Copper Ravens(17)

“Ironically, the strife in this world is what led to the Magic Wars in your world,” Micah said, his lips against my neck. “We couldn’t support your war mages, since we were so busy fighting amongst ourselves.”

“And you were all alone,” I mumbled, remembering the first time Micah had brought me to his home. I’d found a lavish estate, so beautiful I’d had to squint to see it all, filled with luxuries I’d never imagined, and not a living soul in it, other than Micah.

“Alone no more.” Micah shifted so he could see my face; now, his smile was genuine. “Now, I have my copper girl. Soon, our family will fill these halls, and we won’t be alone ever again.”

I ignored the flutters in my belly and returned his smile. “Soon.”





6

Ashort time later, Micah departed for the latest Gathering of the Heavies, this time without his loyal consort. He was apologetic and reassured me yet again that once I was Lady Silverstrand, my burgeoning belly and I would be welcome at any and all functions.

Great. So by the time people paid attention to me, I’d be fat.

I stayed in bed for a while after he left, my hand resting on my flat stomach, wondering how much longer it would stay flat. I had no reason to not want a child with Micah; he was kind, and gentle, and loved me completely. And I loved him.

And yet…A few short months ago, I was an office worker at Real Estate Evaluation Systems. I lived in a small apartment, ate only (okay, mostly) government sanctioned food, and avoided magic like the plague. I went so far as to dye my copper-colored hair dirt brown and wore long shirts to cover my mark, which manifested as a copper raven emblazoned across my lower back. It signified my Elemental status, and it also told whoever was looking that I’m a member of the Raven clan, one of the most powerful magical bloodlines in history. By so thoroughly hiding my heritage, I was, for all intents and purposes, living the life of a Mundane.

Then Micah had appeared in my life—in my car, to be exact, while I was napping away my lunch hour—and everything had changed, almost immediately. In many ways, Micah wandering into my dream was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and many good things have happened since our first, somewhat scandalous, meeting. There was Micah, for one, the man who I loved more than I had ever thought possible. Together we freed my brother from the Institute for Elemental Research, a prison disguised as a medical/research facility.

It still amazed me that Max had gone there willingly. I mean, his intentions were sound, being that he had only wanted to distract the Peacekeepers from Sadie, and he was following Dad’s instructions. However, when Dad told Max to keep the family safe at any cost, I don’t think he meant for his son to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Boys. So literal.

I also learned that my lifelong best friend, Juliana H. Armstrong, was a government spy, and that my job at REES, which was actually run by Peacekeepers, not real estate moguls, was a carefully constructed maze in which I was the rat. And, just yesterday Max had informed me that Juliana’s uncle, Mike Armstrong, was some sort of mad scientist-politician, and that he had now decided to campaign for President of Pacifica.

So, no, not only good things had happened.

All these changes in just a few weeks…Was I a bad person for wanting things to just stay as they were for a little while?

There was also my complete and utter lack of maternal instincts to contend with. When I had mentioned this deficit to Micah, he merely shrugged and assured me that motherhood was natural, as if the knowledge of how to care and feed a tiny person would magically appear inside my brain. This, coming from an only child who lived with metal servants. It’s not like he knew anything about parenting.

I sighed and kicked my way free of the bedclothes. These ruminations were getting me nothing but a headache. Besides, Micah was so, um, attentive, I’d likely be pregnant soon enough anyway, and I’d yet to find an Otherworldly form of birth control. However, it wasn’t like I’d really looked…

After I got dressed and asked Shep for the location of the nearest apothecary, I made my way downstairs. When I saw the heap of parcels in the atrium, I asked a nearby silverkin if Santa had arrived. He didn’t get the joke, but he did tell me that others of copper had begun sending me gifts.

“For me?” I approached the heap, full of items in all sorts of shapes and sizes, wrapped in crisp brown and white papers, and secured with trailing vines in lieu of strings. A few were decorated with brightly colored flowers, and some of the larger ones had shiny copper baubles dangling from silky ribbons. “Why me?”