Chapter 34 Declan
DECLAN
Callum's pacing the hallway like he's waiting for someone to pull a trigger.
The second I shut the door on the doctor and Lyra, I nod for us to walk down the hall. "We need to talk."
He follows without question.
"She's going to be fine," he says. "I'm sure it's nothing."
We get to the end of the hall, and Callum starts pacing again.
"Could you stop?" I say, leaning against the wall. "You're making me more nervous than I already am."
I've never seen my brother like this. Agitated, unsettled. Callum's always the composed one, the one with the plan. But tonight, he looks almost as shaken as I feel.
"It's the second ambush in what, a month? Declan, you need to tell me everything you know. Now."
"I know," I say, rubbing my face.
"It started with Knox, one of my fighters."
"Your fighter?"
"Yeah. We found him dead in an alley behind Frank's Gym with a black feather in his mouth."
Callum's eyes narrow. "A feather."
"Like the one we found at the warehouse. Like the one by the driver. They're all connected," I sigh. "Then the ship fire. There was a black feather spray-painted on the hull."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Callum asks.
"I thought I could handle it." I rub the back of my neck. "Obviously, I was wrong."
Callum's jaw tightens. "What else?"
"We caught one of them. At the warehouse attack. I managed to interrogate him before he died."
"And?"
"He said he belonged to a group. They called themselves the Morrigan. I believe their leader is someone they call the Phantom King." The memory of the man's words sends a chill through me. "He said they were coming for us because of what we did to them."
"What we did?"
I nod.
"From what I've been able to gather, there's a group made up of people with vendettas against our family. Widows. Orphans. Brothers of men we've killed. People we didn't even know we hurt. And they're not just angry, they're organized."
"What the fuck," Callum says, shaking his head. "Anything else?"
"This," I say, and reach into my jacket pocket and pull out my wallet. I open it and take out the bloodstained card I took off the man who stabbed me.
"After the ambush," I say, handing the card to Callum, "I found this on the one who stabbed me."
Callum looks it over.
"He told me, 'the Phantom King sends his regards' as he tried to kill me."
"Shadowharbor Foundation," Callum says, tapping his finger against the card. "Shadowharbor. That does sound familiar."
"You've heard of it?" I ask.
"Maybe. I can't place it." He shakes his head. "And you think they are tied to this Morrigan group made up of people we've either dealt with before or people close to those we've killed, right?"
"Yes, and yes. But I don't know how this Shadowharbor company or whatever ties into it. I haven't gotten around to that part yet."
"Jesus." Callum says and looks down at the floor, thinking. "We need to tell Keira. All of us need to be on the same level with this. If they are targeting our family, then they are targeting all of us."
"Agreed."
"And Father—"
"No," I cut him off. "Not yet. He's got enough to worry about. Let him and Mom stay out in Ireland and focus on his health."
Callum nods. "If someone's building an army out of our enemies, we can't go at it alone."
"We won't. The three of us can deal with this shit."
Before Callum can argue, the door to the room Lyra's in opens and Dr. Tanner steps out.
"Mr. Killaney, I need to perform an ultrasound on Lyra. She says you might have one in the house?"
My stomach drops. "An ultrasound? What's wrong?"
"Nothing serious," she assures me. "Just a precaution."
"What? Do you have one of those here?" Callum asks.
I nod. "Yeah, I have one in the medical room downstairs."
"Could you bring it up? She'd like you to," Dr. Tanner says.
"Of course." I turn to Callum.
"Shit, really?"
I don't answer him as I start walking away. "Call Keira. Get her over here."
I fly down the stairs, taking them two at a time. The ultrasound. She needs the ultrasound.
My mind races through a dozen worst-case scenarios. Internal bleeding. Organ damage from the shooting. Something we missed. Fuck, I should have taken her to a hospital.
I burst into the medical room and locate the ultrasound machine tucked in the corner. I'd had this room set up for Lyra as a surprise, stocked with everything she might need; I never thought she'd need it for herself.
I bring up the machine and wheel it toward the door, its wheels squeaking on the polished floor. Shane appears in the hall.
"I heard what happened. What's that for?" he asks.
"Lyra and I don't know," I say, and I hate how my voice sounds. "She's bleeding. The doctor wants to check something."
"Fuck," he says, stepping aside. "I'll be here if you need anything."
I wheel the machine inside, my eyes immediately finding Lyra. She's lying on the bed, her face pale but composed. She looks so small against the pillows.
She reaches out for me. "Come here. Hold my hand."
I sit beside her on the bed and take her hand in mine. Her fingers feel cold. "Are you sure you're okay? Does anything hurt?"
"I'm fine," she says. "Don't worry."
But I am, and I can see something in her eyes that tells me she's concerned, too.
Dr. Tanner turns on the machine, the screen flickering to life. She squeezes gel onto Lyra's abdomen, and Lyra flinches at the cold.
"Sorry about that," Dr. Tanner says. "Always cold."
She presses the wand against Lyra's skin, moving it in slow circles. The screen fills with gray and white shadows, meaningless to me. Dr. Tanner watches intently, her expression giving nothing away.
Then she stops, focusing on something. "There we are," she says.
I lean forward, squinting at the screen. There's a small, dark space, and within it, something tiny. Something with a flicker of movement.
"What the hell is that?" I ask, my throat suddenly dry.
Dr. Tanner turns to me, her smile warm. "That," she says, "is a baby."
The world stops, and I mean everything stops. The room, the air, my breathing—freezes for one perfect moment.
"What?!" I manage. "I don't. How?"
Lyra's grip on my hand tightens. She's looking at me, her eyes bright with tears.
"Remember when you asked why I was smiling and I told you I’d tell you when we got home?" she says, voice trembling. "Well, the doctor who told me I couldn't have kids, turns out he lied. I can, and…" She pauses, looking at Dr. Tanner. "Am I?"
Dr. Tanner nods, pointing to the flickering on the screen. "Yes, baby looks fine. It was just some spotting, probably due to stress or exerting yourself. You'll need to relax. Take it easy."
"Oh my god." I stare at Lyra, at the screen, at our joined hands. "You're fucking pregnant."
Dr. Tanner laughs softly. "I'll give you two some time," she says, wiping the gel from Lyra's stomach and stepping toward the door. "Congratulations."
I watch as the door closes behind her and then turn to Lyra.
Her face is radiant through her tears. "The doctor, Dr. Johns, was his name.
I ran into him tonight at the tournament.
He told me he lied to protect me from the Albanians.
Something about repaying my dad. I don't know, and honestly, I don't care now.
I was thinking of going to get some tests to make sure he was bullshitting, but I guess I don't need to now,” she smiles.
I can't speak.
Can't think.
A baby.
Our baby. Growing inside her right now.
I bring our joined hands to my lips, pressing a kiss against her knuckles.
"Declan," she says, her free hand reaching up to touch my face. "We're going to build that future, that family together. I can give it to you!"
"We were already going to build our future," I say as her tears flow freely now, her joy so bright it's almost blinding. I lean down, pressing my forehead against hers, breathing her in.
"With the baby, you know what this means now, right?" I ask.
Lyra smiles through her tears. "What?"
"You have to marry me."
She laughs, pure and beautiful. "Oh, is that so? I don't have a choice?"
I shake my head and kiss her, smiling against her lips. "No. That's my baby. And you're mine forever."
Her eyes shine as she looks up at me. "Okay, I guess if I have to."
I gather her into my arms, holding her against my chest. As usual, she fits perfectly there, like she was made for me. And now there's someone else, someone tiny, barely formed, but already fiercely protected.
"I love you," I say into her hair. "Both of you."
Lyra's arms tighten around me. "We love you too."
My hand slides down and rests on her stomach. There's nothing to feel yet, no movement, no bump, but knowing what's growing beneath my palm changes everything.