Page 26 of Banshee
“You know Valhalla?” Amber asked. I looked at Amber. She’d shared her story with me, but like me, she never mentioned it was the Nyght Nymphs who’d helped her. I should have guessed.
“Wait, you know about the Nyght Nymphs?” Ellie asked.
“Yea. Val was the woman at the hospital in Louisiana,” Amber replied quietly.
“Kytten, have a seat.” Sam scooted her chair over, and Ellie grabbed another one and set it next to her. “What’s your real name, Kytten?”
“Rose.”
Sam gasped, and Kytten looked at her, her eyes wide. “That’s such a beautiful name.” She rubbed her belly. “We’re naming one of the twins Rose.”
“You’re having twins?” Kytten whispered.
“It’s okay.” Sam pulled Kytten’s hand over and placed it on her belly. She let us all feel the babies move. It was the most amazing thing, and I often wondered what it felt like from the inside.
“What are you naming the other one?”
“We can’t decide. We have a few months left, but Jack and I keep arguing about whether or not to give her a flower name, or something different.”
“Two girls,” Kytten whispered.
Ellie introduced the rest of us, and I acted like I was meeting her for the first time. I didn’t want anyone to know she was the reason I was here. That would bring up questions I couldn’t answer. Though I did catch Haizley looking at me a few times.
“Okay, we need to finalize everything for the party on Friday,” Beck began. Then, looking up at Kytten, she said, “Kytten, you should come.”
“Yes,” Sam agreed. “Friday is Mimic’s birthday. We’re throwing him a party.”
“His birthday?” she asked. “How... how old will he be?”
“Twenty-three.”
Her shoulders slumped, and I wondered why that made her sad.
The door opened, and the bell jingled. Six of the Silver Shadows entered the diner. Blade, Jack, Cash, Romeo, Zero... and Banshee.
“Don’t even think about it!” Beck hollered. “You know the rules, Micah.”
“Baby, I am just here to get breakfast with my brothers. We won’t even sit near you.”
“Bastard,” she coughed out the word, and Blade laughed.
“That was my dad, baby. Not me.” He winked, and the men sat at the other end of the diner. I ignored Banshee, trying notto even look at him. I failed. It wasn’t my fault. Our interaction earlier kept running through my head.
“I don’t know how you put up with him,” Ellie said with a smile.
“It’s all the orgasms,” Beck deadpanned.
Melissa choked on her mimosa, and we all laughed at Beck’s answer. We spent the next few hours planning the party and drinking mimosas. All except Beck, Ellie, and Sam, who were all pregnant.
I excused myself to the bathroom, and Kytten followed. As soon as the door closed, I turned on her.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed.
“I’m not here because of you. He doesn’t know where you are.” I ran my fingers through my hair and paced the small bathroom.
“You’re safe, Irene.”
“Don’t call me that! My name is Aspen. I will never be Irene again.”
