It was hard to celebrate anything knowing what was lurking out in the night for us.

It wasn't long after our confrontation with Natasha that we learned he really did have no intention of making anything easy for us. She turned herself Strigoi the same night and had been sending taunting threats to all of us for weeks.

It wasn't exactly easy to let loose and celebrate my twenty-fifth birthday. But both Dimitri and Lissa were bound and determined that I have a good night.

"Here's to the baby finally becoming a quarter-century old!" Lissa exclaimed, clinking her shot glass against mine. I rolled my eyes and took the shot. Other than Ellison and Sydney, I was the only mortal here. They could drink all night long and not feel an ounce of what I would feel in the morning.

"Not yet she's not," Christian snickered, "She's got three more days to go."

"Wait, why exactly are we celebrating this so early?" Ellison asked after he set his shot glass on the table.

I smiled. "Because there was a cancellation and I got booked for my surgery on my birthday. Get to get a diagnosis finally," I said as I picked up my cider and took a sip to rid my mouth of the bitter taste.

Lissa looked at me softly and smiled. "Everything will work out well," Lissa soothed, knowing that I had been antsy since I booked my surgery a few weeks back. I nodded at her and looked down at the drink that was set down in front of me. I raised my brows and then glared at Adrian.

"Really?" I asked, pointing to the shot glass with whipped cream on top.

"Someone had to buy you one," Adrian snorted, "No hands, little dhampir."

I rolled my eyes and looked at Dimitri who simply smiled at me, pulling my hair back from my face so I wouldn't get cream in it. I sighed and leaned over the table, wrapping my mouth around the shot glass and then tipping my head back. Adrian made a loud whistle as I set the glass back on the table, lifting the napkin that came with it to wipe the whipped cream from the nose.

"Damn, Rose. We all know that you have some skills," Adrian drawled with a smirk. I rolled my eyes again.

"You buy me one for every birthday," I said dryly and took another sip of my cider with a grimace.

"Alright, this is my last drink for the night," I said lifting my cider, I was already starting to feel nauseous. Dimitri chuckled quietly beside me and rested his arm on the back of my chair, twisting the ends of my fingers over his fingers.

"No, no, you have more on the way," Ellison snickered, tipping on his chair slightly. I rolled my eyes and glared at him for a moment.

"Here we are!" Ivan exclaimed and set the platter of drinks on the table. I groaned at the sight of the tequila sunrises and covered my face.

"Seriously? The one drink I told you fucks me up every time," I moaned.

"It's your birthday, babes, drink up!" Ivan snickered and sat in the chair. I groaned but took the drink, taking a sip with a grimace, despite loving the drink. Our banter continued, Sydney perking up as the night went on. She was starting to get better. Adrian had called me worried out of his mind one night, but I soothed him, telling him that the pain would come in waves, and to a degree, Sydney would feel like it was her fault, but reassuring her would help.

"So how exactly does this work? If you two punch out a few kids while you're 'human', what are they?" Ellison blurted out.

I snorted a laugh and shook my head. "I think they could be born either or?" I said looking at the Ekon-borns at the table.

"Sometimes they're born Dhampir and grow into Ekons, or they're born Ekon right off the bat. It's just like whether or not your kid is a boy or girl," Adrian explained as he tipped his drink back.

"So there's a possibility that I could be an Ekon?" Ellison said almost soberly.

I looked at him and then at Ivan. "Is there?"

"How old are you?"

"I'll be twenty-five in a month," he said.

"Then probably. If you hit your birthday and in a few weeks nothing changes, then no. It's rare, but it happens."

Ellison grimaced and slammed his drink back with a hiss.

"It'll be okay. You have the best people in your corner who will guide you if it happens," Sydney soothed gently and patted his hand. "It's not as terrifying as you think."

"Does that mean I have a mate too?"

"Probably," Ivan said, "I think you've already met them and don't realize it."

I raised my brows and so did Ellison. "Really?"

Ivan nodded and leaned on the table. "Yeah. I mean, there's only one person that you've shown genuine interest in. It's quite possible it's your mate."

"Mia? But you two split years ago," Sydney said.

"But you haven't been the same since, and neither has Mia. Mia hasn't dated anyone since, always saying that it never felt like the right person," I added after taking another drink.

Ellison leaned back in his seat with a quiet 'huh'.

"You said once that you never found interest in anyone except for Rose," Ellison said looking at Dimitri.

"Never enough interest or attraction to resemble meaning."

Ellison nodded and tapped his fingers against the tabletop. "Wow. I never even thought of that after finding out my mother was an Ekon."

We all mulled that statement over when someone else approached the table. I could feel the standing behind me so I turned, finding Emily standing behind me with a blue gift bag, complete with tissue paper sticking up the top.

"Alberta told me I could find you here," she said after a minute, extending the bag to me, "For your birthday."

"Oh, thank you," I said with a smile, "I wasn't expecting this."

"It's no biggie, I just figured it would help with the big day coming up," she said softly. I smiled at her and looked in the bag. I chuckled and pulled out the fuzzy socks, the clear tumbler cup with a Stitch on the front, and a dark blue bean heating pad. There was a small box at the bottom of the bag.

"A stool softener?" I whispered to her.

"Trust me, you'll want it, especially after your surgery," she chuckled quietly, "There's more in there."

I smirked at her and went through the rest. She bought me a few face masks, a few hair masks, foot masks, and a bunch of pampering things.

"The bath stuff is all for your first bath after the six-week recovery," she said and I put it back in the bag and gave her an awkward hug from my seat.

"Thank you, I really appreciate all of this. I'm so excited to wear these socks!" I squealed. Emily smiled at me and her eyes lingered towards Ellison, a flicker of sadness in her eyes before looking back at me and locking it away.

"You're welcome. I'll come by after a few days and check on you," she said with a smile and a goodbye to the rest of the table.

"She got you some really good stuff," Lissa mused as she peeked inside the bag. I nodded and reached in, taking out the two envelopes I saw tucked inside. I knew one wasn't for me and slipped it under the table to Ellison. He took it with a straight face and slipped it into his back pocket.

I sighed and leaned back in the chair. I had just gotten set up in pre-op for my surgery. All I was waiting for was for my negative pregnancy test to come back.

"What do you want to eat when we get home? Anything," Dimitri said softly, smoothing his hand over my head. I smiled at him and thought about it for a few moments.

"Definitely nuggets," I said with a smirk, "And fries! And a strawberry shake."

"I'm pretty sure giving you dairy after a surgery like this might hurt," he chuckled and I thought about it for a moment before giggling.

"Probably not. Maybe a cherry coke?"

"I can do all that," Dimitri said with a smile. I sighed and shifted in the chair, glaring at the IV in my arm. I hated them and couldn't wait for it to be out and for me to be in my own bed with my hunky husband.

"So I found out why Emily bought me the stool softener," I chuckled.

"Oh?"

"Apparently the painkillers I'll get afterwards will make me constipated and pushing will hurt my incisions. It might even tear my incisions. She was being proactive with her knowledge of love/hate with dairy," I snickered. Dimitri laughed and shook his head, leaning over and kissing my head.

The nurse who brought me back into admittance came back with Dr. Claire, closing the curtain behind them.

"Hello Rose," Dr. Claire said with a small smile.

"Hi," I said but knitted my brows together at her expression. "What is it?"

"I know that you have been waiting for this surgery, but we cannot do it today," Dr. Claire explained, "You are pregnant."

I blinked at her and with a slight shake of my head. "What?"

"Your urine sample has provided a positive pregnancy test. So, unfortunately, we cannot do your surgery today."

I blinked at her again and I looked at Dimitri. "I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant."

I smiled at him and looked at Dr. Claire. "What does this mean? Is there any risk with the cramps I've been having?"

Dr. Claire sat down in the chair across from me. "I will monitor you, but there's a likelihood that your symptoms may subside while you're pregnant," she explained. I nodded and gripped Dimitri's hand.

"So, if we aren't doing the surgery today, when would we do it?"

"After you give birth if you choose to keep your pregnancy. We can't perform the surgery because we will be inserting a probe into your uterus to move it while we inspect your abdomen."

I made a face. "Oh yeah, no, let's not. I don't think I really wanted to know that," I said with a tight voice. Dr. Claire nodded with a quiet laugh.

"Yes, so instead, I will book you for a scan at my office in two weeks. But right now, I'll do a blood draw to get a rough timeline," she said with a smile.

I had felt like a nervous wreck. Not long after getting home from the hospital, Dimitri got a frantic phone call from Mia. Ellison had called her and she panicked because of how he sounded.

Once Dimitri got to Ellison's place he realized that he was in fact, an Ekon. Between Dimitri, Ivan, Christian, and Adrian, the four of them took care of Ellison. But Dimitri told me not to come.

I tried to insist but he stopped me, telling me that being around anyone mortal would be too much for Ellison to handle, and with my pregnancy, I had more blood in my body than normal. So I was stuck staying at home while I wondered after Ellison.

Dimitri must have told someone to check on me because there was a quiet knock on the door. I opened it and was happily surprised.

"Mama," I said with a happy sigh, letting my mother-in-law envelop me in her arms.

"How are you doing, my darling?" she asked enthused.

"I'm good. What are you doing here?!"

"I was planning on surprising you with a visit, but Dimka told me about Ellison and asked me to come to check on you," she said as she cupped my cheeks. I let her in and sat on the couch with her, tucking my fluffy sock-clad feet under me.

"I'm happily surprised," I said with a smile, holding her hand gently. Olena smiled at me motherly and glanced down before looking back up at me.

"Did Dimitri tell you?" I asked.

"No. But I can hear their heartbeat. It's much faster than yours."

I blushed and smiled at her, resting my hand on my stomach. "Let's just keep it between us? For now? I'm waiting until after my scan next week to tell my parents."

Olena nodded and squeezed my hand before brushing my hair back in a mothering way. She whispered something about making my favourite soup and I couldn't deny her. I had been craving it for days and didn't have the heart to tell Dimitri because he had tried to make it for me and it wasn't the same.

I watched Olena flit around our kitchen, commenting on how beautiful our house was. After a moment she stopped and turned to look at me with an excited smile.

"Do you know where the nursery will go?"

I smiled and lead her down to my painting room.

"I use it for all my painting now, but I can move it into the next room or even downstairs," I said.

"Oh Roza, the lighting in here is too good to give up with your painting. What does the other room look like?" Olena said earnestly.

I lead her across the hall and opened that door. She looked inside and nodded.

"This one is just as good, and it's across from the bathroom instead of beside it. It'll be easier if you want to shower while the babe sleeps," she said, "But, that is just my opinion, and can't tell you how to set up your house."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I appreciate your input," I said honestly and headed with her back to the kitchen.

"Something smells delicious in here," Dimitri called out when he closed the front door. I smiled at Olena as I eat my soup, balancing the bowl against my chest and knees.

"It tastes delicious too," I called out and shovelled another spoonful into my mouth.

Olena chuckled as she continued to knit, smiling at me as she did. Dimitri's footsteps came into the living room and found us, leaning over the back of the couch and kissing my head.

"How was your day?"

"Fine, I had lovely company. How is Elli?"

Dimitri sighed and kissed the top of his mother's head as well.

"He's gotten through the worst of it. His blood lust isn't as bad as it was in the beginning. He was asking to see you and Mia, but I suggested waiting a day or two. I see you conned Mama into our soup," Dimitri explained and then he chuckled.

"She did no such thing. I offered to make it," Olena said with a smirk.

Dimitri hummed and whispered that he was going to take a shower. I nodded and continued eating, drinking the last of it from the edge of the bowl. Olena smiled at me in amusement.

"Would you like more?"

"This is my third bowl," I laughed but she just smiled at me.

"You're growing another person. The first few months are important. Plus, with how ill you were feeling, I want to make sure you're fed. My daughter needs to be strong," she stated all the while, her knitting never faltered.

I nodded at her. "What are you making?"

Olena smiled again. "Babe's going to need a blanket. Or two. Or ten," she said with a laugh, "I have all the time in the world to knit for my new grandchild."

I snorted but got up and put a little bit more in my bowl. I wasn't going to deny that I was still hungry, but I was going to brush that off on the Dhampir genes.

The Dhampir genes that were starting to wear off.

I set my bowl on the counter and sighed quietly. With everything that had been going on, Dimitri and I hadn't had a lot of time to just be ourselves. The last time really was during our honeymoon. And I hated to admit it, but I was starting to miss the feeling of the high.

"Mama?" I asked turning around.

"Yes, dear?"

"The bite won't hurt the baby, will it?"

Olena turned on the couch and shook her head. "No. As long as it's not every day and Dimka doesn't take a lot of blood through the transfer, the baby will be fine. It's helpful to do it. It helps with the genes passing through to the baby," she explained.

I nodded, took my bowl, and sat back on the couch, rubbing my lips together while I thought.

"It's normal for you too," she whispered, "To crave it during your pregnancy. Because you've felt the high before, it's normal to crave it like any other food."

I blushed. "Is it obvious?"

"To me, yes. To Dimka? No."

I nodded and ate my soup.

"But craving him is also very normal."

I spat my soup out. "Mama! I don't need to hear you say that."

Olena giggled as she knitted. "Just saying. I may not have had a good relationship with Dimka's father, but he was always very good to me when I was pregnant and for the first year after. It's actually very healthy," she explained but I cut her off when I heard the shower turn off.

"Got it," I said strained, hiding my flaming face in my bowl.

"Don't be embarrassed, how do you think that malen'kaya ryba got there in the first place?"

I groaned quietly and heard the bathroom door open, all while Olena snickered quietly to herself as she finished off her row and put her knitting back into her bag. I kept my focus on my soup when Dimitri came out of our bedroom.

"Mama, are you teasing Roza?" Dimitri asked with a chuckle, a smile on his face.

"I'm simply telling her that her cravings and urges are very healthy."

"Mama!" I exclaimed.

Dimitri laughed and leaned down to kiss me.

"I agree with Mama."

I smacked his shoulder and glared at him.

"Dimitri."

Dimitri chuckled and went into the kitchen, filling himself a bowl of soup. I raised my brows at him as he came and sat in the chair across from me.

"Just because I don't need it doesn't mean I don't want it. Mama's cabbage soup is my favourite too," Dimitri said with a smile.

"Don't eat it on her," Olena said with a smile.

Only a few chapters left my friends!

Let me know what you think!

P.s. Wish me luck on Tuesday! I write my law clerk exam.