Page 28 of Kissing the Kelpie

“Mama!” Her faint voice grows more distant by the second.

Once I have her in my arms, I should walk out of this forest and find a house in a gated community. I’m done living here. Done with having a false sense of security. Em and his animal brigade aren’t enough to keep us safe.

“Ana!” I shout, rushing through the gate in my backyard. Nothing. No response. “Ana!” The scream that tears through my suddenly dry throat keeps the sound of my voice muted and causes me to cough.

Unable to get another word out, I run in the direction of her voice, only to fall to the ground as a sharp pain rips across my belly. Shit. This can’t be happening. Not now. I need to find my daughter.

“Ana!” I cry. “Come back here right now!” There’s no way she can hear me. I barely hear myself. Tears trickle from my eyes as a feeling of helplessness overwhelms me. “Ana, come back!”

“What’s wrong?” Erin drops to her knees beside me.

I shake my head, struggling to fight through the pain and string a sentence together. “Ana.” I pant. “Gone.”

“Em!” Erin calls, sounding as frantic as I feel.

Leaves crunch and twigs snap as Ana’s giggle comes closer. And footsteps. Not Ana’s footsteps; they’re too heavy. Em has her. I close my eyes and take a relaxing breath before forcing it out in short spurts and starting over again. The walking stops, and I tell myself to relax. Hopefully, whatever is happening will pass now that Ana’s here, safe with Em.

“Mama and I are going to have our hair braided. Can Aunt Erin braid your hair, too?”

They’re behind me, but I don’t have the strength to turn around and encourage it. I’ll never let Em live that down.

“I like how you braid my hair better.” The rich, melodious voice sends me into a panic.

“NO!” Ana’s with Finn.

I roll over on my hands and knees to see my daughter in Finn’s arms, laughing as she gathers his blonde hair in her hands.

“Mama, are you okay?”

“Don’t . . . touch . . . my . . . daughter!” I struggle to warn Finn through a series of pants.

“Masha,” Em appears out of nowhere. He and Finn drop to their knees, one on either side of me.

Wrapping my arms around my belly, I roll to my side and cry, letting out a piercing scream.

“Is the baby coming?” Em asks.

“It’s too soon,” Finn answers before I can.

“Then what’s wrong with her?”

Finn takes a few seconds to answer while placing his unwelcome hands on my belly. I want to push him away, but I can’t. All I can do is try to get through the pain.

“I think the baby’s coming early.” He looks from me to Em. “It’s in distress.”

If I could stop crying, I’d ask him where he got his medical degree. How would he know what’s happening inside my body?

“What do we do?” Erin asks.

Finn nibbles his lip, thinking. “The spring.”

“No!” I protest as he lifts me into his arms. “Stay away! You’ve done enough.”

Just like Em, Finn doesn’t listen. He cradles my swollen body against his chest. With a resigned breath, I give up and lean my head in the crook of his neck and cry.

Chapter 20

“I’m scared,” I admit to Finn, keeping my voice down so that the mystical powers of the universe don’t hear, lest they should decide to seize on my concerns.

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