A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(3)

“Of course!” Corrine exclaimed, winking at Victoria. “It’s a secret I’ll keep to myself then.”

“So, is mine a girl?” Grace asked. Corrine nodded. Grace looked down at her stomach, a smile playing on her lips as she protectively ran a hand across her bump. Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink in gratitude and I felt my eyes well up. It was such a lovely moment—I couldn’t wait for Grace’s girl to be born. No doubt she would be just as beautiful and graceful as her mother was.

“And you, Hazel, you’re having a boy!” Corrine delivered the news with rapture.

I laughed. It didn’t come as a surprise, judging by my size. The baby inside me was all Tejus, and I couldn’t wait for him to enter the world.

“Oh, I can’t believe it!” my mom burst out, tears running down her cheeks as she hurriedly tried to wipe them away. “I can’t believe you’re having a baby boy, Hazel! And I’m going to be a grandmother…your father’s going to be so excited.”

We all hugged and congratulated one another, my grandma looking dizzy with amazement as she came to grips with the idea of being a great-grandmother to the new arrivals.

“I love to see The Shade expanding.” My grandma sighed happily. “Derek and I wished for nothing more. And even now, it hardly seems real…I never could have guessed how much happiness I had in store for me. I’ve been well and truly blessed.”

I glanced over at Grace and Victoria. Since we’d first heard the news of our simultaneous pregnancies, we had wondered if the Oracle had something to do with it. On the day of the wedding I had dismissed the Oracle’s strange action—how she had placed her hands on all three of our stomachs, and murmured something about our ‘strong tribe’. But after we’d found out about our pregnancies, her actions had come back to me, and I felt that perhaps we had her to thank for the healthy children we’d been blessed with.

“What?” my grandmother asked, noticing the way I was looking at Grace and Victoria.

“It’s something the Oracle did.” I shrugged, explaining what had happened at my and Ruby’s wedding.

“That is... odd.” My grandmother looked a little worried. She paused to glance at my mother and Vivienne, wetting her lower lip. “Perhaps it was a superstition of her people.”

I grimaced. Thinking about the ‘people’ of the Oracle didn’t exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy—the Oracle had been half Ancient. Not a pleasant species.

“Well, if she is the reason we’re all having kids at the same time,” Victoria said with a shrug, “I’m not complaining. It means I have the two of you to keep me company.”

Grace and I smirked. I was also thankful that I had two others to share this with. Of course, I had my mom and grandma, who knew exactly what they were talking about, but in terms of sharing the day-to-day aches, pains and sleepless nights, Grace and Victoria had been invaluable.

By the time I got this chunky sentry baby out of me, I suspected I would owe a lot of people my sanity.





Victoria





“Let me do this,” Bastien scolded me, taking the wooden spoon from my hand. “You should be relaxing.”

I replied by grabbing the spoon back. “I’ve had enough of lounging around.”

It was true. For me, being active was better. It helped relax my cub’s growing urges—especially around night-time. Even though half-human, half-werewolf children couldn’t transform into wolves, I’d learned from having Jovi that they could still feel restless.

Bastien had started growing out his facial hair, and I gave it a playful tug. He ignored the boiling pots and pans on the stove and wrapped his arms around me.

His natural scent always grew muskier around this time of day, when he was due to turn. My hands roamed across his muscled back, sensing his increase in body temperature.

“So you really didn’t want to know what it was?” he asked, referring to the check-up I’d had in the Sanctuary earlier in the day.

“I’m going to be happy either way, so I don’t feel like I need to know. And Jovi’s going to be pleased if it’s a boy or girl. He keeps asking when it’s coming, like he’s waiting for a birthday present.”

Bastien laughed. “I know. He’s looking forward to having someone to play with. Personally though, I sense it’s a girl.”

“You do?” I asked in surprise. He hadn’t shared that theory with me before, and I kept changing my mind, one moment positive it was a girl, the next one hundred percent certain it was a boy.

“I do.” He nodded, running a hand down my back. “And she’s going to be just as incredible as her mother.”

My spine tingled as he drew closer and began to press slow kisses down my neck. I groaned softly, my arms draping over his shoulders.

“You’re teasing me too much, Bastien,” I breathed.

Gently he moved away, his hands resting on my hips. “I’m sorry,” he replied huskily. “I can’t help myself. Especially when your body looks like this.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing. My body had changed a lot—my usually slim frame had become more curvaceous, especially in the chest area. Thank goodness for Corrine and her seamstress skills.

I was about to reply when a knock came from the front door. “I’ll get it,” I said. “You finish up in here.”