Face the Fire Page 0,115

and segue since this afternoon."

"How about that?" With a grin a mile wide and a voice that wasn't quite steady, Zack moved over to tug Ripley's long ponytail. "I'm going to be an uncle."

"You've got a couple of months to practice being a daddy first."

Amid the jokes and congratulations, Mia rose. She walked to Ripley, running her hands up and down Ripley's arms as she, too, got to her feet. Then Mia simply drew her in. Drew her close. Held her tight. Emotion flooded Ripley's throat, and she turned her face into Mia's hair.

"There are two," Mia whispered.

"Two?" Ripley's jaw dropped. "Two?" It was all she could say as she pulled back. "You mean . . ."

Staggered, she stared down at her flat belly. "Man."

"Two what?" In the process of drinking the wine Sam had poured into his glass for a toast, Mac smiled over at his wife. Gradually the shock on her face trickled through. "Two? Twins? We've got two in there? I need to sit down."

"You need to sit down?"

"Right. We need to sit down." Mac sat, pulled her onto his lap. "Two for one. That's so cool."

"They'll be safe. I can see it." Mia leaned over, kissed Mac's cheeks. "Go on in the living room, be comfortable. I'll bring coffee. Tea for the mothers. Ripley, you'll want to cut back on the caffeine."

"Something's wrong," Sam commented when Mia walked into the kitchen. "Something more than Lulu's weighing on her."

"She gets worked up about babies." With her hand on her stomach, Ripley tried to imagine two.

"It's more than that. I'll give her a hand with the coffee."

When he stepped into the kitchen she was standing in the open back door, watching the soft summer rain fall on her gardens.

"I want to help you."

"It's no trouble."

He moved to her. "I'm not talking about the coffee. I want to help you."

"You have." She took his hand, gripped it hard for a moment. "You risked your life yesterday for someone I love. You trusted me to hold you, and her, safe so you could help her."

"I did the only thing that could be done."

"The only thing you could do, Sam. Being you."

"Let's leave that. I want to help with what's bothering you now."

"You can't. Not now, in any case. This is my battle, and now there's more at stake than ever. Everything that matters to me is inside this house tonight. And it's there, out there, wanting. Can you feel it?" she whispered. "Just beyond my circle. Pressing, shifting. Waiting."

"Yes. I don't want you staying here alone."

When she started to move away, he took her firmly by the shoulders, turned her. "Mia, whatever you think or feel or want from me, you're too smart to push aside the power I can add to yours. Are you certain that either of us could have saved Lulu alone?"

"No." She let out a breath. "No, I'm not."

"If you don't want me with you, I'll sleep in one of the guest rooms, or the goddamn sofa. You've got your dragon to guard you - and a broken arm wouldn't stop her. This isn't about me trying to get into your bed."

"I know. Let me think about it. We have other things to discuss tonight."

She could think all she liked, he decided as she walked away to finish the coffee. He was staying with her, even if he had to sleep outside in his car.

She served coffee and slices of cream cake. Then she did something Nell hadn't seen her do in the time they'd known each other.

Mia drew the drapes and closed out the night.

"It watches." Mia's voice was calm as she walked the room, lighting more candles. "Or tries to. My gesture was meant to be rude and dismissive. A petty slap. Petty," she continued as she sat and picked up her own coffee, "but satisfying. I owe it more than a petty slap for harming Lulu."

And she would give it more. Much more.

"I have to say, the timing of this is poor. We should be celebrating Ripley and Mac's news. And we will."

She was like a queen, Sam thought. A warrior queen addressing her troops. He wasn't sure how he felt about the image. But as he focused on her, narrowed his vision on her, his belly did a queasy roll.

"Where did you go, Mia? When you left the island, where did you go?"

He saw from the quick race of surprise over her face that he'd caught her off guard. And because he