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“Or popping them out next year.”
“Nextyear?”
“Tomorrow morning?”
As Kara and I stammer our tandem reactions, Jaden’s forehead furrows. “Mother had normal human pregnancies with all of us, so there’s that. But if Kara’s demon or witchy sides were flowing strong at conception, along with Maximus bringing the Olympian nectar to the mix—”
Kara flings up a hand before I can. “Okay, Sisyphus, roll that stone down to earth.”
“Or back up the hill?” Kell quips. “Because seriously, I can hear my pillows screaming my name all the way from here, kids.”
Jesse taps one of the pouches on his wheelchair, causing its definable jingle. “Let’s head down to the garage.”
“Yesss.” Kell playfully pumps a fist before circling over to hug Kara goodbye. During their clinch, I overhear her whispered promises about forcing Jaden to go blow off steam with some friends and a motorcycle ride. Though the idea sounds like heaven to my own senses, it doesn’t come close to the need to return to my woman’s side. To connect in full with her again.
But first, there are the private words I need to have with her siblings—and my best friend.
Once I’ve flipped the deadlock bolt to hold the door open by an inch, I follow them into the hallway. Even now, I turn my back to the entrance and hunch my shoulders as an instinctual volume guard for my voice.
“You guys meant it, right?” I say to Jaden and Kell. “You’re going to keep this thing out of Veronica’s orbit for now?”
Jaden’s shoulders stiffen. “You don’t think we’re good for it?”
“Hey. Chill,” Kell admonishes him. “We’re all dealing with post-underworld PTSD in one way or another.”
“But you also have a support network to help out,” Jesse comments, rewarded at once by Kell’s good-natured grin.
“As in, making an extra stop so I can adopt a therapy cat?”
“Sure,” Jaden scoffs. “Becausethat’sa fantastic idea. Cain and Abel will be loving that so much.”
I frown. “Cain and Abel?”
“Our nicknames for our mother’s dogs,” Kell fills in. “And there’s somethingyoucan keep off of Veronica’s radar.”
I chuckle. “Secret’s safe with me.”
“While we’re back on that subject…” Jaden folds his arms and cocks his head. “Kell had a point back in there. You could be helping Kara into maternity clothes by next week.”
I stab a hand back through my hair. “Shit. And there’s really no way of knowing?”
“Doctor Doug might have some educated theories,” Kell offers, looking contemplative. “But more than that, he’ll be able to run some necessary tests on both Kara and the baby.”
I frown again. “Doctor Doug?”
She nods. “He and five others service the worldwide demon population. They rotate to different locations around their designated districts. I can ask around about when Doug will be in LA next.”
My scowl deepens. “Fivephysicians? To service every demon on the planet?”
“It’s a special gig,” Jaden states. “Requiring nearly a century of study. If a demon chooses the calling, they agree to go through existence-extending blood transfusions. From what I hear, the procedure isn’t comfortable.”
“Existence extensions,” I echo. “Like vampires.”
Jaden chuffs. “Well, the other parts of the contract demand total abstinence and sobriety.”
“So, vampire monks.”
Jesse’s drawl gets him fast chortles from the other two, but again I’m not missing that Kell’s reaction is the fuel for his fresh preen. And now, my new discomfort—spurring my need to react quickly but calmly.
