Page 15 of Freed By Fire
“You need to be sure first,” she says. “Don’t tell anyone yet.”
My mouth tastes like ash as I pull away.
In a daze, I follow Carlisle down another series of turns until we reach the back door again. The afternoon light is almost blinding as I stumble out and nearly lose my footing. Carlisle helps me right myself with his free hand hovering over his gun.
“The siren and everything when we were coming back from the diner was a drill,” Carlisle tells me as we approach the estate and its tall, imposing gates. “They want to be prepared for everything.”
A surge of relief courses through me. “Good.”
Carlisle matches my pace as we climb the front stairs, where Olivia is waiting. Her eyes move over me, but she doesn’t say anything. Together, we step into the estate, and I barely hear anything as we climb the stairs, and she pauses in front of Mason’s wing to squeeze my hand.
After Olivia leaves, I hurry into the room and slam the door shut behind me. In the bathroom, I grip the sink and take several deep breaths. Slowly, I lift my gaze and stare at myself in the mirror, at the unfamiliar dark circles. In a daze, I touch two fingers to the glass, and my breath hitches in my throat.
My hand drifts to my stomach.
I leave it there as my mind whirs.
Miss Deveroux is wrong; she has to be.
But the longer I stand there, replaying the past few days in my head, the worse I feel.
I haven’t missed a period in years, and while I had dismissed it as the stress and pressure that came with my new life, I wonder if I had just been in denial.
Have I been avoiding dealing with this on purpose?
Sometime later, a loud knock interrupts my thoughts. I cross to the door and throw it open. Katia scowls when she sees me and thrusts out her hand with a package.
“I am not your lackey,” Katia informs me flatly. “Miss Deveroux said you needed this urgently; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
I look at Katia and swallow. “Did anyone see you?”
She mutters something.
“Katia, did anyone see you?”
Suddenly, she snaps to attention. “For fuck’s sake, Blondie, it’s not like they’re unfamiliar with discretion around here. Get a grip.”
I lose a breath. “Thank you.”
Katia purses her lips. “Next time, have someone else take care of it.”
With that, she turns on her heels and melts back into the shadows.
I stand in the doorway, heart hammering against my ribs. Eventually, I slam the door, walk to the bathroom, rip the package open, and pause. I stare at the pregnancy test in my hands and ignore the nausea building within me.
I open the box and scan the instructions. A minute later, when I finish, I set the test face-down on the sink, wash my hands, and reel in my thoughts.
I don’t want to think about what’ll happen if there are two pink lines.
I can’t think about any of that.
I wrap my arms around my stomach and lean against the wall.
You can’t freak out. You’re not even sure yet. Getting ahead of yourself won’t do any good.
Still, I can’t stop myself from wondering how Mason would take it.
Would he throw me out onto the street? Keep me under tighter lock and key?
