Page 115 of The Thief

While Melody was taller than me, at five foot nine, she never wore heels. She looked much smaller today, and I knew something was weighing her down.

She sniffed and rubbed her nose. Something about her pink hair and makeup seemed to accentuate her now-bloodshot eyes. “I thought I was pregnant. I had an episode when we went out of town and thought maybe I was going into heat. But it came and went so fast that I couldn’t be certain. We had sex.” She reclined her head against the wall. “Afterward, I was scared but didn’t want to say anything. I’ve got a new business I’m trying to get off the ground, and a baby would be too much stress.”

“Did you have any symptoms?”

“Nothing definite. Every headache or stomachache I was thinking had to be related. The pregnancy tests they sell to humans aren’t reliable, so I finally saw a Relic yesterday. She took my blood but couldn’t give me the results right away because she needed an ingredient for the liquid they add it to.” Mel pulled out a strip of toilet paper from the dispenser to wipe her face. “I got a call this morning it was negative. I was feeling good and thought I’d dodged a bullet.”

“What did Lakota say?”

“He doesn’t know. It’s complicated. I was planning to talk to Hope about it, but now I can’t. Not with her being pregnant.” Mel blew her nose and then flicked the tissue into the commode. “I’m happy for her. It doesn’t look like it, but I really am.”

“I know you are. All this time, you’ve been carrying the weight of the world. You don’t have to shoulder that alone. You’ve got a pack now.” I gave her a firm hug to let her know I was there for her. Poor Melody. I’d had no idea she was going through this.

She drew back. “It’s just that when I saw how happy she was out there and the way Tak held her… I feel selfish. Don’t get me wrong; I want kids. I really do. But not now. What if I can’t have children? Lakota would make a great father. What if not wanting a baby is what willed it away?” She touched a bracelet on her wrist with a dreamcatcher and a metal plate that read: My Sister.

“Don’t ever talk like that. What’s meant to be is meant to be, and usually it has nothing to do with what we want or don’t want. You’ve got a wonderful mate who worships the ground you walk on. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting kids. If you’re not ready, that’s your choice. Nobody lives in your shoes but you. Even if you can’t have kids, so what? Lakota was adopted. Don’t you think he’d consider doing the same for a child in need?” I gave her a minute to consider everything. “Maybe it’s a sign from the fates that you’re on the right path.”

She rubbed her nose. “You’re right.”

“But if it ever happens, I’ll be there for you. No matter what. You have eight hundred good years left to think about kids.”

She barked out a laugh. “I don’t want to be that old.”

I understood now why Melody felt alone. While she had known both Hope and Lakota for roughly the same amount of time, Hope was the one she had always confided in. Lakota hadn’t entered the picture until years later, but that bond she had with Hope never frayed. Maybe she was struggling with the transition of having a new person to trust with all her secrets, especially ones she feared might hurt their relationship.

“Men don’t know half of what we go through privately,” I told her. “But you should talk to Lakota. He’s your life mate, and he needs to know how you feel so he can support your decision. I’m not one to be giving love advice, but you two are so solid.”

“Speaking of life mates, how did I not see what was going on with you and Bear?”

“We weren’t sneaking around like it seems. It just grew into something we couldn’t deny.”

“Have y’all…?” Her eyebrows arched.

I nodded.

“I’m really happy for you,” she said. “You two make a good couple. I can totally see it. To be honest, I couldn’t figure out why either of you were still single. He’s a catch, you’re a catch—now it makes sense. You just hadn’t found each other yet.”

I wiped away smudged eyeliner from her cheek. “Hope’s your best friend, but I just want you to know that you can trust me and I love you like a sister too. Maybe that doesn’t mean as much, given my past, but I’m not that woman. You guys are the only real family I’ve ever had.”

She nodded, taking it to heart. Her eyes still glistening, she said, “Don’t tell anyone I wept in the bathroom like a baby. I don’t want to ruin my reputation as a badass.”

I chuckled. “Your reputation is unblemished. I don’t think a few tears could ever change that. I heard all about the jerk you shot with an arrow from fifty feet. The one who tried to pull a gun on Tak.”

“Seventy feet, but who’s counting?” She threaded her fingers through her wavy hair. “Thanks for listening. Don’t mention this to anyone, okay? Especially Hope. I love her, but this’ll ruin her special night.” Melody stepped into the open room and wrinkled her nose at her reflection. “I can’t believe I’m gonna be an aunt.”

Then it hit me. Buying tiny baby clothes, shopping for toys, a pudgy little face at our table. “I didn’t even think of that. We’re gonna be aunts!”

We hugged each other excitedly.

Virgil staggered in sideways through the bathroom door. “Olly olly oxen free!” He hit the floor with a loud smack and looked around. “No matter how many centuries go by, the ladies’ room will never impress me. The only difference is yours has no piss on the floor.”

Virgil was a nice-looking man with a charismatic smile and exquisite turquoise eyes. Only now, they were glassy and unfocused. Sprawled out on a dirty bathroom floor without a shirt, he looked like he needed to go to rehab.

Unfortunately, no such place existed in our world. Since we couldn’t die from our vices and there were no laws against them, people were allowed to indulge excessively in whatever they desired.

Melody grabbed one hand, and I took the other. “Come on, Taz. If Calvin catches you in here, he’ll never serve you again. Time to sober up.”

“Someday I’ll be a sober man, but today is not that day.” Virgil, who had been given the nickname Taz by Archer, flew to his feet and pirouetted like a dancer. “If he had served me the sensory drinks like I asked, I wouldn’t be boozing it up on all the alcohol.”

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