Knox paused with the fork halfway to Harper’s mouth, his forehead wrinkling. “You’re going to work?”
Harper arched a brow. “What, you thought I’d spend the rest of the pregnancy sitting around, twiddling my thumbs?”
“A man can dream.”
She rolled her eyes. “I took three days off, even though I didn’t need them.” She’d agreed to spend the time catching up on her sleep, but she’d really done it so that he had a little time to adjust to the idea that she was pregnant. Honestly, she’d also needed that time to adjust. Now that she had, the anxiety had been replaced by a scary anticipation. But it was a good kind of scary.
It was amazing just how different her world now seemed. Everything other than Knox had taken an emotional backseat to the life inside her. And that was the way it should be, she thought. It hadn’t been that way for her own parents, but it would damn well be that way for her.
“I will admit that having your undivided attention during my time off was quite enjoyable.” Obligingly, Harper ate the chunk of grapefruit that he offered her.
Since discovering that Harper was pregnant, a delighted Meg had tried filling her with fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods. Knox often insisted on feeding her, which Harper would have quickly lost her patience with if she hadn’t understood why exactly he was fussing. He was worried for her, and it got to him that he had no control over the matter. It made him feel helpless. She didn’t want that. If letting him fuss over her made him feel more involved and not quite so powerless, she’d deal with it.
“And I enjoyed being able to give you my undivided attention for the past three days,” said Knox. “Why not allow yourself to enjoy it a little longer?”
“You can’t be with me all the time.” She took a sip of her orange juice. “We both have businesses to run.”
“I know.” Knox sifted his fingers through her hair. “But my protective instincts are in a frenzy right now and it’s making me paranoid over your safety.”
She gave him a reassuring kiss, humming because he tasted of coffee, porridge, and brown sugar. “I get that. My own protective instincts are a little hyper at the moment too, and my demon is on edge – seeing everything and everyone as a potential threat, which is going to get old fast. I need you to be the rational one. Besides, I have Tanner.”
Knox wasn’t so sure he could give her “rational”. His demon snorted at the idea. “Keenan will now also be guarding you. One bodyguard for you, and one for the little person in there.” He gently rubbed her stomach. “Do it for me. I need that peace of mind, Harper.”
“I do understand that we need to tighten the security. I’m not going to fight you on it.” Especially if it meant that her demon would relax just a little.
He nodded in approval and fed her a piece of kiwi. “Invite Jolene and the girls to the mansion tonight. We’ll get them and the sentinels in the same room and give them the news all at once.”
“You haven’t told Keenan why you’ve assigned him to me?”
“Not the full truth, not yet. I didn’t want to tell him before I told Levi, Tanner, or Larkin – they’re immature enough to be jealous about it. And no, I’m not kidding.”
Harper’s mouth quirked. “Okay, so we’ll tell everyone at the same time.”
“Keenan thinks I’ve asked him to guard you because I’m a little paranoid about your safety, which is actually true. Both he and Tanner will remain inside the studio with you all day. When you leave, they’ll leave with you.”
Despite knowing it was necessary, her instincts reflexively balked at that extent of the overprotectiveness – they were sentinels, they shouldn’t be lumbered with babysitting duty – but she didn’t argue. Common sense told her that it was better to be safe than sorry. The baby’s safety came before her pride and touchy independent streak.
“Since the person who’s targeting me tried kidnapping Heidi, do you think they’ve accepted that it would be too difficult for them to get to me?” she asked. “If so, it’s possible that it will be the other people in my life that they might consider harming.”
Knox thought on that for a moment. “Since their plan to get their hands on Heidi fell flat on its face, I doubt they’ll try touching your family or anyone in their lair again – that will include your co-workers.”
Full to her stomach, Harper shook her head when he offered her a slice of apple. “I can’t eat anymore. I’m stuffed.”
Knox didn’t lower the fork. “You’re eating for two now, remember.”
“I ate a lot more than I usually do,” she pointed out. “And the last thing I want to do is vomit it all back up, which is exactly what will happen if I try forcing more food into my stomach.”
“Valid point.” He put down the fork, which displeased his demon. Still, the entity could accept that she was right and, like Knox, knew there would have been no sense in pushing her. “I just worry about you.”
“I know you do, and I love you for it. But I’m honestly stuffed.”
He gestured to her orange juice. “Finish that, at least. For me.”
With a huff, she picked up the glass and downed the juice like it was tequila. “There. Done. Happy now?”
“I was already happy. Now I’m happier.” Knox kissed her, licking into her mouth, taking his time to gorge himself on her. She tasted like fruit and that sweet unique taste that was all Harper. Pulling back, he watched as her amber irises clouded and swirled before changing into a striking cobalt blue. “I wonder if the baby will have your eyes.”
Just the possibility of that had the potential to put Harper in a bad mood. “I don’t want our child to have freaky eyes.”
Knox shot her a mock glare and gave her lower lip a punishing bite. “Your eyes are not freaky.” He spoke against her mouth. “They’re beautiful. Unique. Fascinating. Just like you.”
“It’s good that you think so, but I don’t.” According to Carla, Harper had inherited the weird trait from Carla’s sister. It was possible that it could be passed on to the baby, especially since it was guaranteed to be a sphinx. Archdemons weren’t born from a womb. “I’d like it to have your dark eyes.” They made her think of black velvet. Just because the baby could only be a sphinx didn’t mean it couldn’t share any physical resemblances to Knox. The baby in her dream had looked up at her through dark eyes, she remembered… right before it blew up the cradle.
“What’s making you frown? Tell me. I’ll make it better.”
She smiled. “I was just remembering that odd dream I had about a baby, courtesy of the nightmare hunter.”
“Ah.” Knox sipped the coffee he’d almost finished. “It’s possible that some subconscious part of you considered that you could be pregnant. That might have sparked the dream. Like I said, nightmares can only cause dreams, they can’t fabricate the content.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
At that moment, Meg walked into the room. She looked at Harper’s plate and clucked in disapproval, settling her hands on her wide hips.
“I ate as much as I could,” said Harper defensively.
“She did,” Knox confirmed. “She can’t spend much more time sitting here anyway, since she has to get ready for work.”
Meg glowered at her. “You are going to work?” She went on to lecture Harper, just as Knox had known she would.
Ignoring the rant, Harper scowled at him. “Throwing me under the Meg bus was just plain mean, Thorne. And it won’t make me stay home, if that was your end game.”
Knox shrugged, mouth curving. “It was worth a try.”
Harper rolled her eyes at him. “Thank you for caring,” she then said to Meg, “but I can’t stay in this house for the rest of the pregnancy. I will go insane. Do you really want a crazily bored imp-by-nature-sphinx for company? ’Cause I gotta tell ya, they’re not fun to have around.”
Meg humphed and snatched Harper’s plate. “I will prepare you healthy snacks to take with you to work, and you will eat all of them.”
Harper sighed at her retreating back. “I’m not looking forward to telling the others, because there’s a good chance they’ll react just as protectively. I can’t handle that level of fretting. They’ll swarm around me like locusts.”
Knox drank what was left of his coffee. “I’d say I’m sorry that they’ll coddle you, but I’m not.” The more people protecting her, the better, as far as Knox was concerned. Eyes narrowing, she flipped him the finger. Knox just chuckled.
In the coffeehouse later that morning, Harper stood at the end of the counter while the barista prepared her order. Hearing the bell chime, she glanced at the door. Not Carla, she noted. Good. She’d checked each time she heard the bell. It would be just her luck that the woman sought another confrontation. Her demon really wouldn’t do well with that right now.
“How are you feeling today?” asked Wren.
Harper smiled. “Good, thanks. You?”
“I’m fine.” Wren put the last of the cups on the tray. “Frothed vanilla milk for you again, I suspect,” she added quietly with an odd gleam in her eyes
Harper stilled as the implication of that comment sank into her brain. “You knew?” All this time, she’d known? “How?”
“I sense these things. I wasn’t sure if you knew or not, but I’ve noticed you’re scanning the room as if potential threats may be lying in wait. Your demon’s paranoid, huh?” Wren leaned forward to make the conversation private. “Don’t fear that I’ll share what I know. You’ve had to deal with many people who would like to see Knox fall. It means you haven’t quite realized just how many people wish him to thrive.”
“Thrive?”
“Knox is everything a lair could want in a Prime. There are many who would defend him with their lives, though he doesn’t need their protection. If he produces a child who might one day take his place, our lair will continue to be strong. I won’t do anything to put that child at risk. And it would be at risk, but you’re smart enough to already know that.”
Harper gripped the tray tight. “Does anyone else suspect the pregnancy?”
“Not that I’m aware. I’ll let you know if any whispers begin to spread. I can assure you that the lair will close ranks around you, Knox, and your child. Most will be happy for him, just as they were happy for him when he took you as his mate. We want only good things for our Prime. Oh, there are those who have their grievances with him, but all will support him in this. As I said, they want the lair to be strong for their children, their grandchildren, and their grandchildren’s grandchildren, and so on and so on.”
“In other words, don’t worry so much?”
“A child is always a blessing. A pregnancy should be a time of celebration, not fear.”
She had that right, thought Harper. “Thanks.” Lifting the tray, she walked to the condiment trolley, where Raini was waiting.
As they added milk, sugar, and toppings to the drinks, Raini asked in a low voice, “How did Knox take the news?”
“Very well, thank God. I’ll tell the others tonight.” Harper had already invited everybody to the house later. “Um, thanks for pushing me to take the test.”
Raini smiled. “You can thank me by taking things easy. I get that you’d rather be at work, but pace yourself and work shorter hours.”
“God, you sound like Knox.”
Raini just snickered. “You don’t look as tired today.”
“According to the doctor I spoke to, the fatigue will start to wear off. It’s no wonder I looked like shit the past few months. Every bit of goodness I took in was going to the baby.”
“And you weren’t resting like you should have.”
Harper held up her hand and pledged, “I will not overdo it. My demon wouldn’t allow me to anyway.”
“Good. Then let’s get moving.”
As his visitor entered the office, Knox rose from his seat. “Pamela,” he greeted simply. Ever since Linda and Wyatt mentioned that Talia’s mother had appeared at their home, he’d anticipated that Pamela would eventually come to speak with him about McCauley. Pamela Winters wasn’t a she-demon who backed down. She was a hard, strong-willed woman who could crush a person’s confidence with just a look. In that sense, it wasn’t surprising that she intimidated Linda.
Pamela was also very conscious of public opinion, so he’d imagine that Talia’s lifestyle had been deeply embarrassing for the judge. That may have been why she rarely spoke of her daughter but raved about her son – a very well-known defense attorney who lived in Chicago.
Pamela gave him a gracious nod. “Mr. Thorne. Thank you for seeing me.”
Knox gestured for her to take the seat opposite him, and they both sat down. “It seems an inadequate thing to say, but I’m sorry for your loss.”
Pamela’s smile was brittle, and he got the feeling she’d heard the words so many times that she was tired of hearing them. “Thank you. I know Talia was an addict and had her problems, but she wasn’t a bad person.”
“I never thought that she was.”
“Even when you heard about the boy?”
Knox leaned back in his chair. “From what I understand, Talia had her reasons for giving him to humans to care for. I do not at all condone that she switched him for a human child, especially since she didn’t seek permission, but I do understand what motivated her to do so.”
That seemed to ease the tension in Pamela’s shoulders. “McCauley has been through a lot.”
“It would seem so.”
“Being with his family, his real family, would help him heal. Help him feel he belongs somewhere.”
“I hear you went to see the Sanders.”
“He’s my grandson; of course I did.” She let out a long, steadying breath. “I know that Linda and Wyatt are good people. I can see that Linda would be happy to keep and raise him. But she wants him for the wrong reasons. I’ve watched them together. He could be anyone to her. It’s not so much McCauley that she wants, it’s a child to care for.”
Knox couldn’t deny that. Linda clung to McCauley because she wanted a child, not because she loved him. That wouldn’t be good for the boy in the long run.
“I truly sympathize with Linda,” Pamela went on. “But there are plenty of children out there who need a home and have no family to care for them. McCauley does have family who can care for him. He does have somewhere to go. Linda could foster or adopt one of the others.”
Elbows braced on the arms of his chair, Knox knitted his fingers together. “I’m not opposed to him going to live with you, Pamela. But I won’t abruptly remove him from the Sanders’ home. It would not be good for him.” And it would be risky, considering there was every reason why Pamela might not want to keep him. She wasn’t the type of person who would blind herself to a child’s nature. “I’ll arrange for you and your mate to meet him and spend time with him. We’ll take it slow. If and when McCauley feels comfortable going to live with you, he can do so.”
Pamela’s fingers flexed. “With all due respect, he is much too young to make such a serious decision.”
“His demon is very tense right now, Pamela. It wants to protect him. It won’t appreciate you pushing McCauley to do anything he’s not ready to do. Win his demon’s trust and approval.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Talia said she believed that his demon was latent.”
“It may have been latent for a while, but it isn’t any longer.”
After a long pause, Pamela spoke. “When can we meet him?”
“I’ll speak to the Sanders and ask what time would suit them best.”
“Linda will put off the meeting for as long as she can.”
“I suspect she will try to do so, but I will make it clear that the meeting must happen no later than Sunday.”
“Thank you,” said Pamela with a slight bow of her head.
“I have to warn you, Pamela. He may not be what you’re expecting. It seems that his demon has acted as a parental influence.”
Pamela was silent for a moment as she digested that. “Once it realizes that my mate and I will care for McCauley, it may settle down.”
“Let’s hope so.” After she left his office, Knox grabbed his cell and called Wyatt. It rang four times before the demon finally answered. “I’ve just had a visit from Pamela,” Knox told him.
A brief silence met that statement. “She wants to take McCauley.” Wyatt sighed. “She may change her mind once she speaks with him.”
“I don’t want to pluck him from your home, Wyatt. But the Winters want to be part of his life. I’d like him to meet Pamela and her mate, and to let him get comfortable with them. It may be that he doesn’t wish to leave you and Linda, but they’re his family. They should have the chance to build something with McCauley, even if it doesn’t result in him going to live with them.”
A long exhale. “You’re right. It can only be good for him to have family around him.”
“How has he been?”
“No different. Linda’s tried to form some sort of relationship with him, but it hasn’t worked. I worried that the longer he was with us, the more attached she’d become to him. But she’s not attached to him as a person, she’s attached to the idea of him.”
“Which is why it will definitely be good for him to meet his maternal family,” Knox pointed out.
“I’ll speak with Linda and get back to you with a good date and time.”
“No later than Sunday, Wyatt,” Knox warned. “For McCauley’s sake.”
“Right. No later than Sunday.”
Later that day, the girls, Jolene, Tanner, Keenan, and Larkin were scattered around the living area of the mansion, talking and laughing. At first, Harper’s demon was on its guard while so many people were on its territory, even though it knew and partially trusted them. After a while, it lost its tension, though it remained alert.
The day had gone by pretty fast, which could have been because Harper found herself disappearing into her mind between jobs – mentally listing everything she’d need to buy and do to be ready for the baby’s arrival.
Devon and Khloë had commented on her “acting weird”, not at all appeased by her promise to tell them everything later. Tanner and Keenan hadn’t commented, but they had watched her closely. Too closely.
Everyone in the room quieted when Knox and Levi finally joined them. Even as they all exchanged greetings, Knox made a beeline for Harper.
Sitting on the sofa, she smiled up at him as he bent down and dropped a lingering kiss on her mouth. “Hey,” she said simply.
“Hey.” Knox sensed her nervousness and gave her nape a comforting squeeze. His demon relaxed now that she was close – it had harassed him all damn day to find her and stay with her. He’d telepathically checked in with her many times, but it hadn’t done much to placate his demon. I missed you.
And I missed you. “How was your day?”
“Relatively good.” Knox nodded in thanks as Raini and Devon shuffled along, making room for him on the sofa. He took the seat next to Harper, draping his arm over her shoulders. How’re you feeling?
Nervous, Harper replied. I know they’ll be happy for us and I’m confident that they won’t spread our little announcement, but it’s hard not to be… protective of the news.
I understand. We can keep it to ourselves a little longer if that’s what you want.
No, it’s better that they know. Hearing a throat clear, Harper realized that everyone was looking at them expectantly.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, Harper,” said Jolene. “You know I don’t like that.”
Harper crossed one leg over the other. “We only want to do this once, so we figured it would be easier to just get you all in one place.” She took a deep breath, but no words came out.
Linking their fingers, Knox took pity on his mate. “She’s pregnant.”
“I knew it!” crowed Devon, a huge smile on her face.
The whole room pretty much descended on Harper and Knox, excitedly passing on their congratulations… aside from Keenan, who said to Knox, “Quick, run. I’ll hold her down if she tries to chase you.”
Harper sighed at him. “You’re an idiot.”
“I’ve known this for a while,” said Keenan.
“I can’t wait to be an aunt!” Raini clapped her hands a few times. “How pregnant are you?”
“Sixteen weeks,” replied Harper.
“Ah, that explains so much,” said Khloë. “I should’ve seen it.”
Devon’s eyes widened. “Ooh, we get to go shopping for baby clothes!”
“Um, actually, you don’t,” said Harper. “If a bunch of you buy baby clothes all at the same time, people will guess pretty quickly who they’re for.”
They all fell silent for a moment. Then Khloë spoke. “We’ll take Aunt Kayla with us. She’s pregnant. People will just think the stuff is for her.”
Devon pursed her lips. “That would work.”
“Have you had an ultrasound scan yet?” asked Jolene.
“Yes.” Harper took the picture from her purse and handed it to Raini, who cooed over it before passing it on.
“The baby’s fine,” said Knox, “albeit slightly on the small side.”
“So was Harper,” said Jolene, her smile nostalgic.
Harper raised her brows. “Really?”
Jolene nodded. “You had a growth spurt near the end of the pregnancy. You were still tiny, but not dangerously tiny. There was no need for you to go into an incubator or anything.”
“Are you going to find out if it’s a girl or a boy?” Larkin asked, eyes lit up.
“Personally, I’d rather have the surprise.” Harper looked at Knox. “You?”
“Whatever you want,” he told her. He truly didn’t mind either way.
On the sofa opposite them, Khloë leaned forward. “Got any names yet?”
Harper scratched her nape. “I haven’t even thought about names.” Of course, everyone then helpfully started reciting their favorite names. It wasn’t long before they then all began criticizing each other’s choices.
Knox spoke above all the noise in the room. “We plan to keep the news quiet for as long as it’s sensible to do so. I’m sure we can trust you all to keep it to yourselves.”
“Of course,” Jolene told him, sobering. The others nodded.
“No one,” Knox stressed. “You share it with no one – not even members of your family or lair. Do it for Harper and the baby’s sake.”
Raini put a hand over her heart. “We won’t say a word.”
Satisfied, Knox nodded.
Jolene and the girls stayed for a while, arguing with Harper about throwing a baby shower. Harper saw it as yet more “fuss”. They weren’t sensitive to her plight, however, and seemed determined to arrange the shower. Once that argument had past and Tanner was done riling Devon, Jolene drove the girls home in her Mustang.
Finally alone with Harper and his sentinels, Knox poured himself a gin and tonic and then returned to Harper’s side. “I don’t think I need to tell you all that we need to tighten the security around Harper.”
“The problem is that if she has several guards, people may guess why,” said Tanner, sprawled on the sofa opposite. “Now that I know she’s pregnant, I can see it. The fatigue, the weight loss, the dark circles under her eyes that show she’s not sleeping well – they’re obvious signs. We attributed it to stress, so others probably did too. But if she suddenly has several guards, people will speculate.”
Beside the hellhound, Keenan nodded in agreement. “That will spread like wildfire.”
Tanner looked at Harper, expression almost apologetic. “I know you love your job but, not to be an asshole, it’s going to be hard to adequately protect you when you’re constantly around strangers.”
Harper sighed. “Tanner —”
“You have to admit,” the hellhound began, “now that you’re pregnant and don’t just have your own safety to worry about, you’re going to look at everyone suspiciously, wondering if they’re Horsemen or if they hired the hunters. Your demon definitely will be.”
Harper wiped a hand down her face. “All right, I won’t deny that. But I have a business to run.”
“It’s a business you co-run,” Knox softly corrected. “You can afford to take some time away from your job. It’s true that you’re the main draw for the studio, but it’s also true that your co-workers are completely capable of running it in your absence.”
“I know that, but I also know that I’ll get restless and bored and start taking things apart.”
Larkin’s mouth quirked. “Maternity leave is a good thing.” She paused to frown at Keenan, whose arm bumped hers as he dug out his flask. “Demonic pregnancies aren’t easy, Harper. The last stage is particularly hard.”
Standing near the fireplace, Levi added, “By then, it will be easy for people to tell that you’re pregnant. That’s when your safety could really be at risk.”
“Don’t forget that people are reluctant to fuck with pregnant demons,” said Harper. “We can be vicious and moody creatures when crossed.” She looked at Knox, adding, “And then maybe you’ll finally fear my mighty wrath.”
One side of his mouth lifted. “I really don’t see that happening.”
Harper sniffed. “Fine, blind yourself to the truth.”
“Back to the point at hand,” said Knox. “Larkin made a valid point. The next few months will be hard on you. Do you really want to make it even harder? And maybe you should bear in mind that being at the studio every day will not make things easier for you – there, you’ll have your co-workers constantly coddling you. The further along you get in the pregnancy, the worse that coddling will become.”
Pissed that he was right, Harper barely held back a growl. “I’ll make you a deal. The doc said that when I hit the eighteenth week, I’ll actually start to look pregnant – that will be in just under two weeks’ time. On that very day, I will start maternity leave. It’s a good compromise.” And it would stop her demon from stressing too much.
Knox gave a slow nod. “I can live with that.”
“Good, because I don’t want to have to hit you.”
Levi snorted a laugh. “In the meantime, it would be a good idea to keep Tanner and Keenan close to you at all times.”
“I wouldn’t worry so much about our lair finding out,” said Tanner. “They’ll rally around you both.”
“That’s what Wren said.” Harper told them all about the barista.
“I’m not worried about our lair’s reaction,” said Knox, “but I still want to be in control of when others find out.”
Tanner inclined his head. “Then we keep it quiet for now.”
“You know,” began Harper, “I have the distinct feeling that finding out I’m pregnant may draw out the remaining Horsemen.” She looked at Knox. “What better way to make you lose all control than to take your pregnant mate from you?”
A muscle in Knox’s cheek ticked. “I know that, and I hate it.”
Yeah, so did she.