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“An attack outside on the street could’ve attracted unwanted attention,” he mused. “They wanted you to rest before kidnapping you. Miscarriage isn’t uncommon with gifted babies.”
“How did they know? How could they know about me, and where I was heading?”
Lann scrubbed a hand over his face. “Despite our precautions, someone in the clinic must’ve leaked the information. The Piranhas couldn’t have been far when you left. In fact, if you hadn’t left when you did, they would’ve gotten to you right there, in the clinic. They followed your trail after you’d left. They have a sense of smell stronger than the best bloodhounds. They would have sniffed you out anywhere.”
Kat walked to the window and looked down at a square lined with Indian Lilac trees. “I wish I could wake up from this nightmare.”
“We have to leave. The sooner the better. The safe house is protected with anti-smell devices, so we’re safe for now, but the Piranhas are powerful. I have to take you someplace safe where Eve can work undisturbed.”
She turned back to him. “Work undisturbed?”
Lann crossed the floor and took her hands. “It’s too late. We had a very small timeframe to work with. That’s why Eve needed a blood sample.” The pained expression on his face made him look haunted. “Your body has already altered. If we terminate the pregnancy now, you’ll die. You’ll have to carry the baby to term.” He dropped her hands. “I promise you, Katherine, we’ll do everything we can to find a cure.”
When she’d run, she’d already come to the conclusion that death was inevitable, but hearing him say it was still like a punch in the stomach.
“I’m sorry,” he said, saying the apology not only with words, but also with his otherworldly eyes.
She wanted to say that she knew the risk she’d taken, and that she couldn’t have done otherwise because she already loved the little being growing inside her, but Eve entered, holding a mobile phone to Lann.
“It’s Joss.”
He nodded and took the phone. “Did Eve brief you?” He paced the floor, a frown marring his brow as he listened to the reply.
“Yes,” Lann said, glancing at Kat, “she’s six weeks along. If David knows, we’re open targets for any gift hunter.”
Lann stopped in front of her, not breaking their eye contact. “He did mention a name. Godfrey. Ring any bells?”
He listened to Joss’s reply before saying, “We need a safe place to keep her. How’s security at the castle?”
After a while, he nodded. “Good. I agree. It’s best to send Bono in. We’ll be ready.”
He hung up and gave the phone to Eve.
“I’ll get my things,” she said, leaving quickly.
“What’s happening?” Kat asked.
“I’m taking you to a castle up north, in Brittany. It’s safe there. We’re going in by helicopter. There’s less risk of us being traced.” He gripped her shoulder and pulled her away from the window. “We have to go now. The helicopter will land soon.”
“Whose castle?” she asked as he buttoned up her coat.
“It belongs to friends, Joss and Clelia de Arradon. You’ll like them.” Catching her off guard, he kissed her lips, stealing a forbidden caress, before leading her back to the lounge where Eve waited with a doctor’s bag.
A tall, muscled man with smooth, dark skin, wearing an eyepatch and a diamond earring, met them in front of a helicopter at the airfield where they’d landed. He wore a leather jacket with matching gloves, a red scarf, and heavy boots.
He gave Kat a warm smile and shook her hand. “I’m Bono Black, your pilot,” he said in a deep voice with a distinct French accent. He nodded at Lann, and pecked Eve on the cheek. “Hey, Doc.”
Lann helped Kat inside the back.
Once they were settled and their safety belts secured, Bono turned in his seat. “Do you get airsick, Kat?”
“She doesn’t,” Lann said.
Under normal circumstances, she would’ve been thrilled with the ride, but all she wanted was for the nightmare to end.
“My kind of gal,” Bono said, saluting her. He glanced at Eve. “Ready, Doc?”
Eve gave him a thumbs-up. Flashing them a grin, he turned to manipulate the controls. He obviously loved his job.
Suddenly seeming to remember something, Lann reached in his pocket and withdrew a packet of ground ginger. He offered it to her with soft, sad smile.
She took it wordlessly.
The blades started turning, and soon they were in the air. She stared at the city lights that grew smaller as they gained altitude. They donned earphones and mikes, but no one spoke. Bono whistled a tune after running a coordinate check with a control tower. Lann was tense. Eve looked nervous. As for herself, she didn’t know what she was supposed to feel. She was going to have a baby, but she’d never be a mother. She didn’t know how she felt about dying. Up until yesterday, she hadn’t given it much thought. She’d been preoccupied with expecting the baby of a man who didn’t want to see her again. Yesterday, being a single mother had seemed daunting, but today it was the least of her problems. Normally, she’d be coming apart. Strangely, she only felt numb.
