staring at me with a strange sort of smile on his face. After an hour or so of walking, I asked, “What’s wrong with you today? You’re acting differently.”
“Am I?”
“Yes. Care to share?”
He hesitated for a long moment, and then sighed. “One of my dreams was about you. You were propped up in bed, tired, but happy and beautiful. You held a dark-haired newborn baby boy in your arms. You called him Anik. He was your son.”
“Oh.” That explains why he was acting differently toward me. “Was there . . . anyone else there with me?”
“There was, but I couldn’t see who.”
“I see.”
“He looked like us, Kelsey. I mean . . . he’s either Ren’s or . . . he’s mine.”
What? Is he saying what I think he’s saying? I conjured in my mind a sweet baby boy with Ren’s vivid blue eyes; in a flash, the eyes changed color and became as golden as an Arizona desert. I bit my lip nervously. This isn’t good. Is it possible that Ren won’t survive? That somehow I’ll end up with Kishan? I knew that Kishan had feelings for me, but I couldn’t fathom any future in which I’d choose him over Ren. Maybe I wouldn’t have the option. I have to know!
“And did you uh . . . see the baby’s eyes?”
He paused and looked intently at my face before saying, “No. His eyes were closed. He was sleeping.”
“Oh.” I started walking ahead again.
He stopped me and touched my arm. “You once asked me if I wanted a home and a family. I didn’t think that I’d ever want one without Yesubai, but seeing you like that in my dream, with that little baby . . . yeah. I want it. I want him. I want . . . you. I saw him, and I felt . . . possessive and proud. I want the life that I saw in my dream more than just a little, Kells. I thought you should know that.”
I mutely nodded and fidgeted while he watched me.
He asked, “Is there anything you dreamed about that you’d like to share with me?”
I shook my head and played with the hem of my fairy shirt. “No, not really.”
He grunted and walked ahead.
A baby? I’d always wanted to be a mom and have a family, but I’d never imagined that I’d have two men—brothers, nonetheless—vying for my attention. If Ren, for some reason, doesn’t survive . . . no. I’ll stop that line of thinking right now. He will survive! I’ll do everything I can to find Lokesh. If that puts me in danger, then so be it.
We walked all afternoon, stopping for breaks along the way. I was bothered by Kishan’s confession. I didn’t want to deal with this, didn’t want to hurt him. There were so many unresolved questions. Words formed in my mind, but I couldn’t seem to find the courage to broach the subject. This was bad!
My heart screamed that it wanted Ren, but my mind reminded me that we didn’t always get what we wanted. I wanted my parents back too, and that was impossible. My thoughts roiled like boiling water, but the ideas and thoughts burst into steamy nothingness when they reached the surface.
We didn’t talk much except to say, “Look out for that log,” or, “Watch out for the puddle.” Being with Kishan felt different now, awkward. He seemed to expect something from me, something more than I could give him.
He led us to a range of hills and made for a small cave at the base of one. When we arrived, I peered into its murky depth. “Great. Another cave. I don’t like caves. My experiences with them have not been good thus far.”
He replied, “It’ll be okay. Trust me, Kells.”
“Whatever you say. Please lead on.”
I heard a buzzing noise that grew louder the deeper we went. It was dark. I pulled out my flashlight and swung it around. Thin pillars of light broke through the soil above in several places, spotlighting the rocks and ground. Something brushed my face. Bees! The cave was full of bees. The walls were dripping with honeycomb. It was like we’d stepped into a giant beehive. In the middle of the cave, on a pedestal, sat a stone object with a hole on top that looked not unlike a beehive.
“The omphalos stone!”
A bee crawled down the neck of my shirt and stung me.
“Ow!” I smacked the insect with my hand.
“Shh, Kells. Keep quiet. They’ll bother