With a sigh, Amarok stared across the room at Makita, who was lying on his dog bed, as he picked up the phone. The Talbots hated that their daughter lived so far away. They wanted her back in Boston, which was why he wasn’t very confident they were happy she was marrying him. Knowing how they felt made delivering the news he had to give them that much harder. They’d no longer believe he could take care of her.

He rested his head on one fist while he listened to the phone begin to ring. Why didn’t he do more to protect her while he had the chance? How could he have let this happen?

He knew those questions weren’t entirely reasonable. He’d had no idea that something might go wrong, no warning, but he couldn’t help asking himself why he hadn’t been more cautious, just in case. Since Jasper had been caught, he’d relaxed too much.

“Hello?” Evelyn’s mother sounded excited but slightly harried at the same time.

Standing in preparation for the punch this conversation was sure to pack, he cleared his throat. “Lara, it’s Amarok.”

“Oh, I’m so glad you called!” she said. “Is Evelyn there with you?”

He winced. “No, she’s not. I’m afraid—”

“Oh darn!” she broke in, obviously not hearing anything besides no, she’s not. “I just tried to reach her at the prison but couldn’t get her, and she’s not answering at home. Where is she?”

Amarok hesitated. “Lara, I—”

Apparently, she wasn’t truly committed to the question, because she didn’t give him a chance to finish what he was about to say before continuing, “I need to reach her. Brianne’s in labor. I’m heading over to the hospital right now.”

Amarok had been up for so long, he felt as though he were ten feet underwater and everything was coming at him through the distortion of that medium. For a moment, he even wondered if he might be hallucinating. He’d never been awake for so many days at one time. It was scrambling his perception, his thoughts and, most of all, his emotions.

He pulled the phone away so he could look at it just to be sure it was solid and real.

“Hello?” she said impatiently. “Did you hear what I said?”

He pulled the receiver back. “I did.”

“You’re probably calling to talk about the wedding, and I can’t wait to hear all about it. I know you were supposed to meet with the people from that Moosehead place to get a price on food. Evelyn insists that you two are paying for the reception there, that she’s too old for us to foot the bill. But that’s nonsense. She’s our girl, and we’re going to give her a proper wedding. Never mind that there will be two receptions. They’re both on us. We’re the ones who requested a second event in Boston, and you’re having to take time off work and travel all the way across the country.”

Someone spoke in the background. Amarok could only suppose it was Grant, Evelyn’s father.