Page 51 of Bombshell

And I’m a witch, so what?I found myself responding back.Who are you anyway and why do you keep pushing your magic onto me?

You are not just a witch, little nymphling, so why should you do anything the way they do?

It was evident that this voice knew more about me than I did it.

So what do you suggest?I asked, my inner voice dry and irritated.

Let me connect my magic to yours—then I can help.

Well that was a terrible idea. The person on the other end of the magical telephone line connecting us still hadn’t told me who, orwhatthey were.

Then Daphne groaned again and I found I didn’t care all that much anymore.

Fine, help me.I opened myself up and a gasp of shock left my lips as the voice attached itself to my magic. It felt like both magics were being zippered together, each piece interlocking as the buzzing that I felt when they spoke began to grow louder until I could barely hear myself think.

The pressure of my fingertips on Daphne’s stomach deepened ever so slightly as I felt magic start todrain out of my fingertips and into Daphne. It was clear that whatever the voice was doing, it was working.

I could almost envision the webs of our combined magic forming a soft, safe cocoon for Daphne’s baby that would give it space to grow as needed, but also protect the human woman’s very mortal insides.

“She’s doing it,” I vaguely heard Dallan exclaim, but I was so focused on building the barrier around the baby that I barely registered his words.

As quickly as it attached itself to me, the magic began to fade again.

Don’t trust him. The voice said, growing faint.

My eyes flew open and I frowned at the empty air in front of me.

“Who?” The word slipped out of me before I realized I was talking out loud.

The faerie man.Then the voice was gone and I was alone in my head again.

“Who are you talking to, Lass?” Dallan’s gentle hands capped my shoulders, rubbing up and down to return some of the heat that seemed to have seeped out of my body as I performed the barrier magic.

I was so damned cold, I realized, and my legs suddenly felt rubbery. If not for the Cthulhu’s firm hands on my shoulders and my vines wrapping around his forearms, I would have dropped to the floor right then and there.

My eyes started to roll back as everything seemed to catch up and a wash of violent nausea overcame me so fast that I was seriously considering hurling in the metal wastebasket in the corner.

“Whoa!” Dallan said, lifting me off of my feet and into his arms. “Are you okay, Lass? Talk to me.”

I nodded, still feeling sick as I opened my eyes and tried to ignore the tilting world around me as I looked over at my friend again. “Are you all right?”

Daphne was sitting up in the bed, one hand on her belly and the other firmly entwined with Cash’s as she smiled at me. “I actually feel better than I have in months, Eff. Though I’ll have to admit it is a little weird not to feel the baby’s feet tap dancing inside of me.”

Relief washed through me and I could tell it did so for everyone else in the room because the thick tension that had been present ever since Dallan and the rest rolled up in his car was gone now and the room suddenly felt much lighter.

Dallan’s mouth pressed to the side of my head and I could feel him curiously prod at our bond, as if to ask permission to enter my head unlike my other visitor.

At leastsomepeople asked.

Are you all right? I couldn’t feel you for a few minutes there and you had this strange look on your face,Dallan asked, his golden eyes concerned as we spoke with our minds.

It’s…I wondered just how much to explain to him.

I never got the chance though because the sound of footsteps stomping up to the door could be heard outside just as the door was thrown open and Arsenio sailed into the room with a smug expression.

“Iknewshe was the one,” he announced, his eyes glued to me.

“Daddy, this is a private meeting,” Odette said from behind him as she tried in vain to pull him back outside.

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