Jim felt it the moment that Claire realized he had been lying, but the feelings of love she was pouring into him couldn't mask her continued heartache and did nothing to ease his anguish.
Aksel had picked up the missing girl's scent a mile out from the city, and they were following it as best as they could. The wind was whipping around them hard enough that Jim felt the bitter sting of it against his exposed skin, and the snow was coming down in huge, white flakes that would have caused a normal human to go snow-blind.
"What in all the nine realms is that noise?!" Aksel suddenly exclaimed, stopping in his tracks as Eres Tú rung out from Jim's phone. "A siren luring us into her lair?"
Jim gave a weak laugh and pulled his phone out from his breastplate to show the giant. "It's my phone. It's a device that lets me talk with someone who might be far away."
"Fascinating..." Aksel mumbled, leaning down to sniff at the electronic device in Jim's hand. The chorus looped back on itself as the phone rang again, and Aksel jumped back, alarmed. "Why does this person wish to sing to you?"
"No, it's..." Jim shook his head, smiling weakly. "That's just how I know someone wants to talk to me. It's Claire, see?"
Jim turned the phone to show the giant the screen, where a picture of his mate was displayed.
"Fascinating..." Aksel mumbled again, and Jim gave him another weak smile before turning the phone back toward himself.
"Time to face the music..." he mumbled to himself, pressing the answer key and bringing the device to his ear. Aksel seemed to sense Jim's anxiousness and turned away to continue following along the girl's scent. Jim followed, trailing behind by several feet. "Hey, baby..."
"If you ever do that to me again," Claire said, her voice hoarse and thick. "Our second child won't happen until next century."
"I'm so sorry," Jim replied, less worried about her threat than he was about her well-being. Despite her love, he could also feel her anger and sadness. "I love you so, so much, but I need you to be safe."
"I..." Claire's voice as shaky on the other end of the line, and he wanted nothing more than to rush back to her side. "I understand, but... I need you to be safe too. We protect each other, remember?"
"Honey, your only job right now is protecting Pumpkin," he said, his heart twisting at the guilt welling up in her. "Don't. Don't do that. You have nothing to feel guilty about. I know you're not some damsel in distress, and being sidelined is really hard on you, but you are doing exactly what you need to be doing right now. Do you realize how amazing it is that you're creating, nurturing, and protecting another living being inside of you?"
Claire laughed and sniffled, her voice watery. "You're definitely the son of a doctor. Don't forget that you helped create Pumpkin too."
"I could never forget that," Jim replied in an overly lecherous voice, and she laughed like he had hoped she would. "Maybe we could recreate that day when I get back?"
"Perv," Claire laughed, though he could feel the genuine desire rushing through their bond. "You better come back. You promised me that you wouldn't let any of our babies grow up without their daddy."
"I pro—"
"Trollhunter, look out!"
Jim grunted as a huge force hit him from behind, and he was thrown in the air. The phone was flung off somewhere in the blinding snow, and he could hear Claire screaming his name on the other end. Twisting himself in midair, Jim landed in his natural crouch, his balance thrown off by the way the snow gave way beneath his weight. Catching himself from falling backward, he looked up and then cringed back from the sight in front of him.
