Page 39 of The Beast's Baby
The day had dragged on, but at least there had been no more tests. She and Jay had talked about stupidly mundane things, knowing people were listening to every word. They’d played cards. They’d read. It hadn’t been an awful day, just a slow one since both of them were on edge for every new sound. Hoping that perhaps ‘get ready’ had meant some sort of imminent intervention.
Apparently not.
She had tried to get Angelica’s attention before the woman left the room, but Angelica had dutifully gone about her tasks and hadn’t engaged with them again. It was just as well, of course. To avoid suspicion. But it must have been Angelica who brought the note. They had allies within the facility. It had been a heartening thought all day and she had seen it in the way Jay’s eyes sometimes would catch hers, a smile spreading on his mouth, that it had been an anchor for him too.
“Who’s my father?” Isobel asked.
“His name is Brendan Rosen,” Eva replied.
“Is he a wolf?” Isobel asked.
Eva observed her for a moment, no doubt making her mind up whether to be truthful or not. Then she answered, “Yes, he is.”
“Is that why you’re hoping I’ll conceive?” Isobel asked. “Because I’m naturally born full-wolf?”
“No,” Eva replied. “We’re hoping you’ll conceive because you’re of my bloodline.”
“Gross,” Isobel muttered. She couldn’t believe that this creature, this well-dressed and softly spoken monster, had carried her in her stomach and birthed her into the world. Or, rather, she didn’t want to believe it. Because she knew it was the truth. She knew it in her bones. “Have I met him?” she asked. “My father. Is he around here somewhere?”
“Yes, he is,” Eva said. “But I would much rather talk about the pregnancy itself. If your baby is in wolf shape it might bite and scratch at you. It will hurt, but it won’t harm you or your womb. You and your baby will be safe. Just… brace yourself.”
“Gee,mom, thanks for making it sound like so much fun.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. Isobel glared. Jay shifted a little where he sat on the couch next to her, and she reached out for his hand, taking it in a firm grip. “You’ll be happy to know that we’ve decided to raise the little bundle of joy together.”
“Yes, I heard,” Eva said, reminding them both that of course she had. “Would you like me to introduce you to the grandfather?” she added, vying for the upper hand again. “I’d be happy to.”
“I’m good, thanks,” Isobel replied.
She’d been through quite enough in the past twenty-four hours. She may have begun this part of the process by requesting to see her birth father but enough was enough.
Then, with a sound like an engine powering down, the lights began to dim before they suddenly went out.
In the utter darkness, Eva’s eyes were glowing in the following instant, her gaze meeting Isobel’s with a question in it that Isobel had no intention of answering. Eva snarled, getting to her feet. She stalked up to the glass door, placing her smartwatch against the lock and having it flash an angry red at her.
She grumbled, tried again.
Same flash of red, telling her in no uncertain terms that she was as locked in as they were.
Isobel and Jay remained on the couch, Isobel leaning her shoulder against his in quiet encouragement. It was happening. He pressed back in response. He was as tense as she was to see what might come next. His hand was big and warm and a little dry, grasping hers. She didn’t want to let go, but she had to as she got to her feet to face her mother.
Isobel brought her wolf forward, her night vision glowing in her irises to reflect the gold in her mother’s. Eva glared at her. “Whatisthis?” she demanded. “Whathave you done?”
“Be a little patient,” Isobel said. “You’ll see.”
Eva smiled then, shaking her head at her. “This place is a fortress,” she said. “Do you know what happened to prisoners during a fortress siege in the old days?”
“Nothing good, I would imagine,” Isobel offered.
Eva scoffed, turning to the door, pulling her arm back and slamming her hand against the glass.
Isobel had supposed it was bulletproof, and she’d supposed right, and still a crack immediately appeared where Eva’s hand had connected with it. Isobel looked to Jay. What should they do? He raised his shoulders in an ‘I don’t know’ and she had to concur. She had no fucking clue how strong her mother’s wolf was, but she had a feeling that it was a hell of a lot stronger than hers. Eva had lived for what seemed like more than one lifetime, if she’d had to fake her own death to cover up the fact that she didn’t age the same as a human would. So, logic told Isobel to stand down.
There was still some waiting left for her and Jay to do.
Eva growled, slamming her palm against the glass for a third time. There was the prolonged sound of cracking this time as the spider web of breakage began to spread across the entire pane.
The sound cut through the quiet, making the space feel like it was made of noise. And then the pane shattered to even greater effect, pieces of glass cascading to the floor. Eva barely waited for the last of them to drop before she stepped through the vacant space and headed down the corridor.
