strength in his arms that meant his life wasn’t just about high marks. As Serassi leaned over them, he realized he didn’t feel the desire to please anyone anymore. In fact, he felt the desire to shove his fist in her face.
“It will be different when the baby comes,” he said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. “We don’t know much now because neither one of us has had a baby before. But we’ve both worked with children. If you let us give birth to Sparrow naturally and raise her ourselves, we will show you something new.”
Nok looked at him in that loving way that always made his heart flutter a little.
“No. I do not think so.” Serassi’s words made his hope come crashing down again. “This scenario is not justifying its expense. I cannot continue without immediate measurable results. The fetus is nearly viable; once it is, we will transfer it to one of our grow centers. Your participation in this child’s life will no longer be required.”
Rolf couldn’t quite process what he had heard. No longer required? Take the child? It wasn’t until he saw the look of horror on Nok’s face that it sank in.
“Wait!” Nok yelled. “Oh my goodness, I misunderstood!” She forced a sudden smile that was so incredibly out of place Rolf could only stare. “I feel so stupid! All this time I thought you meant you wanted us to adhere to the books.” She smacked herself on the forehead. “It was just a misunderstanding! We can certainly do what you want! Can’t we, Rolf?”
She seemed to be struggling not to turn her smile into a grimace.
“Yes,” he answered quickly, though the lie had him flustered. “Yes, of course.”
“There are so many swaddling techniques that aren’t in the books,” Nok continued. “In Thailand we do this special thing with, um, pillowcases. Cut a hole in the top for the baby’s head and bind it up tight. Babies love it. Fall asleep right away. I’m sure it’s not in the books—it’s something my mother taught me, and her mother taught her before that. Really informal stuff, yeah?”
Rolf didn’t dare move a muscle. He certainly knew Thais didn’t swaddle their children in pillowcases, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was if Serassi believed it.
But Serassi only watched them, her face a mask.
“Right, Rolf?” Nok prodded. “They do something special in Norway too, right?”
But he only blinked. That old nervous twitch threatened to come out, and he had to press his hands against the table to keep his fingers still. “Ah . . .” But he wasn’t nearly as good a liar as Nok.
“Oh yeah,” she covered for him. “I remember you telling me about it once. Mothers use their wedding dresses in Norway to wrap their babies. It’s a good-luck thing.”
Serassi cocked her head slowly. “Good luck?”
“You know,” Nok said in a rush. “Superstition.”
Serassi slowly lowered her hands and typed something into the input pad around her hips. Rolf waited, barely daring to breathe, until she had finished typing.
“Superstition,” Serassi said at last. “Good.”
Rolf let out a tight breath.
“Perhaps you have something to teach us after all,” Serassi said. “At least for the time being.” She turned to leave. It wasn’t until long after she had disappeared into the shadows that Rolf and Nok dared to sink together onto the living room couch.
Nok immediately burst into tears.
“It’s okay,” Rolf said, holding her close. “She isn’t taking Sparrow away. You convinced her. You were brilliant, Nok. Truly brilliant.”
“I didn’t know what else to do!” she sobbed, brushing away sloppy tears. “I’m so sorry.”
He blinked at her in confusion. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
“Lying,” she spat out. “I made a promise to myself when they took us from the cage. I became such a terrible person there, Rolf. The things I did with Leon, that I almost did with Lucky too. I was awful to you, yeah? And the moment I realized how crazy I’d gone, I promised myself no more lies.”
“This is different,” he whispered. “No lies between you and me, yes. Between us and the Kindred”—he smiled—“tell as many as you want.”
A grin broke through her tears.
That night, for once, they had the freedom of no eyes watching them, but Rolf couldn’t shake the feeling that at any moment Serassi might change her mind. While Nok spent the evening fabricating baby-raising techniques and writing them down in a journal for them both to study, he worked on the time conversion.