Page 59 of Rising from the Depths

“Is it okay if I join you?” Macy asked, gesturing to the ground next to Eva.

“Sure. I’d like that.”

Eva studied Macy in silence as she lowered herself to the ground and unwrapped her sandwich. Macy seemed a little older than Eva, but not by much. Her skin was lightly tanned from the sun, and her hair, which was pulled back into a messy bun, was golden blonde. Her brows were dark, resting over wide blue eyes. Eva’s gaze dropped to her slightly rounded stomach.

Unbidden, Hailey’s words flitted through her mind.

Just the thought of one of those things squirming inside me makes me want to vomit.

“What’s it like?” Eva asked before she could stop the words from escaping. She inhaled sharply, eyes flaring as they shot up to meet Macy’s.

Macy chuckled. “What’s what like?”

Eva cleared her throat, glancing away. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She looked down at the partially peeled winefruit in her hands.

Well, I’ve already asked. Might as well find out.

“Carrying a kraken baby,” Eva said. “Does it…feel strange?”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t know.”

Eva looked back up at Macy, who wore an easy, unoffended smile. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve never conceived a human baby, so I don’t know the difference. To me, they simply feel natural.”

“So no…squiggling?”

Macy laughed and shook her head. “No. No squiggling. Here.” Macy folded the wrapper over her sandwich, set her food aside, and leaned back. The change of position tightened her shirt around her middle. “He’s quite active right now, if you’d like to feel?”

“Really?” She’d never touched a pregnant woman’s stomach before. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

Eva gently placed her hand upon Macy’s stomach. She watched and waited, ears straining as though there were something to be heard. Her brows lowered; what was she meant to feel?

Something bumped against her palm, making her gasp. It was such a small, gentle touch, but it was the most amazing thing she’d ever felt. Her gaze flew to Macy’s.

“The baby?” she asked, awed.

Macy nodded, her smile widening.

Eva returned her attention to Macy’s belly as the baby nudged a few more times. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to carry her own. To carry…Kronus’s child. The thought sent a rush of excitement through her.

Could she be pregnant even now? She’d received a contraceptive shot when she’d joined with Blake, but it had likely worn off by now. She and Blake hadn’t been ready for children. But after feeling this wonderous thing, Eva couldn’t wait to share this part of life with Kronus. She grinned. He’d be such a protective father.

“It’s a boy?” Eva asked.

“I’m not sure. We won’t know until it’s born.” Macy laid a hand on her stomach next to Eva’s. “Sarina is hoping for a sister.”

“How many do you have?”

“This will be our third and final. At least for a while.” She smiled wistfully. “They grow so fast in the beginning.”

Eva withdrew her hand. “Thank you for that.”

“Of course,” Macy said, righting herself and picking up her sandwich.

They ate in companionable silence, listening to the drone of conversations and rustling of cornstalks around them. There was an easiness about Macy that Eva liked, and she wondered if a friendship could form between the two of them in time.

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