Chapter 12 – Girl Talk Confessions

Shane jumped from the bed when I came into the room. His eyebrows were knitted together, worry touching his eyes as he asked, "What happened? Michael said you had to go to the store for Eve?! At this time of night?"

"Eve is pregnant," I answered.

Shane was rarely speechless. Quite the opposite in fact; frequently, his razor-edged wit got him into trouble. He stood stock still. I think he assumed there was no way I could be serious, and was waiting for me to laugh. The longer I was silent, the more his face registered the truth.

"How?" he breathed.

I raised an eyebrow at him wryly.

"No. Of course, I get how," he added quickly. "What I mean is; how is this possible?"

I shook my head. "I don't know," I whispered.

Suddenly, he changed the subject. "Did you think about it?" he asked intently, his voice tense.

I couldn't do this right now. I couldn't argue with him and I couldn't tell him about Myrnin – not right now. "I told her I would come right back. I can't leave her alone," I murmured.

His face fell.

"I'm sure they would like to see you," I told him, trying to lift his spirits.

A small smile crossed his face. "Okay…let's go," he agreed. I exhaled, thankful for a reprieve from our earlier conversation.

When we returned, Eve was nestled in Michael's lap, his expression a mix of overwhelming concern and joy. She climbed off of his lap and crawled over to me when I sat down on the edge of the bed. I hugged her again. She was positively glowing.

"Wow, man. Impressive," Shane shoved Michael's shoulder playfully.

Eve rolled her eyes with a grin and said playfully, "Leave it to you, to consider a baby proof of Michael's manhood."

Shane waggled his eyebrows. "In this situation, it is most definitely proof of Michael's manhood," he teased.

Eve blushed lightly.

Michael looked smug.

We talked for a few hours, laughing and joking about frivolous things. But as the time ticked by and Myrnin had not returned, my anxiety level increased exponentially. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and said, "Michael, could you check on Myrnin?"

Michael looked up at me in surprise.

"I don't think he was feeling well. He might need your help," I spoke pointedly. Myrnin hadn't fed in too long, which could be extremely dangerous to any number of people.

Understanding lit his expression. He looked at Eve. The love in his eyes was almost too intimate; I turned my head away from their private moment. "Will you be okay?" he breathed.

I was thankful Eve said yes, because I didn't think there was anything strong enough in this world to make him leave, if she had asked him to stay.

After Michael left, I looked at Shane, "Okay, you're turn."

He looked confused.

"You have to go…so we can have girl talk. Go, get some sleep. We have a very long night ahead of us. You're going to need your strength."

"Okay," he smiled at Eve, and then kissed me before walking out the door.

Immediately, Eve leveled a hard gaze at me and demanded, "Okay…spill."

I was caught off guard. I guess I shouldn't have been; Michael must have told her how strange Myrnin and I had been acting. I wasn't sure if I was ready to say anything and tried to play it off casually, "Oh, it's nothing. Let's talk about you."

Her eyes narrowed, "No…not, nothing. I just told you I was pregnant. I think you can share what is going on between you and Myrnin."

I sighed; she was right. "We kissed," I whispered.

"What?!" Eve hissed. "When you say 'kissed', exactly what are we talking about: like a sweet-hello-my-name-is kiss or a let-me-check-your-tonsils kiss?"

I remembered Myrnin's lips burning against mine and the pressure of his arousal between my legs, and blushed deeply.

Eve gasped. "Where? When?! " she demanded.

"On top of the bar downstairs. Michael sort of interrupted us," I said sheepishly.

Eve's eyes were huge, "Wait. Stop. Did you just say on top of the bar?"

I blushed even deeper.

"Clairebear, how far were you planning on taking it?" she asked carefully.

I didn't see any reason to lie to her. I admitted softly, "If Michael hadn't arrived; we would have taken it all of the way." There was no doubt in my mind. "Eve, I had no idea I felt like that. Or maybe I knew it on some subconscious level; I don't know. But when he told me he wanted me, it felt like I came alive. Like I'd been dead and was now breathing again for the first time." I looked down and muttered, "I know; even to me that sounds stupid."

"Claire, what about Shane?" she asked softly.

I cringed. "He asked me to run away with him," I murmured.

"What?" she shrieked.

"He thinks we could get away without Myrnin being able to track us, and just start somewhere new."

"You can't possibly be thinking about doing that?" she asked incredulously.

I shook my head and confirmed, "No, I never would have done that. But I don't think I have to worry about it anymore. Once he finds out I kissed Myrnin, I'm certain that offer is off the table."

"Are you in love with Myrnin?" Eve probed.

"I don't know. Is it possible this is just lust? Have I ruined everything with Shane because of my hormones?" I anguished.

Eve thought about it for a moment, and then replied slowly, "Jumping-down-some-guys'-throat has never been your go-to response before. You and Myrnin were already closer than I think you realized. I wondered about it when you told me he was drinking your blood. I didn't want to say anything at the time, but you're different now when you talk about him – you've been different for a while," she said softly.

"How am I supposed to tell Shane? It feels wrong to do it now, while we are in such a weird situation. Especially when there is really no place for him to get away from Myrnin until we get back."

Eve nodded in agreement and then asked, "When you think about being without Shane, how do you feel?"

I cringed again, because I already knew this answer. "Okay…I think I feel okay," I whispered. "What does that say about me?"

"It says you are in love with Myrnin," Eve said frankly.

I remembered Myrnin's words 'I don't share'. It was clear he wanted more than just my body. Was I really considering a relationship with an 800+ year old vampire?!

I was at a loss for words. "Can we talk about you now?" I pleaded.

She smiled, the glow returning to her cheeks. "I thought I gave up the opportunity to have my own child, when I married Michael," her voice broke, as her eyes shone with happiness. "But, I'm scared out of my mind. Michael called Theo. Theo told him it was rare but not unheard of, especially with very young vampires. We are going to see him as soon as we get back so he can look at the baby via ultrasound. And then we will start to research, so we can find out exactly what we are up against."

"I'll help you with that," I promised as I reached to hug her again.

"I thought you might," she grinned.

We talked for a little while longer, but gradually the lack of sleep took over and we both nodded off.

When I awoke, I had no idea what time it was or even where I was. Then I remembered and glanced up to find Eve's face smiling down on me. "Hello, sleepyhead. We thought you were going to sleep forever."

"We?" I looked at her quizzically and then glanced around the room. I found Myrnin sitting at a table with Michael, his eyes deeply focused on me. I blushed and my heart rate spiked. I know he heard it because he smiled knowingly. Thankfully, Michael chose to tactfully ignore it.

"How long have you been here," I asked, my voice a little raspy still from sleep.

"Awhile," he hedged.

Warmth flowed through me. I knew that probably meant most of the time I was asleep. There was something incredibly powerful to know that he watched over me, always keeping me safe. It gave me a feeling of invincibility. I knew it was a false comfort, because my life had been threatened plenty of times, even when Myrnin was with me. But we always seemed to survive together.

From my view through the window, I saw the sun was beginning to set. We would need to be leaving soon. "Where's Shane?" I asked. Myrnin's expression turned hard. I hated to upset him, but we were all going to have to focus on the plan now, and that included Shane.

Michael answered, "He's sleeping as well."

I nodded.

Michael continued, "As soon as the sun goes down, we are going to hunt; I can't risk taking any blood from Eve – and he will need to stay lucid."

Myrnin rolled his eyes, but I saw an edge to them. He stood with Michael.

I started to sweat when I thought about him hunting. Too many things could go wrong. "Wait," I whispered and walked to Myrnin. I placed my hand on his chest to get his complete attention. I shouldn't have worried about him not paying attention, because the closer I got to him, the more his intensity increased. It was becoming harder to form rational thoughts as he locked me in his unfathomable gaze. "Please…don't kill anyone," I pleaded softly. "Promise me…promise me you won't kill anyone."

There was an undeniable shift in our relationship as we stared at each other now. I didn't know what exactly, but as I looked into his eyes, I knew he felt it as well. "Cariad…" he whispered and then stopped, struggling for words. He finally gave up and just murmured softly, "I promise."

I relaxed a little and then interjected quickly, "—and they have to be male." I bit my lip.

His smile widened. He leaned down to my ear and whispered, "Jealously looks lovely on you."

I blushed and stammered, "No…a man has a much better chance of surviving you...I'm just being practical."

"Indeed," he smirked. I knew he wasn't fooled for a second.

They left and I turned to check on Eve. Before I could get a word out, she breathed, "Wow…you weren't kidding."

"What?" I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

"The steam coming off of the two of you heated the entire room," she replied, sounding a little awed.

"Was it that obvious?" I whispered, afraid I wouldn't be able to keep it from Shane until we got back.

She raised an eyebrow and teased, "I'm beginning to think I am going to miss out on quite a trip."

I cringed.

She quickly gathered me in a hug. "I love you. I obviously can't object to your choice of him. But…please be careful." We talked until Michael returned thirty minutes later. Myrnin wasn't with him. My heart skipped a beat.

Michael supplied, "He's out by the car."

I relaxed and hugged Eve tightly, incredibly thankful for her unconditional friendship. "We'll be back before you know it. Be safe."

"Yeah…I just plan on kicking up my feet, eating Bonbons and ordering room service. I think it is you who needs to be safe," she said pointedly.

"I will." I kissed her on the cheek and went to find Myrnin.

Little did I know just how thoroughly I would not be keeping my promise to be safe...

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