Page 17 of Bound By the Moon

“Will do, and Avery?”

“Yeah?”

“You be good to her, she’s family to me.”

Avery simply smiled, turned, and took off to go warnmy very-great grandmother. I was speculating, of course, but Icould have sworn there was more than just a work relationshipbetween those two.

~*~

I got out of the shower a few minutes later to seeAshley standing over Willow’s crib, talking quietly to someone onthe phone. “I’ll let her know. I promise, she’s doing fine. Shejust didn’t answer because she’s in the shower right now.”

“Ashley,” I called out to her.

“Oh, she’s out, you can tell her yourself realquick.” Ashley brought me her phone and I immediately felt a weightrelease from my shoulders as I heard Mikael’s voice on the otherend.

“Hey baby, how are my girls doing?”

“We’re both fine.”

“You sound tired. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am, it’s just been a busy day. How are thingsgoing there? Have you guys learned anything new?”

“We found Annabelle. She’s dead. No sign of Clarissaor the hunter, and there’s evidence that they weren’t alone whenthey left here.”

“Damn,” I whispered into the phone.

“I can’t talk long baby. We’re about to head off,and try to track them down now.” We both sighed into the phone atthe same time. “We’ll find them. We’ll figure everything else outtoo, and then we will breathe easier for a while.” There was apromise in his statement, and hoped like hell we could manage it,because I was growing tired of the constant cat and mouse gamewhere we were the mouse fighting for our survival. “I love you,Jess.”

“I love you too! You guys stay safe, and come homesoon. I’m serious, if you don’t find anything in the next twentyfour hours that definitively leads to Clarissa or the hunter, justcome back. We have a lot going on here too, and I’d feel betterwith you closer.”

“Me too, believe me. I promise, we’ll head back ifwe don’t find a decent trail soon. You stay safe, and keep yourhead down until I get back. Give Willow a kiss for me, baby. I haveto go.”

The phone went dead and I handed it back to Ashley.“I hate when he’s away.”

“I know, hon. My man is out there too. Hell, I washalf afraid Asi was going to need to go with Natalia and Evan onwhatever quest they ran off to chase.”

“I’m pretty sure Asi came to an agreement with Evanabout stuff like that before he took off with Natalia the lasttime. He can’t just pick up and run off on a whim anymore becausehe has you to think about, and now you both have a baby of your ownon the way.”

“I know.” Ashley put her hand on her belly, andrubbed it. “It’s still unbelievable, except that I think it’s beenmoving around in there, and I can feel it a little bit now. Atfirst it was like bubbles moving. I think that’s the baby right?Either that or I’m going to blow up with some crazy gas soon.” Ilaughed as Ashley described the same feeling I rememberedquestioning only a few months ago.

“What do you think it’s going to be a boy or agirl?”

“I don’t know. I kind of hope it’s a boy. I reallyliked having big brothers to look out for me, even if they wereannoying.”

“Is that your way of saying you want more than onethen?”

“Of course I want more than one. I want a wholebrood with that man. Hell, just hearing him talk right now sendstingles to all the right places for me. A girl could get used tothat.” I tossed a stuffed bear at Ashley as I laughed.

“Not in front of my daughter!”

“Hey, I thought Sierra was supposed to be comingover with little Jack?”

“She is. Let me text and see what’s going on. Mydad’s security has been a little overzealous with everyone else whotried to come in here today. I guess I better make sure she hasn’tbeen standing outside this whole time.”

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GATEWAY TO THE DEAD

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