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“Whichispretty incredible,” Kell finally admits. “But again, why were we never told about it?”
“There’sa real mystery.” Maximus follows it up by cocking a puzzled glance my way. “Veronica never said a word to you three? Ever? Not even teasing you about it? Not guilting you into doing the dishes or emptying the trash because she had backaches for months because of you?”
“Okay, okay,” Kell grouses. “Maybe it’s time to get back to the subject at hand. Like the fact that our little sprout can’t wait to get to his first rave?”
“Huh?Oh!”My gasp layers atop Maximus’s grunt, as our baby decides that two glow sticks aren’t enough for this brilliant light show. The new shade is a dark but lush gold, stranding through the reds and purples with defined purpose. Like smoke that’s about to form a shape but never does so.
But the message is still clear—with an intent that twists my gut in six new ways. Probably more, once I dare to look back up at Dr. Doug.
The man has no more soft chortles for us. Not even a slightly pleased smirk across his wide, gawky lips. His deep-set eyes take on a buggish life of their own as they ignite with curious light. No. I can’t even call it that.
He’s no longer curious about this.
He’s anxious.
Unsettled.
It’s an energy I’ve never experienced from him before, so my senses are unguarded against it. It’s violent and strange, as he suddenly stares like his stethoscope has turned into a snake and sunk into his carotid. I lean back, overwhelmed to the point that I can’t feel anything from Maximus or Kell. My senses are swallowed by the weird viper that’s latched on to my doctor. The demon who’s never hit me with anything but warm reassurance and dorky doctor humor.
There are no jokes to laugh at now. And, despite the summery shades continuing to rise from my belly, my blood is the temperature of a glacier.
Even as my gaze locks into the thick caramel of his.
His eyes, normally soft and melty, are now sharp-carved and hard. But he saves his most incisive blade for his next determined question.
“Is there somethingelseyou want to tell me, young lady?” He kicks up his thick brows. Then hitches them even higher. “Something that’s not listed in your medical file quite yet?”
Without thinking, I spread both hands across my middle. I have nothing to hide but everything to protect. I tell the doctor as much with my head held high and my spine held straight.
“Well. A funny thing happened between the ninth circle and downtown LA.”
His mouth falls open. “The ninth circle? You were in Hades’s castle?” The air snags in his throat before I’m done with my nod. “Why? And when? And how are you back in this realm afterward? Don’t tell me the bastard simply let you walk free? No, no. Of course he didn’t. There’s got to be another glitch…”
“Close,” Maximus inserts. “Not a glitch so much as abook. With gold binding…pretty similar to that shade.” He points at the gilded swirls that sneak up between my fingers. I fan them out a little, allowing a small smile to break free.
“Booksaremagic, you know,” I murmur.
“Books…are magic.” Doug’s iteration is a softer sough than mine, though his whirring energy slams me like he’s brandished a pair of nunchaku. He jerks his head back up, indeed looking like a fascinated ninja. “Do you meanabook? Or are we talking a grimoire here?”
Kell shifts from one foot to the next. “How honest do you want us to be about that?”
“You ever hear the expression about not keeping secrets from your doctor? Although in this case”—he backs up and shucks both his coat and stethoscope—“if my suspicions are correct, I’m no longer speaking here as your doctor.”
Air leaves Maximus in a brief but harsh rush. “Which is what kind of a development, exactly?”
Doug frees an equally rough snort. “One I hope you’ll take seriously.”
Once more, cold snakes slither through my nervous system. I clutch my stomach tighter while noticing a similar glower take over my sister’s face.
“And I thought I was digging my brain out of a quarry before,” she grouses.
I push off of the exam table. “We’re listening, Doc…errr, Doug.”
I don’t know how we couldn’t be. I’ve watched this demon keep his composure zipped tight through a lot of rattling circumstances, including Mother’s bout with demon-exclusive malaria and at least five of Jaden’s broken bones, to know that whatever’s sputtered his wick has to be a daunting gale. It’s almost why I didn’t prompt him for more but also why I forced myself anyhow.
What’s worse than a doctor brandishing afatal diagnosisstare like this one?
When he’s pulling out the same lookwithouthis doctor stuff on.
