Eternal Fire (37 page)

“
She’s always been like that,” I said. “She always puts others before her own needs.”

“
Beth is a wonderful woman, and she is very worried about you.” He handed me two brown pills and a glass of water. “Beth said these medicines will help.”

“
Thank you.” I swallowed the pills and chased them down with water. “Victor, something’s wrong,” I said. “I feel like I’m slowly dying.”

I could see the pain in his face
, his awareness that he had no idea how to fix me, broken appliance that I was. I still couldn’t understand why Liz had completed the transformation with no difficulty. My body couldn’t take the energies flooding through it. I feared for my safety and for the safety of my unborn child.

“
I decided to stay here with you,” Victor said. “If Ethano has come through the portal, you will need me to protect you.”

“
No,” I whispered. “I just need more sleep. There’s nothing you can do for me right now, and Della needs your help. Please go. My sister will go with or without you because she’s loyal to Della and because it’s her mother-n-law and her best friend. She needs you in case those blue-ringed Immortals come back.”

“
She has Charles. I will stay with my wife. Beth thinks we should all stay the night here. We’ll go look for Della when you’re better in the morning.”

“
If you don’t go, I’ll go myself. Someone has to look out for my sister.” I tried to stand but swayed and fell into Victor’s arms.

He placed a kiss on my forehead, then touched my stomach. “You and the baby get some rest, and I’ll go with Liz and Charles to look for clues.”

“
You’re so wonderful. Just please be careful. Ethano could be out there lurking around.”

“
If he is, he could easily find you. I have a trick that will—”

“
Keep me off his radar if he’s here in town?” I finished.

“
Yes.” He closed his eyes and touched my ring. “It won’t work for long, but it’ll keep you safe until I get back.”

I sucked in a deep breath. I wanted to go with them, but my head was still aching.

He knelt down and touched my stomach again.
“The baby is getting excited. Please try to close your eyes and rest.”

I cocked a brow.
“Can you hear our baby?”

He smiled. “Yes.” He reached for my hand and placed it on top of my belly. He closed his eyes and focused.

Suddenly, I heard a swishy sound,
blood flowing through the umbilical cord or placenta. I could hardly contain my excitement. “It sounds like a train going through a tunnel.”

“
I am not sure what a train is, but to me, it sounds like wind blowing through the trees.”

I jumped when suddenly a
faint heartbeat. “Is that the baby?”

He nodded with enthusiasm.

My eyes widened in awe. “It’s faster than mine.” When I closed my eyes and focused, I could hear the heartbeat grow stronger. It sounded like a herd of horses galloping in water. I smiled widely as I met his gaze. My eyes welled with tears at Victor’s emotion; I could tell he was just as touched as I was. “I love you so much,” I said.

He cupped my cheek. “I love you too.”

“
I can’t do this without you,” I whispered. “I just can’t.”

“
What makes you think you will ever have to?” He kissed me on the lips, and when I tried to speak, he held a finger to my mouth. “Before I met you, I thought I had everything I would ever need to make me happy. Then you walked into my life in that silly outfit and hat and changed everything.”

I laughed. “What? You didn’t like the camouflage shirt, pants, and matching hat? Need I remind you I was on an expedition in the middle of the woods?”

“
You were so stubborn, strong, and independent, and I loved the way you stood up to me.”

“
I think Liz and I got that from our father,” I said.

“
I knew right then, in that very moment, that there was something special about you, and it was in that instant that I realized how empty my life was without somebody like you in it.” He gazed longingly into my eyes. “Don’t you see? You brought my dead heart back to life. I love you, and I will never let you go.”

“
You’re giving me goosebumps.” Tears welled up in my eyes.

He kissed me one last time, and the door clicked softly as he left the room.

My headache was still
pounding, but hearing our baby’s heartbeat and Victor’s declaration of love distracted me from my pain a bit. Still, I knew there was something desperately wrong with me. I wondered if I would even be able to deliver the baby into the world. Our baby deserved a chance at life, and I would have to fight, if only long enough to bear him. Part of me wondered if we’d made the right decision in returning to my world. No one could help me in modern times, and for a moment, I almost contemplated going back.

I felt a connection to the little life growing inside of me and poured out some of my most private thoughts and fears. I felt my belly and began to talk to my baby. “Dear little angel, I hope you can hear my voice. Though we haven’t met, I love you more than anything. You’ll be joining our family soon, and I can’t wait to see your beautiful face and hold those little fingers and feet. I eagerly await seeing your smile, hearing your tiny giggles. You are loved, wanted, and cherished. I’ve never felt such love for a person I’ve never met before, but even now, my love for you is unconditional, eternal, and pure.”

I stroked my stomach lovingly.
“I thought you might want to hear that from your mama, little one.
I’ve been thinking about you all the time, and I can’t wait for you to come in this world. Always know you were conceived out of perfect love. I picture you as a handsome boy dressed in blue, and you will have the most loving parents. Fate brought us together from two different worlds, two different dimensions. Your daddy is from Tastia, and I’m from California. Both cities can be a scary place, but no matter where we are, he and I will be there to take care of you and protect you. No matter what challenges we face as a family, I promise to love you more than anything. I’ve heard that once a mother holds her baby in her arms, the love that swells in her heart is overwhelming. I know my love for you can only grow, and that makes me smile. I cannot wait to meet you, my precious, first child!”

I wasn
’t sure how everything would turn out. I wanted nothing more than to give birth to a bouncing baby boy. I’d seen his sweet face in my visions, and I longed to meet him.
If I don’t live long enough to give my baby life, I just…
I couldn’t even think about it, because the pain hurt so deeply. Somehow, I had to find a way to conquer the energy that was taking over my body and slowly killing me. Victor would help me; he was my rock, my hero, and my best friend. I closed my eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of little fingers curling around mine and blue eyes looking up at me—as blue as his daddy’s.

The End
of Book 3

Sarah’s journey continues with
Eternal Bloom
. (see new cover below)

Available Spring 2013

To save the life of herself and her unborn baby, Sarah must find a rare flower to cure the imbalance of energy flooding through her body.