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“Thanks for explaining the tattoo,” Siofra said. Baatar had to accept being a shifter and she had to accept ...
She couldn’t think on that right now, because she had a more pressing concern. “When you were telling me about the program you have for female shifters and their young, you said you helped women in need, right?” Siofra asked Scarlett. She hated how her voice sounded shaky, but she’d just looked in the mirror to clean up while she had a moment and her heart almost stopped at what she saw.
Scarlett said, “Sure. Why?”
“What if, uh, I’m the one in need?”
Scarlett gave her an assessing look. “I’m not discounting you, but I don’t understand the problem.”
Leaning close, Siofra whispered, “Take a look at my eyes.”
Scarlett opened hers wide and raised her eyebrows. “I’m looking.” Then she lost the silly look and said, “Oh, shit. Your eyes. The right one is now—”
Siofra shushed her. “Not so loud.” But at least now Scarlett realized Siofra’s two eyes had swapped colors. Someone not paying attention would miss it, but once everything settled down, Justin, Rory and the eagle man would know.
Scarlett mouthed, “I saw a change something like that in Tess’s eyes.”
“Is she mated to one of Rory’s shifter buddies?”
“Yes and she admitted the eye color change was because she’s pregnant. Are you, too?”
Keeping watch out for Baatar and Rory, who were both across the open area and busy bitching at each other, Siofra said, “I don’t know for sure, but I think so.”
“Oh, shit.”
“You have no idea,” Siofra said. “I can’t carry a baby. The Cadells stuck three in me and my body rejected every one, killing the embryos.” It hurt to swallow past her thick throat. Siofra said, “I need some time. I don’t want to tell Rory, make him feel responsible and forced to make a decision based on this. I will probably lose the baby ... soon. That way I can wait until he decides about his future and we can figure out whether I’m in it.”
“I can find a place to put you up, but you might want to keep this from Baatar, too,” Scarlett suggested.
“My sister keeps nothing from me,” Baatar said, walking up. “What is going on?”
Siofra jumped.
Scarlett scowled. “Don’t sneak up on her. This is none of your business. We’re having a private conversation so back the hell up.”
He crossed his arms. “No. You leave.”
“Please, Ganbaatar,” Siofra said, using his full name as she did when he got overbearing.
“No. You tell me anything. I am brother.”
Taking a step toward him, Scarlett said, “That does not give you the right to interfere with Siofra’s private conversations, Gan.”
“Yes, it does. Name is Ganbaatar,” he said.
Siofra rolled her eyes at that. He never used his whole name.
Scarlett and Baatar were locked in a glaring match.
“E-nough,” Siofra said, pushing them apart. “Thank you, Scarlett. I’ll get in touch with you later.”
Scarlett’s face softened when she turned to Siofra. She pulled out a card. “You said you memorized my number, but take this in case you forget it. You can call it any time, day or night.” Tossing a disgusted look at Baatar, Scarlett added, “Call me as soon as you have a moment alone. I can help you go wherever you want.”
Undeterred by Scarlett’s last dig, Baatar said, “Siofra will not be alone. She has me.”
Scarlett had started walking off, but turned back. “I’m not seeing that as a positive at the moment, Gan.”
She continued on until she reached Justin, who told Scarlett, “Cole said SCIS is looking for you, but Tess covered and said you were on a case for her.”
“His mate is a good woman. I’ll check in with SCIS once I get out of here and grab a shower.”
Siofra warned Baatar, who had been watching Scarlett, “Don’t be mean to my friends.”
Looking puzzled, he said, “You did not hear her? She is with SCIS. They hunt shifters. We don’t associate with her kind.”
“Evidently we do, because Scarlett is my friend. You should be thanking her. She did bring me to you. Without her and Rory risking their lives to come for us, you would be auctioned off and probably tortured to make you a tiger, which clearly would not have happened. I would be sold to someone. Did you forget about them coming here voluntarily?”
His big shoulders moved up and down with a heavy breath. “I had bad time in head while chained.”
Siofra filled him in quickly, right down to Scarlett racing out of the camp to draw all the shifters away except Tripoli. She finished by saying, “Not only did she pull them out, but backtracked and dealt with each one alone.”
“I owe apology.” Admitting that clearly pained him.
It didn’t stop Siofra from taunting him. “Hope you enjoy the taste of shoe leather, brother.”
“I do not eat shoe.”
“It means uh... you have to eat crow, admit you were wrong.”
“Oh. I will wait for this meal.”
When Siofra looked over at where Rory stood with his boss and Justin, Baatar turned to see what took her attention. He said, “You must make smart choice, sister.”
“I know. I’m working on it.” She’d had a moment of thrill when she saw her eyes had switched colors and knew in her heart she was pregnant.
Then reality hit her between those very same eyes.
Rory had said he loved her, but he had yet to say he wanted to mate and she was bound to lose this baby as she had the others.
