Page 68 of The Safest Place She Knows

Tamara lookedat Lya and blurted out, “She’s in the guesthouse. I invited her tosleep there last night.”

Lya closed hereyes.

Venka nodded.“Come with me.” She beckoned to the visitors.

Lya slumped,and Tamara came to hug her. “I am so sorry, but I had to. Venka andI were going through the picture albums that Grandma kept, and youwere in the hospital every week.”

Lya sighed.“Yes. I was. I don’t regret you, but I do wish you had been able toarrive in some other way.”

Tamara heldher. “I know.”

Noh was stillholding on, so it was a little awkward, but then he reached out andhugged them both.

Lya laughed asshe realized she was smooshed between her two favourite people.Venka was third, and Allor was fourth.

When the hugended, Tamara wiped the tears away.

Noh cuddledher, saying, “You are very strong for surviving that.”

“I wasstubborn. I still am.”

He chuckled.“If you end up carrying, one of us will be with you every moment ofthe day.”

“As opposed tothe tremendous distance I have between me and other den membersnow.” She chuckled. “Wow. That was a flashback.”

Noh rubbed herarms. “It was bad?”

“It was painand terror. I had tried to put in a growth spurt to give her moreroom and that had taken nearly everything. She was born, she washealthy, and two weeks later, I recovered enough to hold her forthe first time.”

Tamara smiled.“Grandma had photos of the pregnancy. I want to go over them withyou.”

“Oh, boy. I amgoing to need tissues.”

Noh squeezedher hand. “We can make a slide show and celebrate your survival. Ibelieve it would be handy for us to all understand your firstexperience to make any subsequent deliveries easier.”

“Why can’t Ijust lay eggs?” Lya muttered.

Noh chuckled.“Because you are a mammal, and they are serpents. Even a fewserpents bear live, but none give milk.”

“I thought thatmilk wasn’t good for snakes.” She looked up at him slightlysideways.

“I am willingto risk it.”

Tamara smiledand wrinkled her nose. She paused. “Do you think Zelle is going tobe mad at me?”

Venka and Allorcame back in. “She’s unconscious. It looks like she passed outmaking breakfast. Tamara, thanks for blurting that out. Your motherwould not have forgiven herself for turning her over to heralpha.”

Lya sighed. “Iam conflicted on that.”

Noh hugged hergently. “Do you think you would have run from us if you couldhave?”

She smiled.“Oh, yeah. Me and Tamara would have moved. Fast.”

“Why? I am sovery agreeable.”

“I have been inthe clutches of an alpha before, and it wasn’t great.”

“How is yourcurrent experience?”

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