90

I swat his hands away, annoyed. “No, it irritates my skin,” I tell him.
“You need to put it on,” Orion growls, pulling me to his side and trying to wrap the middle belt around me.
“Orion, leave her,” Ryland growls back at him.
“You know what? Fine, pull over,” Orion says, angrily.
“I will put it on; just stop it, please,” I beg him, trying to click the belt in.
Every day they argue over something; every day, we are trapped in this car; all they do is fight; I am sick of it. Thaddeus pulls the car over, and Orion hops out, slamming the door in my face as I lean over to stop him from leaving. Thaddeus gets out after him, and they start screaming at each other. I try to drown them out, sick of hearing the same bullshit.
“You okay, hun?” Ryland asks, as the headlights illuminate them while they fight on the side of the highway.
“No. They just don’t stop. They are always at each other’s throats.”
Ryland reaches for me over the back of the seat, and I go to waterworks; stupid fucking pregnancy hormones. One minute I am fine, the next, either raging over nothing or crying. I miss my normal body, miss being able to see my own feet. When I wipe my tears, they are still arguing over God knows what. “What are they even fighting over?” I ask.
Ryland shrugs. “Thaddeus apparently killed someone, and he has been trying to explain something to him, but Orion is just an asshole and not listening and talking over him because he doesn’t want to keep moving you.”
Argh, this is a nightmare. “Who did he kill?”
“No idea, Orion won’t let him explain.”
I huff, annoyed at sitting on the side of the road. Climbing over the seat, I hop in the driver’s seat. It is a tight squeeze between the two front seats, and I am sure I smack Ryland in the head with my bulging belly. “What are you doing?” Ryland asks.
“Leaving them and going home,” I tell him, driving the car and taking off. Tears rolled down my face. Are they going to fight like this constantly when the baby arrives? I am over it. Thaddeus said we are going home, so that’s where I am going; they can run home and sort out their problems.
Ryland’s phone starts ringing, and I hit the gas harder. He answers it. “Hello, Orion,” Ryland says, sounding bored.
I can only hear one side of the conversation, but I get the gist from Ryland’s replies. “No, what do you expect? She isn’t going to keep watching you fight. Sort your shit out and meet us at home,” he says, hanging up, and I smile sadly at him.
“Slow down, love. Don’t want to hit anything at this speed,” he says, looking at the odometer and I release the accelerator a bit. I drive for a few hours until fatigue catches up to me, and I start yawning. I feel like all I do is sleep and eat.
Ryland speaks up after noticing my constant yawning. “Pull over at the next gas station.” I nod and around twenty miles later, I finally find one. The highway is boring and goes on forever. That’s what it feels like until I finally see the bright neon lights.
“Get in the passenger seat; I will drive.” I climb out of the car, walk to the other side, and climb in. Ryland fills the car up and walks into the gas station. He returns with a bag full of potato chips and sweets. “They sold those tomato flavor chips you like,” he says, pulling them out of the bag and handing them to me.
“Thank you,” I tell him, open the packet, and start to eat them. I offer some to Ryland, but he shakes his head and starts the car. I eat my chips; the drive is peaceful because they aren’t arguing, and I eventually fall asleep, only to wake up when the car stops again.
I sit up, stretch, and nearly cry in relief when I see our home. I missed this place, missed it so much. Thaddeus opens my door, picks me up and cradles me to his chest. I inhale his scent, placing my hand on his chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he says, kissing my eyebrow.
I nod, not really caring anymore; I am over it. It is nearly daylight already; we must have been driving again for hours. Not that I really knew where we were in the first place before we got here.
“Where is Orion?” I ask.
“Inside, talking to my mother,” Thaddeus answers, and I instantly brighten up. His mother is here; I kick my legs, wanting to be put down so I can go to her. “Settle down, little one; me carrying you will still be faster than you trying to run.”
He is right; I am so much slower now. We step inside our familiar surroundings. The place smells like it has been locked up for weeks on end, which it has been. As soon as I walk in, I see Amara and Imogen talking to Orion. Imogen has a bag and some herbs in her hand. The chatter dies when I step in. Imogen’s eyes go wide as Thaddeus places me on my feet. Amara’s eyes run over my body worriedly.
“Hey, ma,” I tell her, and she smiles, walking over to me and embracing me gently like she thinks she will break me. She gently rubs my belly and looks up at Thaddeus, and I can’t decipher the look on her face. Amara hesitates, watching me closely like she is here but not seeing what is in front of her. Her eyes glaze over, and a dark expression takes over her face, her lips pursed together.
“Amara?” Thaddeus asks.
She shakes her head, snapping out of her trance. “Sorry,” she quickly says, walking over and hugging me. She rubs my belly, a smile on her lips. “She is strong,” Amara says. All of us look at her.
“It’s a girl?” Ryland asks, stepping around me and into the room.
Amara nods, a huge grin on her face. “Can you feel it, brother? Feel her magic?”
“She is pure,” Thaddeus answers, his voice choking up slightly.
His mother pats his back softly and he abruptly walks away. I can feel he is emotional through the bond, not sad but not happy either; it takes me a second to recognize it. It feels like loneliness. I stare after him, worried until Orion places his hand on my shoulder.
“I will check on him,” he says, walking off after him. Hopefully, he does check on him, not argue with him.
“We brought you some things, some herbs to add to your tea. Orion said you’re exhausted all the time; these will give you a boost. Oh, and this one will stop any pain you have; just don’t take too much; they make you horny,” Amara says.