“I’ve fallen in love with him. At first, I thought it was just hormones. I had just been rejected by Leo and came here. Micah was sweet and we had fun hanging out. Then, we had sex so I could get pregnant. Plus, I was taking hormones to make sure that everything was on track,” Lucy said.

“What made you realize that it was actually love?” Flora asked.

“I want to be with him whenever I can. We don’t have to be doing the same thing. The other day he was working in the kitchen of his flip house, and I was peeling wallpaper in the other room. Just knowing he was there felt good. His scent haunts me. It’s like it is constantly around me, like a soft cloud. Then, there is the fact that he pulls at my heart and soul.”

“Sounds like fated mates,” Flora said. “Angie said the same thing about Noah’s scent.”

“Olivia and Zac also talked about the scents. I think that you and Micah are fated mates,” Jade said.

“Fated mates? I don’t think I believe in that.”

“Do you really think that it was a coincidence that Leo left you at the altar, you came to the shifter world, and that you happened to decide to be a surrogate about the time that Micah randomly decided that he wanted a kid?” Vera asked.

“Anything is possible,” Lucy said. “I think you guys are ganging up on me. That’s not nice.”

After another hour of laughing and talking, Flora and Jade went home. Jade had a baby to take care of and Flora had a presentation for her job to work on.

Micah came home for lunch. Lucy was waiting excitedly for him.

“I think I just felt them move,” she said.

He put his hands over her belly. “Are they developed enough for us to feel movement? It could just be twitches or indigestion.”

Lucy laughed. “Mundane women can feel babies move as early as thirteen weeks. Shifter babies grow a lot faster. Remember, they carry babies for forty weeks. Shifters carry babies for about twenty-four to thirty weeks.”

“Makes sense,” Micah said. “It kind of feels like there is a soccer game going on in there.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re right,” she said. Lucy reached up and touched his face. “You and I are going to be great coaches and referees.”

“We’ll be great partners in raising these kids together. They’re lucky to have us.” Micah smirked.

“Yes, they are.” Lucy laughed.

Lucy was happy and a feeling of absolute happiness filled her soul. All was right with the world.

Micah had an afternoon meeting, so he went back to the office after lunch. Lucy decided to go to the gazebo to work on her book.

She stared at the computer screen, but the words wouldn’t come. It was hard to think of a terrifying stalker character when her mind was on babies and Micah. The colorful flower garden called her name.

“Maybe a walk will help me focus,” Lucy said.

She had just made it to the creek when three men jumped out from behind the bushes. One of them grabbed her and put a knife to her neck.

She screamed and her heart stopped. Lucy couldn’t breathe. Her hands automatically covered her belly.

“You will walk with us or I will slit your throat,” he growled.

The knife pricked her throat and she felt a tiny trickle of blood dribble down.

Lucy knew that she was likely going to die anyway. The adage was that if a victim was taken to a second location they would die. However, she had no doubt that if she tried to fight, they would cut her throat and disappear into the bushes. If she went with them, she might buy enough time for Micah to find her.

“Please don’t hurt me or the babies. Micah will pay a lot of money to get us back. He can get you anything that you want,” Lucy begged as they dragged her away.

“We know who Micah is and we know that he has a lot of money,” the man with the knife said. “But we’re men of honor. We signed a contract with this other guy, and we’ll honor it.”

Lucy scoffed. “Men of honor? You are kidnapping a pregnant woman at knifepoint. There is no honor there.”

They stuffed her in a truck and drove for a while, taking a barely passable mountain road. There were two men up front and one who sat in the back seat with her, holding a nasty-looking knife.