Page 61 of Crave

They wouldn’t.

But we would.

The only question remaining was why the werewolf council was pretending to know nothing about Project Eclipse when I would have bet every cent in my bank account that they were the ones who’d developed it in the first place.

I jumped a foot at the sound of the doorbell.

“Hey,” Naomi said. She had on a dark red wool coat over a retro tee from one of the funky coffee shops down in Austin. She shoved her phone into her coat pocket and shifted her messenger bag of medical supplies to her other shoulder. “Let’s get the bad part over with.”

Ten minutes later, I was good as new. Better than new. As in, was it so terrible that I was covertly looking for my favorite kiwi-green track shoes even though it was currently snowing out?

“Wow. How many espressos were in that thing?” I joked while Naomi packed everything back in her bag.

“I know, right? They should really come with a punch card and a free biscotti. We’ll need to repeat the shot every fourteen days for at least the next three months depending on your blood levels.”

“That sounds, um, serious?” Godiva streaked past the open doorway, making a beeline for the kitchen. Would it be weird to ask Naomi to check and make sure I hadn’t bitten her in my cupcake-induced rage?

“No, but your test results showed one other thing.” A little crease formed in her brow. “Did you know you were pregnant?”

My heart kicked in my chest. “I’m not. I mean, I’m sure I’m not. I took a test. Actually, I took two of them.”

Naomi’s voice softened. “Those tests you get at the drugstore aren’t calibrated for shifters.”

I didn’t hear what she said next. Wasn’t sure if I even answered. At some point much later I found myself alone, a cup of peppermint tea I hadn’t made warming my hands, a plate of gingerbread cookies beside me on the coffee table. Heart pounding, I set the mug of tea down. The jittery feeling from earlier squeezed my chest until it felt like I could barely breathe. I got up, pacing from the big bay window overlooking the street back through the front hallway, around the kitchen island and into the living room. Shaking uncontrollably, I covered my mouth. Blood roared in my ears, the walls of Dallas’s house threatening to close in around me. I had to get out, had to go—

The next thing I knew, I was out on the sidewalk. The freezing night air stung my cheeks, flecks of sleet sticking to my eyelashes. I blinked, brushing them off, and was surprised when my fingers came away wet. Red and white Christmas lights had turned the old pecans lining the sidewalks of the downtown district into a procession of candy canes. A gust of wind scattered fallen leaves along the sidewalk, bringing with it the rich scent of espresso and cinnamon. Warm, buttery light spilled from the windows of open shops as I passed, holiday music piped over the outdoor speakers as shoppers juggled bags of books, cinnamon-vanilla scented candles and stuffed bears waiting to be unwrapped under a tree.

Across from the park, a line of customers snaked away from a food truck, a couple in plaid wool scarves and knit hats stealing kisses as they waited for hot chocolate and eggnog lattes on a cold winter night. A little girl, five or six, tugged on her mother’s hand to ask for cocoa. Tears burned the backs of my eyes, pressure I had fought against for so long threatening to break me in two.

I ended up in an alley behind Main Street, huddled on cold cement steps as a light dusting of snow swirled down. The stars were completely obscured, as if all the bright places left in the world had winked out one by one. This wasn’t happening, couldn’t be real. I couldn’t be pregnant. I wrapped my arms around my middle. Everyone around me got hurt. How could I ever protect a child?

The door across the alley banged open. A familiar figure, dressed in what could only be called holiday goth with a short black mini skirt, fishnets, red Doc Martens and a zombie Christmas tee under a black apron printed with Dark’s logo stalked out to the dumpsters. The light from the open door spilled over me.

“Bloody hell!” Hayden shouted, dropping the trash bag. “Call out next time.”

When I didn’t answer, she came over and crouched down beside me. “You know everyone is out looking for you, right?”

She pulled her phone from her apron pocket. I grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t. I can’t go back there. Not yet.”

Her frown deepened. “Did something happen?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

When tears filled my eyes, she hauled me up by the arm. “Okay. But I’m not freezing my tits off out here and neither are you.”

The inside of Dark had been tricked out for the holidays. They’d gone a little heavy on the flashing blue and white lights and a jagged icicle effect that had more of a club lighting vibe than anything that screamed gingerbread men or candy cane wielding elves, but hey, this was Ethan and Hayden. What had I expected?

Hayden steered me over to a small round table in the corner.

Shutting off the grinders, Ethan came over. “Dallas has been looking everywhere for you.”

“She’s slumming it here with us for a little while.” Hayden flipped her long black hair over one shoulder.

“He’s pretty freaked out. Maybe you should—”

“Can’t you see she’s upset?” Hayden flashed him her patented death glare. “Just give us a minute.”