Page 48 of Monsters of Midnight

The hot water pummeled my body as I stood with my head bowed, letting the shower rain down on me. Undirheim was a dim memory that the last month had almost washed away.

It almost felt like it had been a dream.

A muted dream I could barely remember. The way my emotions had been dampened was hard to calibrate with how I felt now. Every molecule of my body was alive and tingling with the intensity and excitement of love. The focus I had had Ryder back in my world.

It was such a shock to the system.

I thought back on my time in Undirheim. It had all felt so peaceful, calm and quiet. As if my whole life was going to be a simple flatline, with no up and no down on it whatsoever. At the end of the day, I wasn’t ready for that. While it might make sense at some point to rest to want the peace and quiet of death I certainly wasn’t ready for it yet.

I had just begun to explore my real relationship with Ryder. We had just become honest and close with each other when I had died and been taken to Undirheim.

We had almost lost each other. I was almost seduced by the peace and calm of Undirheim. It almost convinced me it was a better option for me.

I raised my face up to the streams of water that poured from the showerhead.

One day rider and I would be separated. That was true. One day I would die, and he would go to a different world. It wasn’t today though.

I grabbed the soap and slathered up my body, feeling my gentle curves.

I wanted a life with Ryder. I wanted my love with Ryder to be fulfilled. I wanted to live a wonderful time with him and not be tied down to a negative experience. My relationship with him previously had been fraught with mistrust dissatisfaction and constantly trying to control the other person. I had wanted him to be home, which of course made sense, but now that I knew what he was doing, it also made sense he needed to be away from me to fight the monsters and protect the Earth.

Not that I knew what was in his heart of hearts, but I knew I wanted for him exactly what he wanted for himself. I wanted him to be the hero and save the world. It made me nervous when he was off fighting the monsters, but I also knew it was important. It wasn’t just for the demigods and humanity, it was important for him to do the right thing and protect the world. It was just as important as doing cancer research was to me.

I turned off the shower and grabbed the tan fluffy towel that was on the counter in the bathroom. I loved living in Alameda. It had turned out to be a wonderful move. As much as I loved Boston, the fact I no longer had a home there had suddenly freed me up to find other options.

Ryder’s Victorian house was a beautiful option.

On top of that, the DGC had agreed to fund a chemistry lab in Alameda, and we had been setting it up over the previous months.

The only dark shadow in my life with the absence of Laney.

They had told me everything that had occurred, and how she had just disappeared from the command center one night. Ratchet had gotten his head together and gone to look for her. Or so he said.

Still, we had not heard from her in the month since I had been trapped in Undirheim.

We received daily reports from Ratchet, but they were always the same. He had no leads.

The reality was he was no closer to finding Laney.

At some point I had to think there was someone else involved or something had happened to her, but we couldn’t find a trace of it, even the witches couldn’t.

I had started setting up my laboratory in Alameda, and I was grateful and excited for the opportunity. I wanted to make a difference and learn this new world, and maybe try to find some cures for the Legendi who lived in this world.

I stood in front of the mirror, eyeing up the curves of my body and running my hand over my stomach. It wasn’t bad, even though it hadn’t been flat in twenty years.

I had something to tell Ryder. Something that neither one of us had ever expected.

I had just taken the test this morning before I got in the shower. I smiled gleefully to myself. My life’s dream was coming true in a way I had never expected. I dreamed of nurturing and caring for other people was going to happen in a big way.

I was pregnant.

Chapter 30

RYDER

I bounded up the stairs two at a time when I heard the shower shut off. Caroline, had been through a lot when she burnt to death, became trapped in Undirheim. Now she was here with me and the strangest feeling of romance blossomed in every part of my life. Something I have never experienced. Intimacy. We could finally be honest and true with each other.

She was finally mine. I was finally hers. We were giving each other kindness, compassion, and love in a way we’d never experienced before.

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