Between Shadow & Ruin (Fangs & Fae Saga Book 2)

forty-two.

The next few days, we followed a schedule of Val or Zane feeding me before they left to teach, coming to my office during lunch, after we got home, and right before they went to bed. I drank plenty of water in between feeds, but nothing satisfied my hunger as much as actual food did. The water simply got burned off – when vampires consume anything other than blood, it can stave off bloodlust, but our bodies burned through it quickly. What my body wasn't giving to the fetus, it was burning right off but it at least gave me more satisfaction that water did. Val would save a small amount of whatever they ate for dinner, and I would eat it after the kids went to bed.

"Honey, why don't you just eat with us? The food would taste better fresh..." she said, rubbing my arm as I tried to eat some of the rice and chicken she'd cooked.

"It tastes weird to me regardless, Val." I forced the last forkful of food down and put the plate in the sink. "I just don't want the kids to know yet. And if I'm eating actual food in front of them? That's going to raise a lot of questions I don't think I'm ready to answer yet. I'm still wrapping my head around this, never mind how they're going to feel."

"And? How do you feel?"

"I don't know, not really pregnant. How is this supposed to feel? I'm just hungry right now." I sighed heavily, leaning against the counter.

"Well... it might be a while until you feel pregnant, whatever that means. For me... I guess it didn't really kick in until I looked pregnant. But we'll just take it day by day. This is new for us." I nodded as I grabbed a glass of water. Val rolled her sleeve and held her arm out for me. I leaned down to place my lips on her arm and feed. I pierced her skin, and the blood flowed slowly. I swallowed it carefully and healed her arm. I grimaced as I swallowed the rest of it.

"I'm just nervous, I guess. I don't know how to do this," I said as I washed my dishes.

"How to do what?"

"How to be pregnant. Being a mom is different when you didn't grow the thing inside of you... You made this look so easy."

"It was and it wasn't. I will be with you every step of the way. You were there for me and neither of us knew what the hell we were doing the first time around either." I laughed, remembering how awkward some things were because we didn't always know what to do – both during her pregnancy and after Odie was born.

"You're right. I just want this to work. I want to do this for you."

"If it doesn't... It will take some time, but no matter what I love you and I can never thank you enough for doing this for me, for us." I grabbed her hand and turned the light off and we headed upstairs. We changed into our pajamas, and I laid down in bed waiting for Val to finish up in the bathroom. She snuggled into my arm and rested one hand on my stomach.

"Celia will be here tomorrow, right?" I felt her nod her head as she was starting to drift to sleep.

*****

The next morning, Aria picked up Ava to take her shopping while Noah and Odie went to visit Braylen and Ella at the Wolf Den. Zane got Celia from the fae realm and we filled her in on the feeding and how I had to eat some real food. She checked my progress and said that everything looked to be happening on time for a normal human pregnancy so I should expect to be pregnant for about forty weeks. I groaned audibly.

"That's not even fair," I said, pulling my jeans on. "Why did you get to be pregnant for three months, but I get the whole nine? This is going to feel like forever. I can't have a cigarette or a beer for like... thirty-seven more weeks!" Val laughed. "What's funny?"

"I remember that feeling. And I'll tell Zane and Chris not to drink or smoke in front of you, so you're not tempted. Are you hungry? You didn't feed this morning and it's nearly two. You should've already fed twice." I moved closer to her, and she tilted her head to one side. I pierced her neck and tried to control myself, taking small sips, savoring her blood. "Liz..." she said, cautiously.