Page 83 of Taken By the Blood God

The next day he brought me lunch from Sami and Remi’s restaurant. Once again, my favorite from their place, pastitsio.

The day after that, he brought me a ruby the size of my thumbnail. When he opened his hand, palm up, in front of me, I could feel the stone with my magic. It buzzed with anticipation, as though it was waiting for something.

“What is this?” I asked him.

“It’s a ruby from a very special place,” he explained. “It’s a lot like Devil Springs. Magic congregates there, and it imbues everything around it. The trees, the ground, and the mountains. Even the gemstones from this place are touched by the magic.”

He reached out and took my hand, touching me for the first time in nearly six weeks. My legs nearly gave way at the press of his fingertips to the back of my hand. Tears burned the backs of my eyes. I managed to blink them back and focus on what he was saying.

“This ruby is large enough to hold even the strongest spell. It can be used to provide protection or any other use you might think of for it.” He turned his hand over, depositing the stone in my palm. His fingertips brushed my wrist as he closed my fingers over it.

“Talant, where did you get this?”

His smile was faint. “I told you. It comes from a very special place. A magical place.”

I stared down at the ruby, awed by the magical signature it emitted.

I looked up at him. “You aren’t stealing the things you’re bringing me, are you?” I asked softly.

Talant laughed, his voice just as quiet as mine. “No, I’m not stealing them. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a dragon in the flesh, but I did learn a thing or two from them.”

Confused, I asked, “Such as?”

He winked at me. “How to hide a hoard.”

Talant released my hand, leaving me clutching the ruby. My skin felt chilled where his hand had been holding mine.

Feeling bereft, I watched him leave my store for the fourth time in one week. I was so tired of watching him walk away from me.

Cradling the ruby to my chest, I realized that I had my answer. I could forgive him. I was already on my way to doing so. I didn’t want to keep living my life this way. I missed him every time I woke up in the morning and every time I laid down to sleep at night. The tears I managed to fight off earlier returned, filling my eyes and trickling down my cheeks.

Goddess, why was I crying so much lately?

As I pressed my fist to my heart, I hissed at the tenderness of my breasts. They’d ached the past couple of days. That explained the emotional rollercoaster I’d been on this week. I was about to start my period.

Wait, when was my last period?

With everything that had happened in the past few weeks, I couldn’t remember exact dates, but it had been a while ago.

Oh. Shit.

I closedthe shop early and headed home because there was no way I could focus until I had an answer.

As soon as I got home, I went into the stillroom and gathered my supplies. I hadn’t used this spell before, so I had to consultmy grandmother’s grimoire for a list of what I needed. I did know that this spell would tell me if I was pregnant with the same accuracy as any over-the-counter test.

I placed a dried rose in the bottom of my smallest cauldron. Murmuring the words written in the grimoire, I added the other herbs and tinctures that the spell required. Once that was done, I poked my middle finger with a sterilized needle and squeezed two drops of blood over the mixture. Then, I breathed magic into the cauldron.

Pink light filled the bottom of the space, and I watched in shock as the rose bloomed. My mouth fell open when the single rose suddenly became two.

A quick consultation of my grandmother’s grimoire confirmed my suspicion. Not only was I pregnant, but I was carrying twins. TWINS!

I backed up to the chair in the corner and collapsed into it. How had I gotten pregnant? I wore a birth control amulet. They were even more effective than human forms of hormonal birth control.

How had this happened?

And what was I going to do?

After a long moment, I realized I had no idea. It was time to stop sequestering myself from my friends and family. I needed help. And an emergency supply of chocolate since wine was no longer an option.

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