Chapter 390

Nina

The sun had just barely risen, and I already held the ticket to Mountainview in my slightly trembling hand. In just a few hours, I would be back in the supernatural realm. Who knew what would happen after that; the fortune teller’s words still echoed in my mind, leaving me more terrified than I expected.

“Be careful, or you’ll lose everything,” she had said as Enzo and I hurried away. I could still hear her voice in the back of my head as though she was still standing right there.

A generational curse. A stillborn baby. A vision. Was it all connected, or was it just a coincidence? I hoped it was the latter, of course, but I could never be too sure these days.

“You’re sure you don’t want me to come?” Enzo’s voice pulled me out of my reverie, reminding me of where I was.

We were standing at the bustling airport terminal. All around us, busy commuters and travelers hurried back and forth.

A man in a suit was talking loudly on a cell phone about stock prices. A young couple was excitedly weighing their bags, both of them dressed for the tropics. A single woman was chewing her lip and trying to make sense of the plane schedule. I felt just as lost and confused as her.

But I shook my head. “I’ll be fine,” I assured Enzo for what felt like the millionth time that morning. I gave his hand a squeeze. “I promise. Stay here, get your work done. We’ll be together before you know it.”

Enzo nodded, although I could see the worry still clouding his eyes. “Alright,” he said. “But Nina, if anything goes wrong, I want you to call me right away. Okay?”

“I promise,” I replied gently. “For the hundredth time this morning, I promise.”

“Well, can you blame me for being worried?” He pulled me into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping around me as if he could shield me from the universe and its fickle behavior. “You have to stay safe, Nina. For yourself and for our baby.”

I nestled my head against his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. “I will, Enzo,” I whispered, my voice muffled by his shirt. “Don’t worry. Everything will be just fine. You’ll see.”

We held each other for a long moment, savoring the closeness we were about to lose temporarily. Enzo’s hand gently cradled the small bump on my belly, and I couldn’t help but touch it too, as if reassuring our unborn child that everything would be okay.

When we finally pulled apart, our eyes met. “You’ll call me every day, right?” he asked, his voice softer now.

I nodded, hot tears pricking at the backs of my eyes and threatening to spill. “I will. I’ll keep you updated on everything, okay?”

A soft smile came across his lips as he leaned down to kiss me. He tasted like coffee, a familiar and comforting sensation. I normally hated public displays of affection, but I didn’t care today. After what had transpired yesterday, I wasn’t about to walk out of this terminal without kissing my husband in front of everyone.

As we broke apart, Enzo cleared his throat and gripped my hands tightly. “I love you, Nina. Don’t forget that.”

“I love you too, Enzo,” I said with a half-chuckle. “But we’ll only be apart for a few more days, right?”

He nodded, although hesitantly. I knew that Tim still wanted him to start working early, but it wasn’t something we had discussed since it first came up.

There was too much on our plate right now to linger on it; all that mattered was that for now, I knew we would be together again in just a few days. Whatever happened after that was out of our hands.

With a final lingering gaze and a wave goodbye, I turned to head toward the security checkpoint. Each step away from Enzo felt like a knife twisting in my gut. Even my wolf howled in agony, not at our distance, but at the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

The line at the security checkpoint moved slowly, giving me ample time to reflect on the decision we had made. I clutched the plane ticket in my hand, the promise of returning to my parents' realm providing a flicker of hope in the midst of my fear.

As I waited my turn, I couldn’t help but notice the other travelers around me. Families saying goodbye, friends sharing one last laugh, lovers holding onto each other before the inevitable separation.

It was a reminder that, even though I often felt worlds apart from the rest of humanity, we were the same; despite what existed in my blood, I was still human to my core.

When it was finally my turn to pass through security, I turned to steal one last glimpse at Enzo. He was still standing by the entrance, watching me with a mix of worry and something else I couldn’t quite read. Our eyes met, and I offered him another tiny wave.

“I love you,” I mouthed, blowing him a kiss. He smirked, lifting his hand to catch the kiss. I couldn’t help but giggle a bit as he pretended to put it in his pocket.

And then, just like that, he was gone. I watched his form fade through the double doors, and then he was out of sight.

As I boarded the plane later, I couldn’t help but feel a sickening sense of trepidation. I was only going home, but it felt different. I wasn’t just heading home after a vacation; I was rushing home in the wake of something terrifying.

A flight attendant offered me a warm smile as she passed by, but I could only manage a feeble response. My hand instinctively moved to my belly, the constant touch a source of reassurance and comfort.

As the plane taxied down the runway and lifted off into the morning sky, I felt my anxieties rise along with the giant metal bird. The city below eventually faded into the distance, and ahead of us was nothing but pinkish blue sky as the sun began to warm the earth.

I turned my gaze to the window, my reflection staring back at me. My hand was still over my belly. I pressed it down a little more firmly as though that could somehow protect the little life inside of me, the little life that seemed as though it had been constantly hanging in the balance since I discovered it.

And for just a moment, I allowed myself to consider the possibilities: the joyful meeting with my first born child, or perhaps something far worse. Maybe that possibility was something that I would have to come to terms with.

“Excuse me,” a voice said from beside me, breaking me out of my deep train of thought.

I looked away to see an elderly woman sitting beside me, her brown eyes shining from behind her wrinkled skin.

“Yes?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

She smiled, pausing for a moment as though choosing her words carefully, before she pointed at my belly. “Are you pregnant?”

Now, I was the one who hesitated for a moment, swallowing, before I finally nodded. “I am.”

The old woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh, how wonderful,” she cooed, clasping her hands together. “I could sense it on you. You’re positively glowing.”

I quirked an eyebrow, surprised. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yes. I was a midwife for decades, and let me just say… you seem like you’ve got a wonderful, healthy pregnancy in front of you. Really, I wish you all the best.”

I didn’t know what to say. The old woman’s words seemed so profound and out of the ordinary, that it almost felt like a sign, or as if she had read my mind. All I could manage was a simple “T-Thank you,” before I returned my attention to the window.

I couldn’t help but smile as I looked out at the window, and think that maybe that was the reminder that I needed: that despite all of the darkness, there was still light in the world. There was still the pinkish hue of the rising sun, the white tufts of clouds in the sky, and an old woman’s vibrant eyes.

And that, I decided, would be the thing that kept me going. I was sure of it.