Page 80 of Ruthless Salvation

Rowan startled, then flashed an exaggerated smile. “Hey, Stormy. Sleep okay?” She turned the dial off on the stove and came to join me at the island.

“I did, thanks. Did you guys hear from Tor? As far as I can tell, he didn’t come back last night.”

Rowan and Keir exchanged a look that chilled the blood in my veins.

Keir was the one to answer. “He texted saying something came up, and he’d be back later today.”

Well, that didn’t seem so bad. I looked at Rowan questioningly. Was I missing something? Her brows knitted together before she looked back at the TV. I followed her gaze. The newscaster spoke while a previously recorded video of firefighters dousing flames on a large boat played in the background.

“What happened?” I asked, confused about the implications.

“Tor happened,” Keir drawled slowly. “That was Damyon’s yacht.” As he spoke, the news replayed grainy footage from a security camera showing a massive explosion from a distance.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, watched the video replay one more time, then ran for the bathroom. Rowan followed me. She pulled my hair back as I emptied the contents of my stomach and gently rubbed my back.

“It’s okay, honey. He’s just fine. No one was hurt.” Seeing a break in my heaving, she handed me a wad of toilet paper. “Let me get you some water.”

Seconds later, she returned with a glass of cool water. I sat back on my knees and took a deep breath. My stomach was already settling now that it was empty, though my emotions were still a mess.

“I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what the deal is with me. The same thing happened at the meeting last night.” I usually didn’t have stomach issues. When I looked up at Rowan, her eyes were wide. “What?” I asked warily.

She lowered herself to sit with me on the floor. “Um, is there any chance that … you could be … you know—pregnant?”

I shook my head. “Before I escaped Russia, I was seen by several doctors. I’d been badly beaten. They told me the damage was too severe, that I’d never be able to have children.” My chin quivered ever so slightly as I explained.

“Oh,” Rowan said on a remorseful breath.

“Yeah. And besides, I had my period … what day is it?”

“You still have a period?” Her gaze narrowed.

“Yeah, why?”

“Did you ever go to any doctors here once you got back?”

“No.” Aside from the difficulty of finding a new doctor constantly and money being tight, I hadn’t had any reason to get checked out. I hadn’t been with anyone since Damyon. Not until Torin entered the picture.

I suddenly started to think about when exactly my last period started. It had been early October…

Holy shit.

We’d just had Thanksgiving. That meant I still hadn’t had my November period. How could I have forgotten? I’d had a lot on my mind with Torin, but…

Rowan must have noticed my breathing change because she began to rub my back again. “Hey, now. It’s gonna be okay. Breathe, Stormy.”

“I think you may be right,” I whispered. “I hadn’t … I don’t know … I thought it couldn’t happen, so…” My hands trembled as I waved them in the air. I was at a total loss for words.

I might be pregnant.

A flood of memories and phantom emotions from the past swarmed me until I couldn’t breathe.

“Hold up, Storm. Let’s not panic until we know for sure. I can run out and get you some tests.”

I clasped her hands in mine, eyes wide. “Please don’t tell anyone. Not yet. I need to figure this out first.”

“Of course.” She nodded readily.

“Promise me, Ro.”

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