She peeled off the glove on her left hand first. It looked normal, healthy. But when she exposed her right, I had to work hard to control my reaction.

From her elbow down, her arm glowed as white as bleached wood clashing severely against her deep olive skin. Sickly blue veins branched across the length, giving the limb an eerie deathlike appearance. Taran wasn’t perfect anymore. And Taran knew it. Her voice trembled. “Makawee used her Omega mojo and my connection with Gemini to grow it back. It’s not something that’s normally allowed, but she felt obliged to help.” She flexed her fingers. “I’m having trouble working my power. I’m…not the same anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Taran.” I tried not to, but I cried for her anyway.

She didn’t like it one bit.

Angry tears streaked down her face. “That bastard mutilated your body and killed your baby. Don’t you dare feel sorry for me!”

I covered my face and let loose. My sisters wrapped their arms around me. Shayna stroked my hair with her tiny fingers. “Damnit, Shayna,” Taran snapped. “Don’t touch me with those freak hands of yours, you’re creeping me out.”

“They’re not freaky, they’re just little!”

That’s the thing about having sisters—you’re never allowed to cry or laugh alone.

Chapter Thirty-four

“Hello, Misha.”

My senses caught a trickle of him outside Aric’s third-story window before the tap-tap-tap against the glass signaled his arrival. The time spent with my sisters had left me drained. I carefully crossed the suite and pushed the shades aside.

Misha lounged casually on the sill in dark slacks and a tight black cashmere sweater. One long leg extended across the length of the ledge, the other bent where he rested an elbow. I pushed open the window and screen, grateful it didn’t require much strength. Worry darkened his gray eyes and his wicked grin was noticeably absent. I’d lost a lot of weight and blood and had spent most of my time awake crying. I knew what I looked like.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Anara?”

A soft warm breeze full of the fragrance of tulips swept against him, pushing a strand of his long blond hair that had escaped the clip holding the rest of his mane. I pushed it back behind his ear. “I didn’t want to risk your safety or anyone else’s.”

Misha laughed, the sound filled with bitterness and lacking any amusement. He turned his head toward the view of the sweeping mountains without really seeing them. “Why do you do that?”

I leaned against the sill. “Do what?”

He glared like I’d missed the obvious. “Trouble yourself with those around you.” His eyes traveled from my face to fix on my belly. “Since first making your acquaintance, all I’ve seen it bring you is despair.”

I adjusted my position to rest my chin against my palm. “It’s who I am, Misha. I can’t help it.”

“Well, perhaps you should,” he snapped.

It was going to be a long talk. I thought about moving one of the soft, cushy chairs closer so I could sit. It seemed like a laborious task so instead I pondered the many questions swimming through my brain. One slipped from my lips faster than the others. “Why did you come back for me?”

“You should have called me when you first fell into danger. I could have prevented all this.” He jerked his hand in an irritated wave.

“Weren’t you the same vamp who told me to never dare speak your name?”

His scowl deepened. “I was angry. It’s possible I might have overstated my meaning.”

I shook my head. “No. You meant what you said, Misha.” To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about reaching out to Misha. Stress and terror had left me somewhat distracted.

I rubbed my tired eyes. There was something I needed to tell him. “When I was dying, I returned to that field in the vision we shared.” The muscles of his shoulders tightened slightly, as did his jaw. “This time, Aric was there instead of you. My guess is that it’s a place in my mind where I envisioned my greatest dreams…with him. I think you joined me there only because you’d just tasted my blood and were using our connection to ease my pain.”

Misha didn’t say anything. I kept quiet and let him think about what I’d said. The breeze bustled and the same lock of hair left his ear to curve against his jaw. This time I didn’t touch it. He watched me carefully. “Were you already aware you were with child?”

I stared down at my folded arms, remembering the tiny heartbeat on the ultrasound. “I’d found out that same morning.” My voice shook, although I worked to steady it.

Misha tapped his fingers against his bent knee, keeping his focus in the distance and taking his time to answer. “I presume there may be something to your reasoning,” he finally said.

I’d expected him to argue with me, especially since it was just a theory. But if my belief was misconceived, he would have told me so. I moved closer to him. He couldn’t enter the room without permission, and while Aric had been extremely patient, I think inviting a master vampire into his suite might push him and his beast to their breaking point. I waited for Misha to say more. Instead he returned his attention to where the distant mountain peaks remained covered in snow. I took it upon myself to continue our conversation, knowing much needed to be said. “You didn’t answer my question. Why did you come for me?”

Misha’s head whipped around and he snarled viciously. It didn’t faze me in the least. I knew traces of his anger remained. He took in my lack of fear and huffed. “My family explained how you cared for them in my absence.”

I shrugged. “I tried.”

“They said you managed the empire as if you were a part of it all along.”

“Well, I don’t know about that. I—”

“You increased my profits in my absence.”

My chin jerked up. “I did?”

He glanced at me sideways. “By sending my strongest to ensure the loyalties of my executive committee members, they discovered those corrupting my empire and disposed of them.”

My raspy voice sounded shrilled. “They ate your board members?”

Misha scoffed. “Of course. Have you forgotten they are vampires? Subsequently they were also dismissed.”

“Did they get severance pay?”