My heart thumped with affection. "Really?"
"Absolutely."
"So... you want to become a mortal?" I asked.
"Yes."
That statement took a moment to fully comprehend. A spirit becoming mortal... I'd never heard of such a thing, but then again, I'd never heard of a spirit and a mortal being fated mates until now either. With Animus, anything was possible.
Aside from the possibility, his declaration struck an emotional chord within me. He'd give up immortality just to spend his life withme. It spoke volumes of Animus's love. His devotion made my heart ache and sing in equal measure.
"I'll support any decision you make," I told him. "But if you're not a spirit anymore, what will happen to your magic? It's part of you. You spent so much time and effort regaining it."
"Oh, trust me, I don't intend to waste it." Animus smirked. His eyes gleamed like the moon's surface. As if awakened by our conversation, his glowing body brimmed with magic. "I've got a plan."
Twenty-One
Animus
Fate may have given out blessings when it came to pairing up mates, but it was also a source of cruel pranks—like the fact that I went into labor ten minutes after Leveret left the house to eat lunch.
I'd walked around with a swollen belly for months, wondering when the big event would finally happen. Since there was no Giving Birth for Spirits handbook, I was utterly clueless when it came down to it. All I could do was play it by ear. Each day that crept by, I was convincedthatwould finally be the day.
And it never was.
Just as my frustration hit a peak, I felt a change within my body.
I was in our bedroom pacing around when it happened. I stopped suddenly. Out of nowhere, it felt like a misalignment had popped perfectly into place.
That was when I knew the baby was coming.
And Leveret wasn't home.
I glared at the ceiling, hoping the gods and fate and every other cosmic force heard me muttering. "Oh, you son of a..."
A pang of pain cut me off. I hissed through my teeth.
"Shit."
Dammit. I'd hoped that as a powerful magic spirit, I wouldn't have to deal with labor pains like other omegas did, but apparently I wasn'tthatspecial.
A surreal realization dawned on me. My baby was coming.Ourbaby was coming. My fated mate wasn't home, and I needed him, and I also had to make a nest right fuckingnow.
Where the hell did that urge come from?
Panicking, I raced down to the kitchen. Starry was in the middle of eating a meat sandwich. She blinked at me in confusion. Putting down the food, she signed, "What's wrong?"
"Baby," I blurted out.
Starry leapt out of her seat. "What can I do?"
My mind raced with a million tasks to accomplish. I had to focus. One thing at a time. I needed Leveret by my side for support, and he wasn't here—but I also needed to make a nest, which wasn't something I'd predicted. Couldn't my body have warned me about this instinct ahead of time instead of the second I went into labor?
Frazzled, I squeezed my temples. What was more important? My mate's presence, or the urge to protect my about-to-be-born baby?
As if sensing my panic, Starry rushed up to me and stared into my eyes.
"Take a breath," she signed firmly.