Chapter Forty-Four

Abby

I awoke with a gasp. "Charlotte!"

"I'm here, Abby," a meek voice answered from across the hall.

I came to my knees, wincing when my bones cracked against the hard floor. I squinted into the glare of the morning sun as light spilled in from the open doorways. Charlotte was sitting up on the blood-stained mattress, leaning against the wall as her baby suckled her breast.

I crawled over to them and sank on the mattress beside Charlotte, wrapping an arm around my friend's shoulders. "I'm so relieved you're alive."

"We are," Charlotte said as she smiled down at her child, "all thanks to you and your friends."

"They're amazing, aren't they?" I said with a note of awe in my voice. I could hardly believe Gabriel's wizard-like magic or Fiona's ability to turn into a magnificent dragon. Still, I wouldn't voice a word of what I'd seen to anyone, not because everyone would call me crazy, but because I suspected my friends wanted me to guard their secrets.

Charlotte shifted, the infant in her arms gently suckling as her eyelids fluttered.

I stroked the baby's soft cheek. "Where are the others?"

"I only saw Gabriel this morning. He went searching for Safina. He said he would send help, and we are to stay here." Charlotte frowned. "I doubt I have the strength to walk anyway."

I brushed wisps of hair from Charlotte's forehead. "You had a rough night. You'll be as right as rain soon enough."

Charlotte flashed a smile that didn't quite mask the sadness in her eyes. A tear slipped down her cheek as she looked at her daughter. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"She's perfect," I agreed. "An angel."

The baby's suckling slowed until she released Charlotte's breast with a satisfied burp. Charlotte wiped a drop of milk from her infant's lip before snuggling her against her chest.

"Would you like to hold her?" she asked.

I jerked up, instinctively holding out my arms. "Oh, only if you don't mind. I held her most of the night."

In truth, I could hold Charlotte's child for an eternity. After all the sorrow that had befallen the city last night, listening to an infant's soft breathing, holding her cuddly little body, and inhaling her fresh scent, brought me a sense of comfort. It was hard to believe, out of so much destruction and carnage, a new life had found a way to prevail.

Charlotte placed the baby in my arms before heaving herself from the mattress with a groan. "I simply cannot wait another moment to use the toilet."

She hobbled away, leaving me to soak in the baby's warmth.

I closed my eyes and sang a lullaby to the child, one I remembered Nana singing to me when I was young.

"I think little Abigail likes you."

My eyes shot open. So consumed was I in the music, I hadn't noticed Charlotte return. "You named her Abigail?"

Charlotte groaned as she lowered herself beside me. "After her mother's dearest friend, the woman who bravely risked her life to keep us safe."

"Thank you, Charlotte." I held little Abigail tightly to my chest. "I hope it's all right with Teddy."

"If Teddy was alive, he would have come for me." Charlotte held my hand, a heartfelt sadness in her eyes, as if I was the one who needed comforting.

"Charlotte, don't say that," I pleaded, for I couldn't imagine Theodore Carter, a man so utterly devoted to his wife and child, dead. Teddy had too much to live for. He simply couldn't be gone.

"I'm only trying to be a realist, Abby." More tears fell as she stared straight ahead. She sounded so emotionless, like her soul had been swept away with the storm. "I don't wish to get my hopes up only to have my heart broken." Her voice cracked, and she buried her face in her hands, shaking as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"There, there, dearest." I shifted the baby into the crook of one arm and wrapped the other around Charlotte. "Please don't give up hope yet."

I flinched at a loud bang downstairs, followed by the sound of feet splashing through water. I handed Abigail to Charlotte and stood on shaky legs, grabbing a candlestick for a weapon and positioning myself in front of the mother and child.

"Charlotte!" a familiar voice boomed.

"Teddy!" Charlotte shrieked.

My knees weakened when Teddy raced up the stairs. I dropped the candlestick to the ground and stepped aside.

A dirty, blood-stained bandage hung from his head, and he had a wild look in his eyes. "Oh, thank God you're alive! I tried so hard to get to you, but then I was struck down." He fell to his knees beside Charlotte and burst into tears. "Is that, is that?" he sputtered.

"Yes, Teddy, it's your daughter, Abigail." Charlotte leaned forward, placing the baby in his arms.

"Abigail?" Teddy stood, looking down at his child before turning around to gape at me.

"Abby saved us," Charlotte said, a note of awe in her voice. "She braved flood waters to get to me. She brought help, too. I nearly died giving birth, but the healer saved me."

"Abby," Teddy rasped as he clutched his child. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

I flushed as I stared down at my mud-encrusted boots. "No need to repay me."

Abigail squirmed against him, making a cooing sound.

Teddy traced the line of her brow and stroked her cherubic cheek. "She's beautiful."

"Of course she is." I beamed. "She looks just like her mother."

"That she does," Teddy answered.

Charlotte blushed when Teddy knelt beside her, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I-I thought you'd died." She sniffled, wiping her eyes.

Teddy bent over her, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. "It will take a lot more than a force of nature to pull me away from you."

I needed to give the family privacy, for I had now become the fourth wheel, the awkward, uneven one on the back of Se?or Cortez's cart.

"Now that Teddy is here, I need to go tell Nana I'm safe."

"Of course, dearest," Charlotte answered, her gaze still locked with Teddy's.

"Abby, I heard that all the houses close to the beach had been destroyed." Teddy turned to me with brows drawn together, the bloody bandage swaying against the side of his head. "Had your Nana moved to higher ground before the storm hit?"

"Oh, yes. Don't worry about her." But in truth, I was worried. I knew how much my nana fretted over me. She must have had a fit after I left.

"It looks like a battlefield out there," Teddy said. "It's not safe for you to leave unaccompanied."

My spine stiffened as I locked eyes with Teddy. "I battled a hurricane to get to my best friend. I can handle the aftermath."

"Very well, but after you find your Nana, I want you both to come directly to our home. It was hardly damaged by the storm." Teddy puffed out his chest, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "You are welcome to stay as long as you like. Your Nana's roomers are invited as well."

I was floored by Teddy's generosity. "Thank you so much for the offer."

Teddy looked down at the child sleeping in the crook of his arm. "It is small recompense for what you've done."

I had to stifle a laugh, thinking Teddy may come to regret inviting my Nana, the biggest gossip in all of Galveston, to live under the same roof. I hoped he and his family didn't have any dirty laundry. Soon, it would all be aired to the world.

* * *

Abby

TEDDY HADN'T EXAGGERATEDabout the destruction in Galveston, though his warning didn't prepare me for the horror. Piles of splintered wood and mangled wreckage lined the streets. I would never forget the bloated corpses with twisted limbs and looks of terror etched into their faces. Those bodies, and their foul smell as they baked beneath the Texas sun, would haunt my nightmares for years to come. It sickened me to know Irene was most likely one of those corpses, and I feared my list of dead friends and neighbors would grow.

I came across Moses and the Cortez brothers piling bodies in a cart and told Gabriel that Teddy had come for Charlotte and the baby. My heart sank when Gabriel said Safina hadn't come home yet, but I tried to remain optimistic. After all, I'd seen her dragon mother swim after her. I suspected Safina had dragon magic, too. Such powerful giants couldn't have succumbed to the storm.

Most everything south of Irene's house had been flattened, but it was easy to find Se?or Cortez's home. It was the only standing structure amid blocks of rubble.

"Nana! Nana! I'm back!" I raced up the porch steps and through the front door, ready to launch myself into Nana's arms.

Instead, I was met by Se?or Cortez, standing over a body draped in a sheet. I froze, unable to absorb the shock of the sight before me, for sticking out from under that sheet were my Nana's shoes. I recognized those gold buckles and wide heels.

I didn't remember much of what happened after that. I thought I fell, for my knees throbbed. I wasn't sure how I ended up sitting on Gabriel's cot, a blanket draped over my shoulders and a glass of juice in my hand.

Se?or Cortez was the only person there to comfort me. He kept telling me it wasn't my fault, that it was my nana's time, but I knew better. I'd killed my nana. When I went out into the hurricane without so much as a goodbye, Nana had worried herself to death.

* * *

Safina

MY LEGS FELT AS HEAVYas sandbags as I trudged through the muck. My family and I had fallen into a fitful sleep and risen shortly before dawn, swimming to shore and discovering we'd drifted to the far end of the island. It took us several hours to make the journey back to Galveston. The storm had passed, and the floodwaters had abated, leaving behind the calamity's gruesome aftermath.

After seeing a bloated, naked corpse, I kept my head down, unable to stomach the sight of another. I'd hardly slept last night, listening to all kinds of dark sounds from within our shell while worrying over Gabriel and my friends. If Mother hadn't reassured me that she'd witnessed Gabriel wielding the wind and water like the mighty earth speakers of old, my fears would've consumed me.

I staggered into Se?or Cortez's house with only one purpose, to find Gabriel. Mother and Father trailed far behind. Mother kept stopping to place her hands on the sick and injured, but I couldn't stop until I knew my mate was safe.

I froze when I saw the cloth-draped corpse lying on a table in the center of the parlor. The body was too wide to be Gabriel. I lifted one corner of the drape and saw strands of familiar gray hair. I felt bad for the old woman, knowing she'd probably died from fright after Abby left. Had Gabriel and I forced Abby to come back, Mrs. Jenkens might have lived.

Still, I had no regrets, for Mother had told me she'd saved Charlotte's life and delivered her baby. By mortal standards, Mrs. Jenkens had lived a long life, while Charlotte and her child had only begun their lives.

I found Se?or Cortez in the kitchen preparing food.

When he turned to me, I fell back in shock. Se?or Cortez had always looked old and fragile, but the man standing before me was a skeleton with a layer of parchment-thin skin.

"Oh, ni?a." he rasped. "You're alive!" His bones cracked as he leaned against the table.

I stumbled toward him. "Gabriel?"

"He went looking for you."

I fell into a chair, burying my face in my hands. Gabriel had survived the storm, and for now, that's all that mattered.

* * *

Safina

I PULLED BACK THE CURTAINto Gabriel's room, my heart sinking while watching Abby sob into a pillow. "Mind if I share a bed with you?"

Abby sprang up. "Safi!" She jumped off the bed and grabbed me in a fierce hug. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

I squeezed her back. "Oh, Abby. I'm sorry about your nana."

Abby hung her head, wiping tears from her eyes. "I killed her."

"No, you didn't." My words punched the air with enough force to make Abby gasp.

"Yes, I did. If I hadn't gone after Charlotte, she'd be alive."

I sat with my friend on the bed. "But now Charlotte lives, and so does her baby." I tilted Abby's chin, forcing her to look up. "Listen to me, Abby. My mother spent most of her life lamenting the death of my grandmother. I have had to bear the burden of her guilt as well. Your Nana would have been proud of the way you saved Charlotte. Do not make the remainder of your days miserable because you did what was right."

Abby's lip quavered as she nodded her agreement. Then she cleared her throat, her eyes darting around the room as if she lacked the courage to look me in the eyes. "Last night I saw your mother turn into a dragon."

I jerked away, sucking in a sharp breath.

Abby reached for my hand. "Don't fear, Safi. I will tell no one. I promise," she said with a wink as she drew an X across her heart. "That shark didn't rip off your clothes, did it?" Her eyes lit up like stars twinkling in the moonlight. "You turned into a dragon and saved Pedro from the shark."

I grimaced. "Aye, I did."

Abby shivered. She shifted onto her knees, the bed squeaking with the movement. "Did you kill it or scare it away?"

Odd how Abby seemed more fascinated than frightened. In fact, she didn't seem scared at all. "I bit it in two."

"Oh my word!" Abby squealed. "That's amazing!"

"Not so amazing." I stuck out my tongue, recalling how the shark's salty, pungent blood had nearly made me vomit. "His blood tasted awful."

Abby tossed back her head and laughed before throwing her arms around me and kissing my cheek. "Thank you, Safi."

I looked at my friend as if she'd grown a second head. "For what?"

"For cheering me up," Abby said, batting her eyelashes. "For being my friend."

The warmth that flooded my chest was indescribable. How many times throughout my youth had I wished for a mortal girl to call me ‘friend' and truly mean it? "You are the first mortal girl to learn my secret and not run away screaming."

Abby tilted her chin, a sly smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I'm not afraid of you. I know you and your mother are good. I'm proud to be your friend, and I always will be."

"Thank you, Abby." I heaved a sigh of relief, many years of sorrow and rejection melting away with a few kind words. "You don't know how much your friendship means to me."

* * *

Fiona

I TRUDGED THROUGH THEfront door, holding tightly to Duncan's hand. I gasped when I saw the body and knew instantly Mrs. Jenkens was beneath the sheet. I sent a silent prayer up to the Earth Mother to welcome the old woman's spirit into the light.

Se?or Cortez met us in the kitchen. "Safina and Abby are sleeping in Gabriel's room." He gritted his teeth. "The men are recovering the dead."

I silently nodded as I sat at the table. Duncan pulled a chair up beside me. I chewed on a piece of bread while we wordlessly shared a cup of water.

"Lass, you need rest."

I stared absently at Duncan. "Huh?"

He smirked, pointing to the cup I clutched in my hand. "You have been drinking from an empty glass."

"Oh." I was so tired my head spun. Though I wanted so badly to go back outside and help those poor souls, I didn't have the strength to heal another.

"I have prepared the upstairs back room for you," Josef said. "You will find a basin of water and a change of clothes."

I leaned against the table, so tired I could barely lift my head. "Thank you, Josef."

Before I knew what was happening, Duncan had scooped me into his arms and was carrying me upstairs. I sat at the foot of the bed, numbly obeying as he removed my clothes and scrubbed me with a damp rag. I was too tired to be modest as he ran his hands down my bare arms and back, but when the cool cloth grazed my breasts, I instinctively laid back with a moan.

"That feels good," I murmured.

As tired as I was, my senses awakened when he ran the cloth over my abdomen. Much to my chagrin, he stopped before reaching the mound between my thighs. He lifted each leg, cleaning one and then the other, running the rag from my buttocks to the tender cups beneath my feet.

"You missed a spot," I drawled before biting down on my lip, flushed with desire.

"You will have to do it." Duncan held the rag out to me. "I don't trust myself to touch you there."

I pushed his hand down. "But I trust you."

His eyes darkened, his features hardening. "You and I both know what this will lead to."

"Aye, Duncan." I held my arms out to him. "I know exactly what this will lead to."