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She was bleeding

As Layla looked down at the toilet paper in her hand, the red stain on all that white was the visual equivalent of a screa behind herself, she flushed, and had to use the wall to steady her balance as she got to her feet With one hand on her lower belly and the other thrown out at the sink counter and then the doorjaht for the phone

Her first instinct was to call Doc Jane, but she decided against that Assu, there was a possibility of sparing Qhuinn the wrath of the Pri the Brotherhood&039;s personal physician probably wasn&039;t the best way to ensure privacy

After all, there was only one reason a fe and how she&039;d handled it would inevitably follow

At the table by the bedside, she opened the drawer and drew out a s the nu hand

When she hung up a little later, she had an appoint to get out there? She couldn&039;t denant feed froh she could drive herself Qhuinn&039;s lessons had been coine, in her condition, getting on a highway and trying to keep up with the flow of human traffic

Fritz Perl to the closet, she retrieved a soft chemise, twisted it into a thick rope, and secured it between her legs with the help of several pairs of underwear The solution to her bleeding issue was incredibly bulky and made it hard to walk, but that was the least of her problems

A phone call to the kitchen secured the butler to drive her

Now she just had to get down the stairs, out the vestibule, and into that long saloon car in one piece - and without running into any of the males of the household

Just as she was about to leave her rooht her reflection in the mirrors upon the wall Her white robe and her for else could: Nobody beside the Scribe Virgin&039;s sacred females in the species dressed like this

Even if she appeared under the assuuess her other-worldly affiliation

Throwing off her robing, she atte she had applied to herself made that an iether wouldn&039;t work, either

Withdrawing the chemise, she used paper towels froet the denim on A heavy sweater provided bulk and warmth, and a quick brush out and tieback of her hairher rooiven her She thought only briefly about calling him, but in truth, as there to say? He had no more control over this process than she did -

Oh, dearest Virgin Scribe, she was losing their young

The thought occurred to her just as she ca their young At this very &039;s study

All at once the ceiling crashed down on her head and the walls of the grand, spacious foyer squeezed in so tight she could not draw a breath

"Your grace?"

Shaking herself, she looked down the red carpet runner Fritz was standing at the foot of the stairs, dressed in his standard livery, his old, lovely face clothed in concern

"Your grace, shall we go now?" he said

As she nodded and cautiously started doard, she couldn&039;t believe it had all been for naught, all those hours of straining with Qhuinnthe frozen after and the worrying and the quiet, treacherous hope

The fact that she had given the gift of her virginity away for naught