ELIA

When Kalle called for him, Gahrye came rushing back into the room, his eyes searching Elia to make sure she was okay, but he rushed to Kalle and pulled her into his chest, his hands searching her to make sure she wasn't injured. And then, while she murmured reassurance, he buried his nose in her hair and whispered words that Elia's Anima ears could hear, that made her blush and squirm.

She suddenly realized what he'd been going through, watching her and Reth for the past year.

Dear Lord, how had the poor man not vomited… or just given up and stopped helping her?

While they comforted each other, and Kalle began to celebrate that at least something of her training had worked, Elia slipped away, back to their suite. Her entire body trembled, and she could still feel her beast vibrating under her skin, itching to get out.

How had this happened? Why?

It had to be the baby. Did that mean it would stop when she wasn't pregnant anymore? Would it help her deliver, or make it worse? Hadn't Aymora said there were times it was necessary for mother to shift? Or was that the baby? She couldn't remember and she suddenly felt like a failure.

She was having a baby. She'd barely given herself time to think about it. Hadn't really believed it, to be fair. But lately… those flutters in her stomach…

She looked down at herself and the loose sweater she'd put on. Loose, because she was trying to hide the fact that her belly was already distended.

Not a great deal, just a rounded bump between her hipbones. But… wasn't it far too early for that? Shouldn't it be several months, not several weeks, before she started to show?

Everything within her yearned to sleep—yearned to find Reth in her dreams. It was the only time she felt whole again. Even though she knew it was a dream, her mind was so good at conjuring his scent, his touch, the feeling of his skin, and the sound of his voice. The ache within her was physical and she trotted up the rest of the stairs, and down the hall.

She was exhausted, and scared, and… She just needed to sleep.

Usually, these days, sleep was hard to come by. But when she entered the suite and there was no one there, and she closed the door of her bedroom behind her and pulled the curtains to make it as dark as it could be to her Anima eyes, her body dragged at her to lay down, to close her eyes, to sleep.

And so, she did.

*****

RETH

He wasn't aware of having fallen asleep. His last conscious memory was of stripping off his clothes and throwing them over a dresser in the bedroom—a messy, lazy thing to do. But he'd found he didn't care.

He'd still been thinking about how unimportant it was in comparison to everything that was happening, when he rolled over and it was utterly dark.

And Elia was there.

"Love?!

" he cried, reaching out for her.

"Reth!

" she gasped and threw her arms around his neck, one hand buried in his hair, the other arm under his neck and bent to his back.

"Elia.

" His voice was choked and ended in a whine, but he didn't care.

"Elia, are you well? Is Elreth safe?

"

"Reth, I can't do this without you!

" she croaked in his ear, her lips against his jaw.

"I'm terrified and sick and… Reth, I shifted. Into a Lionness. It isn't possible but it happened, and I've been trying to hide it, but Shaw just pissed me off and it came out and—d

"

"Whoa, whoa, love… shhhhhh… slow down.

" He pulled back slightly, then realized he couldn't see her eyes in the dark, so he pulled her back in and put his lips to her ear, stroking her back and sides, feeling the rise of her hips, and the round of her ass.

"I have to tell you—this is real. Love, listen to me: If we can figure out how we're doing this, we can do it anytime, and we can share information and… Elia, this is real.

"

"What? This is a dream. I wish it was real, Reth, but—

"

"Elia, you left your scent on my sheets last time. I don't know how, but the Creator found a way. It is a blessing, because we can't get to the portal. The Bears are holding it for us and… there's so much. So many things I need to tell you,

" he groaned. But then he couldn't resist any longer and he took her mouth in a frantic, desperate kiss.

She immediately clung to him, her entire body trembling, her skin prickling under his stroking hands, tiny whimpers bursting from her.

"Reth, oh, Reth,

" she sobbed.

"I can't do this without you.

"

"What? What is it, Love?

"

"This. The waiting. The changing. The uncertainty. It's breaking my mind, Reth. I have to… I have to get back to you, please.

"

"Not yet, Love. But as soon as possible, I promise you.

"

"Reth, please!

"

"Elia—

"

Their mouths met, tongues sliding, lips demanding, breaths mingled and hot. She shuddered and he felt her back ripple and every instinct within him snapped to alarm.

"Elia…

" he groaned and pulled her close.

"Hold on. Hold onto me.

"

"I need you, Reth.

"

"I know. I need you too, Love. I need you more than you can imagine.

"

For a moment he let himself get lost in the kiss, but his instincts were bristling and he feared he might lose the connection any second. So a moment later with a groan, he stopped kissing her—even when she leaned in and tried to keep the contact—then held her face, whispering to her.

"I'm going to prove this to you,

" he rasped.

"When you get back, smell yourself. Smell the back of your hand.

"

He took her hand and licked the back of it, and felt her skin pebble under his grip.

Then, in a stroke of inspiration, he clasped her wrist.

"This will hurt a little, but I need to do it to prove to you…

" he trailed off, then took a fingernail and dragged it down the back of her wrist hard enough to cut the skin.

Elia gasped and flinched, but when he let her go, murmuring his apologies, she only took his mouth again. Desperate.

But it was too late, she was beginning to fade. And even as he made the mating call and pulled her in, she cried,

"I love you, Reth! I love you!

" then disappeared from within his arms.

He roared in protest, but it made no difference. She was gone.

Reth plowed a fist into the pillow, slamming it so hard he burst a seam. His entire body shook, fighting the truth of having lost her.

But then, as he rolled onto his back and lay there panting, he brought his hands up to his face. He thought he might weep like a cub, but as he inhaled, he caught the scent of her—and her blood.

Blinking, finding himself back in the dim cave light, he lifted his finger to his nose and discovered the scent of her under his nail, where he'd raked it down the back of her wrist, to break her skin.

He closed his eyes and sighed with relief.

He could prove it now. He could prove it.

****

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