A Little Rhine Must Fall (32 page)

Authors: Erin Evans

BOOK: A Little Rhine Must Fall

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She looked at Cecily and managed to scrunch even smaller. “She asked me to patrol the yard this evening.”

“I know,” I answered, “That’s great! Thanks so much!”

The underwear was starting to follow the bra and I turned my back to give her some privacy. There was a prickling of magic across my skin and then a horrible stench.

I tried not to gag too visibly. I think it hurt Annabeth’s feelings when no one wanted to be near her, and believe me, you do
not
want to offend an eight-foot monkey. I laughed out-loud, delighted to be thinking the same thoughts I had thought before.

Cecily was still staring at me. “Are you really okay, Piper?”

I did another little happy dance. “I’m
better
than okay! I’m terrific! And I really appreciate ya’ll guarding the house from Matthew.” Now
that
thought was a little downer. Not all my problems were going to be fixed so easily.

“How did you hear about Matthew?” Cecily asked suspiciously.

“He’s back and wants revenge,” I summarized. “I didn’t cut off his head, so he didn’t die, yadda, yadda, yadda, and now the WAND have helped speed up his healing process so he’s coming for me.”

Cecliy’s jaw dropped.

I waved an airy hand. “I’m not worried. I’ve got you and Annabeth,” she huffed lightly, blowing more skunk ape stench up my nose, “and everything is
wonderful!”

“Have you been drinking?” Cecily asked seriously.

“Nope!”

:We need to talk:

I turned and saw Bastet sitting on the other side of the glass door watching me.

“Gotta go!” I announced and left my guardians to patrol the back yard.

I did a fancy two-step around the living room before twirling around and falling back on the couch.

:You are one sneaky human:
Bastet said admiringly.

“I know!” I sang. “I’m so sneaky! Oh, the sneakiness of me!”

:You had no intention of giving your baby to the WAND:

“I swore!” I smiled. “I gave my word! I signed their paper! But, unfortunately …”

:That never happened:

“Yup,” I tapped the side of my nose. “Got it in one!”

:When are we? Three months in the past?:

“Uh-huh,” I couldn’t seem to stop the huge grin from splitting my face. “I never signed or promised anything!”

:You really sold it. When Cecily walked out on you we were sure you’d lost it and were actually going to let your baby die:

I sobered up a bit at that memory. Cecily would never know about that fight, but I still felt like I had stabbed my best friend in the back. “It had to be convincing,” I explained. “If the WAND had known that the alien ship had the capacity to turn back time, they never would have agreed to our deal.”

:Why did the alien allow you to do that?:

I sat cross-legged on the couch, dying to explain to someone just how clever I had been. “Well, it seems the aliens have the technology to travel backwards in time. It was kind of a failsafe for their scouts. Since the scouts were born on the ships, the Endring couldn’t be entirely sure how well they would do contacting a different species. So they gave them a onetime ‘get out of jail free’ button. If they totally screwed stuff up, they could hit the reboot and start over again.

Our alien regretted her choice to send for the troops. She changed her mind and wanted to stay. So, right before she died, she dumped all the information I needed to find her ship, stop the self-destruct and turn back time. The only thing I didn’t know was how
far
back in time we would go.”

Bastet thought for a moment.
:We’re far enough back. You’ve been to the moon once, but the Synod hasn’t declared open season on humans yet. The alien hasn’t sent the message back about Earth yet:

“And no one has died,” I finished, breathing out a sigh of relief, and reliving those horrible, heartbreaking minutes when I had thought I’d lost Mark forever.

Otis wandered in and rubbed his whiskers up against my toes before jumping up to the couch and continuing the whisker rub on my hand.

“Aw, look,” I said. “He knows I’m upset and is trying to cheer me up.”

Bastet conspicuously said nothing.

“What?” I asked. “What is he saying?”

“He’s saying, ‘Mine. Mine. Mine,’” she translated.

“Oh.” I leaned back and knuckled him under the chin. “That’s okay too.”

He started licking Bastet’s ear and she began to purr loudly.
:We think we might hang around here a bit:
she said contentedly.
:Just to make sure things continue to go well:

I smiled and closed my eyes. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” I said. And I really meant it.

Chapter Thirty-Three:

Cake

I had to get up to pee in the middle of the night, which made me tired in the morning, but still gloriously happy. I was just so glad to be pregnant and a wife and mother and so thankful for all the blessings in my life that even lack of sleep couldn’t steal my joy. At least until I started to take everything for granted again in say … three days or so.

I studied my face in the bathroom mirror. I felt old. Like I had seen and lived through things that should be written on my face in wrinkles. Still none. If I remembered correctly, this was the morning that I had gotten in the huge, stupid fight with Mark about nothing.

He stumbled into the bathroom. “‘Morning,” he mumbled, still half asleep.

I surprised him with a bear hug. “I love you so, so,
so
much,” I whispered in his ear.

He hugged me back. “What’s this about?”

I squeezed him tighter, never wanting to let go. “I just love you. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

He pulled back and looked at me. “Are you pregnant?” he asked suddenly.

I felt my face beam. “Yes!”

He was thrilled and excited and supportive and all the wonderful things that I wanted him to be. There was no fighting or name calling this morning. When you almost lose someone it puts everything in perspective. My life might be a little crazy, and I still didn’t enjoy feeling nauseous all the time, but it didn’t matter anymore. I had Mark and the girls and the new baby and everything else could just sort itself out.

Mark had to rush off to work and I was taking my leisurely time getting ready for the day when the doorbell rang. Who in the world would be at my door at eight o’clock in the morning? I had a sinking feeling that I knew
exactly
who was at my door. My good mood evaporated like a drop of water in the desert.

Was it possible to change the past? Could we really live our lives differently and make different choices? Or was I doomed to live the past three months over again? To see the world at war with itself. Humans hunted and killed. My family afraid and in hiding. A lump grew in my throat. I could
not
live through seeing Mark die again. I just couldn’t.

I walked with dragging feet towards the door. I could hear Harvey whining in his crate and the girls bouncing off the walls in their bedroom. I had walked like this before. I would open that front door and all the horrid things were going to happen again.

The doorbell rang a final time just as I was opening the door. I was expecting to see my older sister’s look-alike. I was completely flummoxed to see a man standing at my door.

“Ummm,” I said intelligently. “Uhhh,” He looked vaguely familiar, like I’d seen him somewhere before. “Can I help you?”

“Hello, Piper,” he greeted me.

I tried to tilt my head and look at him from a different angle. He was tall, with a long aquiline nose, black hair cut straight across the forehead in heavy bangs, and … no way! He had pointy ears!

“Uhh,” I stammered. I was dreaming. I had to be.

“Since my former appearance seemed to distress you, I took this image from your brain. You often thought of this man when you were talking to me and so I deemed it appropriate,” he said.

“Fascinating!” I giggled hysterically.

“You were obviously successful in your visit to my ship. I congratulate you on your skill.” He looked past me into the house. “Might I come in?”

“Oh, sure,” I blurted out and stumbled back away from the door. This was worse than her, him, it, whatever, looking like my sister. I had a
Vulcan
in my living room!

“You remember me?” I had to ask.

“Of course. The failsafe device leaves intact the memories of any Endring nearby, and the ship would have protected your memories as well.”

“So, uh, what now?” I asked.

He looked around, “I have a most illogical craving for cake. Do you have any?”

The End

The Rhine Maiden Series:

The Rhine Maiden

It Never Rhines But It Pours

A Little Rhine Must Fall

And

Rhine, Rhine, Go Away

Coming 2012