Page 9 of Fennick’s Fortune (Sentinels of Apollo #2)

Last night, I fell into bed and was out. That was after enjoying an incredible dinner prepared by Twyla and Cerys. Both women were so warm and welcoming to the fifteen people dumped in their laps without hardly any notice.

After we were done eating, they told us they’d figured out the division.

It seemed that they planned to host us until we found our own places or decided to make other arrangements.

Adir, his wife, and his kids went with Keir.

Asa and Hadar were sent to stay with Banner.

Trevor and Thea happily went to Royal’s house.

Gunnar hosted Orion and his cousins. Bruce and Nico teamed up.

That made sense since they were both vamps. That had left me.

I was nervous. I knew that left Brax or Fennick’s homes.

While Fennick made me feel off-kilter and conflicted, a part of me still wanted to stay with him, even if it was dangerous.

The other half had taken a liking to Cerys.

It would be no hardship to stay with her and Brax.

Plus, I could be more helpful at their house.

Ultimately, it was decided when Cerys begged me to stay with them for at least a few days.

She wanted to talk to me and learn more about their babies, if I would be willing to do it.

I couldn’t deny her, so I agreed. I swore that when Fennick left, he was disappointed.

Hadar had merely frowned. I stayed away from him at Brax’s house. If I never saw him again, I’d be happy.

After a long soak in a hot bath, I crawled into one of the most comfortable beds I’d ever slept in and was out.

What woke me was the smell of coffee. I was a coffee hound and hadn’t had a fix for days.

I hurried to get dressed and presentable before I rushed to the kitchen.

It was still early, barely after dawn. I found Cerys in the kitchen.

Brax was nowhere in sight. When she saw me, she laughed and pointed.

“The cups are in there. If you take creamer or milk, they’re in the fridge. Sugar is in that canister.”

I rushed to get a cup from the cabinet she indicated. I asked her, “How did you know?”

“I know a coffee addict when I see one. I like it, but Brax loves it.” She chuckled.

I filled my cup with rich brew and added some creamer. It was the holiday kind with peppermint in it. I groaned. It was a favorite. I took my first sip and sighed.

Shaking myself out of my caffeine stupor, I checked to see what she was doing. I saw she had bacon, eggs, and a bag of pancake mix out.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” I told her.

“Sit. I can do this. I just want to get it done before Brax goes to work. I hate for him to go without breakfast.”

“No, I’m not sitting here, drinking coffee and watching you work. Either let me help, or I’ll banish you to the chair to watch me. I can make bacon, eggs, and pancakes without screwing them up.”

“I never doubted you could. Thank you. If you’ll get the bacon started, I’ll mix our pancakes and pop these into the oven.” She gestured to a cast-iron skillet I hadn’t seen. It contained what appeared to be unbaked biscuits.

“Lord, anyone living with you will get fat in no time,” I muttered, turning the stove on to heat the bacon pan. She grinned.

We worked in mostly silence, though we remarked on this or that. By the time Brax joined us, we only had five minutes left until the food was ready. He shook his head.

“You should’ve woken me up, Cerys. If you insist on cooking me breakfast, at least wake me so I can help you.”

“You needed your sleep. Plus, I had help. Akiva has been a doll and helped me with everything. You better be careful, though,” she warned him as he grabbed a mug and poured himself a huge cup of coffee.

“Why is that?”

“She’s a coffee addict, too.”

He laughed. “Well, I traded one for another. Don’t let her fool you, Akiva. Cerys loves it, too. However, she has cut most of the caffeine out due to the babies. She’s allowed no more than two caffeinated drinks per day. She has to decide which she wants more.”

She clicked her tongue at him, but smiled. In no time, we were sitting down. I was about to take a bite of my food when my body reacted as if an electrical current buzzed through me. I wasn’t sure what made me say it, but I looked at the window. “Someone is coming.”

“He’s still a ways out. How did you know?” Brax asked curiously.

“I just felt weird, and then the words came out. I don’t know why. I’ve never sensed anyone like that before. Or not until yesterday.”

“Yesterday, before we came upon you guys?” he asked.

“Yes. I didn’t know what it meant, but I tried to get the others to pay attention.

They didn’t sense anything until you were closer.

I’d been trying to get them to post sentries, too, but they refused.

Said that we’d be able to sense if anything or anyone came toward us.

They were confident they could handle wild animals.

I was thinking more of the two-legged variety,” I admitted.

“Can you tell which one of our friends it is?” Cerys asked.

I thought only for a moment before I said, “Fennick.”

They exchanged a glance I didn’t try to decipher. “You’re correct, it’s him,” Brax admitted.

“How do you know he’s coming and it’s him?” I wanted to see if he would admit to what I suspected yesterday.

Brax stared at me. “I think you know how.”

“You can communicate with your friends telepathically,” I stated rather than asked.

He nodded.

“That’s not typical even between mates. Can you and Cerys… never mind, that’s not any of my business. Sorry.”

“We can. And no, she didn’t have a telepathic ability that we knew of before she mated with me. We’re unsure if it’s because she’s a Precious One or the babies somehow allow it. We hope it’s the former so we don’t lose it after they’re born,” Brax admitted.

I felt an instant pull. Without thought, I reached over and placed my hand on Cerys’s arm. The connection clicked into place. I let it take me. When I came out of it, I found Fennick standing over me. Brax and he were on their feet. Both wore concerned looks.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, blinking to clear the fog in my brain.

“You’ve been staring into space for several minutes, Akiva. We asked you questions, and you didn’t move or blink. Are you alright?” Cerys asked urgently. I removed my hand from her arm.

“I’m fine. You say I’ve been gone for minutes?”

“Yeah. Fen entered the house and spoke to you, and everything. We were afraid to break you away, but we were about to when you did it yourself,” Brax explained.

“Where were you?” Fennick asked worriedly.

“The babies showed me things. They wanted me to know and tell their parents not to worry. You won’t lose your abilities, Cerys. There’s more to come. You’ve just started to find your gifts. They want you to know that you shouldn’t be afraid of them.”

“Oh my God! Brax, surely others who have children have experienced this. We have to find out. I know we only have one family in town who has kids. Oh, and Leah and Adir do. We’ll have to ask them if they experienced this when they carried them,” Cerys stated excitedly.

“I’ll ask, but I’ve never heard of it. Have you had this happen to you and other pregnant women?” Brax asked me.

“I’ve never been near any shifters while they were pregnant,” I told him swiftly.

I knew by the way he and Fennick looked at me that they didn’t believe me.

I didn’t blame them. I’d been too fast with my answer.

Damn it. Why did this have to happen? I tried to think up a plausible explanation.

Before I could, they both stepped closer to me.

Instantly, I was on my feet, moving where I could defend myself.

I felt my fight-or-flight response rising within me.

The only unknown was whether I would run or choose to fight.

They both froze just as Cerys pushed past them and placed herself between me and them. “What has gotten into you two? You’re scaring her,” she chided.

“She’s lying about not being around other pregnant shifters. We just want to know why she is,” Brax told her.

“We’re not hurting her,” Fennick added.

“Well, you’re sure scaring her,” she snapped before turning to me. “I’m sorry, they won’t hurt you. They’re just careful and want to know why you lied.”

I scanned the kitchen. The walls were closing in. I had to escape. There was no way I’d stay and answer them, which left me with only one choice. I had to go. I backed up a couple more steps. The men moved forward to stand on either side of Cerys, bringing them closer to me.

“I’m sorry. Thank you for your hospitality,” I said, pausing before I twisted around and bolted.

I was headed for the front door, not upstairs.

I made it two steps before my wrist was snagged.

Immediately, fire raced up my arm. I screamed.

I wasn’t sure if it was in pain or shock.

Then everything was bright, and I was falling.

I vaguely heard yelling but couldn’t concentrate on what the faraway voices were saying.

I was locked tight to the vision in front of me.

No, no, I didn’t want to do this. They said it was a dream. It was a dream!