Chapter 11 - Iris

The only thing I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

Malcolm was joking. He had to be. There was no way I was psychic. But he didn't look like he was joking. He was staring at me with interest, head tilted as he considered me.

My face turned a brilliant red as everyone stared at me. I hated being under a microscope like this. It made me feel like a freak. Which, if I really was psychic, I might as well be.

"You're wrong," I managed to say. "I can't be."

Malcolm shook his head. "I thought you might be when we first met when you guessed my name," he said. "I wasn't positive. But one of the ways precognition manifests is through dreams, especially in an untrained psychic."

I opened my mouth to tell him he was wrong again—because he definitely had to be wrong. But then I closed it again as several things fell into place. All the times I'd been a bit odd growing up, seeming to guess everything correctly or know things I really shouldn't have known. The dreams I've had over the years that had turned out to be true. It could all be explained by me being psychic.

"Psychic? Really?" Tannen said with interest as I continued to process the news. "I've read about them a bit."

"Aren't they supposed to be pretty rare?" Rand asked.

"They're not common," Malcolm agreed. "You come across them about as often as you come across witches."

"What does that mean, then?" Alek asked. There was a tension to the words, his eyes flicking intently between myself and Malcolm. "Is she going to be all right?"

Malcolm cracked a smile. "She's not going to go crazy or anything like that, don't worry, Alek," he said. "But it's always useful to train these types of talents. I have a bit of experience working with psychics, and I knew a couple of shifters who had the gift." He looked at me again. "I might be able to help train you, if you'd like?"

I considered it, mulling the idea over in my head. It made sense, and the idea of learning more about this and figuring out how to control it seemed like the best option.

I nodded.

"In that case, I'll come by your place in a couple of days, and we'll get started." Malcolm's eyes sparkled. "You've inherited a really special gift. It's not one to be ashamed of. In fact, it might come in use when you least expect it."

***

I leaned over the toilet, groaning and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Something wasn't agreeing with my stomach. I'd been queasy all morning and had run to the bathroom twice so far.

As I sat on the floor, my eyes landed on the toilet paper roll. It was out. I might as well replace it while I was down here.

I crouched down beneath the sink to rummage for another roll. As I did, my hand brushed past a box of tampons, knocking it over. A few tampons went sprawling, so I reached to pick them up. But then I froze, my eyes widening.

Tampons.

Heart thundering, I ran the numbers in my head, trying to remember when my last period was. My stomach sank with disbelief and dread. I should have had my period three days ago.

And I'd had an upset stomach all morning.

My head swam with the connotations. There was no way. I'd been careful. I've been on the pill. I couldn't be…could I?

For a psychic, I was pretty terrible at figuring out the truth.

I paced back and forth, running options through my head on how to get a definitive answer. There was really only one thing I could do to be sure.

***

An hour later, after going into town on my own, buying a pregnancy test, and hurrying back, I waited anxiously, staring at the stick lying on the counter.

I didn't want to tell Alek. Not until I knew for certain. I didn't want to freak him out by asking him to take me into town to get a test. But I had to know, even though going into Brixton on my own had been mildly terrifying.

But nothing had really happened. A few people had glanced my way, sniffing as they gave me curious looks—apparently, they could smell I was human—while a couple of others had shot me glares as they stalked past. But beyond that, most everything had been easy. Easier than dealing with people in my own village, even.

My leg jittered up and down, and my arms wrapped around my stomach as I waited. My stomach was churning again, only this time, I couldn't tell if my queasiness was from genuine morning sickness or nerves.

Those three minutes seemed to last an eternity. But eventually, it was over. I snatched up the test and stared at the results.

Shit.

I stared at the stupid double line indicating that yes, I was pregnant. I willed it to change, praying I was misreading it. It didn't change.

I collapsed backward.

How did I feel? I tried to figure it out, and I couldn't tell. I wasn't as horrified as I'd thought I would be. I was nervous, absolutely, but I wasn't frightened or angry. Stunned, more than anything.

As the shock wore off, a feeling of tentative happiness moved into its place. I liked the idea of a little kid running around, maybe with Alek's red hair or my eyes. The thought was enough to make me smile. It was terrifying but exciting at the same time.

Now all I needed to do was figure out how to break it to the father of my child.

I went downstairs and curled up on the couch, waiting for Alek to come home. As I did, another horror shot through me with so much force that my entire body tensed.

Alek was a shifter. I was a human. What would happen to the baby? What were shifter babies like? Would this baby even be a shifter? Would they be rejected because they weren't one if that happened? Would they be okay, or would there be some genetic problem?

And what about me? Could a human even carry a shifter's baby?

All of this swirled inside me like a tempest, clouding everything else. I forced myself to take a deep breath, to gather my thoughts and calm down. There were too many questions I was unable to answer. I had to wait for Alek.

I mentally prepared myself for the conversation about to take place.