Horses {Myrnin, Morganville Vampires}

Faeryn

Chapter 29 – Faeryn

Eve held a chocolate shake in one hand, occasionally sipping leisurely, and used her other hand to sort through rack after rack of baby clothes. I don't think she had stopped smiling the entire last three weeks. I had heard people refer to a glow that pregnant women had. As I stared at the enchantment in her eyes and the flush of her cheeks, I knew exactly what they meant.

"Have you decided on a name?" I asked. She and Michael had been going around and around trying to come up with the perfect name.

Eve handed me two more outfits for the already full basket I was holding. "Yes," she whispered excitedly. "Faeryn Paige Glass."

"It's beautiful," I breathed, "Where are the names from?"

"Paige was the name of Michael's third generation grandmother. We wanted each of her names to represent our families," Eve explained as her expression faltered. She had just learned that she was adopted. "Obviously, it was more of a challenge to find a family name from my side. But thankfully, Liam helped me."

"Liam helped you name your baby?" My pulse quickened, knowing the bond that Eve and Liam shared. Eve knew it now as well. Myrnin had agreed to disclose everything he knew about Immortals and Isolde, so we had invited Eve and Michael over for dinner one evening and went through all of it. There were tears and Michael had not been pleased about Liam's connection to Eve, but overall, they accepted the information much better than I had anticipated. With as tiny as Eve was, I sometimes forgot how incredibly strong she was on the inside.

And she had been studying all of the symbols in the book we borrowed from Gwion. I wasn't sure that was her best idea, because there were some truly frightening potential outcomes. But she had insisted and Liam had interpreted for her. They had met at the lab and spent the entire day together, caught up in each other and the book. I cringed a little. She hadn't exactly lied to Michael. He had known where she was, but just not who she was with. I knew Eve did not like keeping things from Michael, but she was willing to do whatever it took to be ready for their child, even if that meant spending the day with a vampire who she held a supernatural bond with, and who Michael didn't like.

"Liam helped me research the Isolde bloodline in Amelie's library. Faeryn was the name of the oldest known Immortal. Isolde created a vampire by the name of Gabriel. He met a human, Madeleine, who carried the scent of the Quill bloodline. And they had a child who they called Faeryn."

"It really is beautiful," I murmured as I hugged her gently.

Her eyes glistened as she replied, "I may not ever know who my real parents were and why they didn't want me, but there is a lot of comfort in knowing more about my bloodline. It makes me feel like I am a part of something bigger."

"That's good," I murmured softly.

Abruptly, the look in Eve's eyes changed. It became haunted and distant, as though she were looking a million miles away. Before I could even open my mouth to ask her what was wrong, she dropped the chocolate shake and groaned in pain.

I finally got the words out, "Eve, tell me what's going on. What's wrong?!"

Her hands suddenly clasped around her belly as she doubled over; a high-pitched cry releasing from her lips. She began panting and didn't answer.

I scrambled to find my phone, jerking it free from my bag. My fingers shook as I called for our driver. He confirmed he would be there in less than five minutes.

Before I could make the next call, Eve released a terrifying scream and lurched forward. I dropped the phone and spun my body in front of her, catching her. I eased her down to the ground. She curled on her side, into the fetal position; her hands still protectively wrapped around her swollen abdomen. She whimpered, as tears streamed over her cheeks.