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CELESTE
Waking up was harder than it had ever been.
What was wrong with my eyes?
My arms?
My body?
I licked my lips and swallowed the cotton wool feeling in my mouth.
“Celeste? Hello?”
I knew that voice.
It was Dane, I was sure of it.
I blinked, and blinked, and blinked, until my eyes finally opened.
Bright lights shone down on me.
“Where am I?”
Dane was there, gripping my hand. “You’re at the hospital.”
Hospital? Why would I be at the hospital?
I reached for my belly with my free hand and the baby swelling was gone.
My eyes popped open and I looked down on my now flat-ish stomach. “The baby... my baby?” My voice rose, almost hysterical. “Where is it?”
Dane cupped my face and forced me to look at him.
“She’s out and she’s doing well. A little premature, and on oxygen in the ICU for a few more days, but she’s strong. Just like her mama.”
Tears pricked my eyes and I struggled to sit up.
Dane picked up a control and pushed a button. The bed lifted me up until I was almost sitting.
I winced as pain shot through my ribs and I let my head rest back against the pillows.
“She? I had a girl.”
I’d always wanted a girl.
Of course, I would have been happy with a boy, with twins. A puppy, even. But a baby girl was the true fantasy.
“Yes, you did, my love. And she’s beautiful. Sam’s watching over her as we speak.”
“What happened?” I didn’t remember much at all. “Why am I here?”
Dane pulled up a chair and sat next to me, gripping my hand like he’d never let go.
“You ran away, into the forest, and fell down a cliff embankment. We thought we were going to lose you both, but you were very lucky. You’ve got a cracked rib or two and some cuts and bruising, but considering how far you fell, we’re all thanking our lucky stars that you got away from it so unscathed.”
Cracked ribs? I looked down at my hand where a drip was inserted, probably with some very good painkillers too.
“Why would I run away from you all?”
Then the memories came flooding back and I gasped, pulling my hand from Dane’s grip.
“You’re going to give me to the bears! You don’t even want me.”
I began to scream. “Help! Somebody! Help me!”
Dane grabbed for my hands again.
I pushed at him, my heart pounding against my ribs. “No! Get away from me! I want my baby! Give me my baby!”
Two nurses and Claire came rushing in. “Celeste, calm down. Please.”
I grabbed for Claire’s arm and held her tight. “They’re going to send me back to the bears; you need to protect me, please. My baby, I need my baby. They’re going to steal her from me.”
Claire grabbed my hands and squeezed hard.
“Celeste, listen to me. Okay? Listen. No one is taking your baby away. She’s in a crib, in the NICU. I can bring her to you, but you can’t hold her yet, okay?”
I nodded but couldn’t stop shaking.
Claire tried to move away but I grabbed her arm tighter.
“Claire, you can’t leave. Tayte said he was going to hand me over to the bears once the baby came. If she’s here, then he’ll throw me away.”
My throat closed up as the betrayal truly hit home.
After giving myself entirely over to them, they were going to get rid of me. After I’d finally let down my guard, let myself believe that they loved me.
A sob rose and I couldn’t hold it in.
Claire grabbed for me again. “I’m not going anywhere until we figure all this out, okay? Nurse Myers, could you bring Celeste’s baby to us, please?”
I watched the woman go and relaxed a fraction. But I wasn’t letting Claire’s hand go. No way.
Dane was still in the room, and I shot him a glare before looking back at the doctor.
“They’re going to kill me.”
I’d known it was all too good to be true.
The wolves had been waiting for me to grow them a baby, and then they were done with me.
The nurse came back into the room, wheeling a clear-sided box with a baby inside.
She was barely dressed and so beautiful my heart broke in half, only to fill up with a love I’d never known existed.
“Oh my God.” I let go of Claire’s hands and reached for the box. “She’ll be cold like that, won’t she?”
The baby turned toward my voice and blinked up at me with huge blue eyes.
Oh my God. She’s here.
“Hello, baby, I’m your mama. I can’t believe I missed your birth.” I looked at Claire. “How many days has it been?”
Claire came close and smiled. “She’s not cold, don’t worry. These humidicribs are kept at a constant ninety-seven degrees, so she’s nice and warm. And she was born only twenty-four hours ago. You haven’t missed much at all, Mama.”
Claire glanced at the door, but I didn’t want to take my eyes off my baby.
“Now, you can touch her through these special little sleeves,” Claire opened up an access point for me.
I placed my hand inside and reached for my baby. I touched her soft skin on her arm and her tiny little hand.
Her fingers wrapped around my finger and I began to cry, tears slipping down my cheeks.
“How long will she need to stay in here, Claire?”
I’d been four weeks from my due date. How dangerous was that for my baby girl?
“Just a few more days, I think, Celeste. We’ll reassess her each day. Now, I’m going to leave her here with you and I’m going to deal with something in the corridor. Just yell if you need me.”
“Okay.”
I was never going to need anything else, ever again.
I had my little angel.
She’d survived that horrible fall.
We both had.
And now I had to work out a way to survive the next fifty years of my life, because there was no way I was letting the wolves use me as a sacrifice now.