I make my way to the library where everyone is gathered.
“My sweet,” CK says to me, bending down to kiss me on the mouth. “Are you ready to leave?”
“In a few minutes,” I reply. “Where are we going?”
“To L.A.,” Devon says. “That’s what I came upstairs to tell you before we got sidetracked.” His wicked gleam at CK makes my husband tighten his hold on me. I pat his hand and he loosens it with a smile at me. Forced, but a smile, nonetheless.
“Very good,” he says. “You can relax there.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Devon says.
“Hm,” I say with a frown. “What about the Pack?” I ask, referring to Lincoln’s old Pack that lived next door to my L.A. house and that he defected from after he killed Chrissie to Pair with me again.
Devon also frowns and we both look to Lincoln, sitting quietly, as usual, by the fire.
“I heard they left,” he says shortly.
“Oh, okay,” I say, relieved. “L.A. it is then.” I try to dampen the sense of excitement I feel at going to the city that Cole lives in. Will I have the nerve to Astral out to go and see him? Will he know that I am there? Will Devon tell him?
“Aefre?” Constantine’s voice interrupts my racing thoughts.
“Hmm?” I ask, not having caught the question.
He points down to the floor at my feet and I look down with a frown. “Oh, Jesus!” I exclaim as I see a puddle of water at my feet. I step back from it, as does everyone else.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, but then don’t need anyone to tell me what’s happened. A contraction rips through my belly like a white-hot poker. My water has just broken. “Oh, fuck,” I rasp as I grip the back of the sofa and bend over to try and ease the pain.
“Aefre,” CK says to me in fear.
“She’s coming,” I pant.
“What?” he shouts in my ear. “Now?”
Err, obviously, idiot.
“Yes, now,” I growl at him.
“Fuck,” he says as he runs his hand through his hair. “The meeting, we have to cancel it.”
“No!” I roar at him. “It is too important. We can’t mess them about. Have it. I’ll be okay.”
“Aefre, no,” he says, shaking his head at me.
I straighten up and grab him by his shirt. “As soon as this is over, we’ll go, but for right now, I need you to take that meeting. I can cast a ward. We’ll be fine.”
“O-okay,” he says, and it is the first time I have ever heard him stammer. “I will cast the ward.”
“No, CK, how will I get out?” I ask. “You will be in the meeting. I am quite adept at casting wards.”
He hesitates for a moment but then, with a resigned sigh, he barks at Devon, “Go with her.”
“Frederick, I need you to take Delinda and Marguerite out of here, to my house in Los Angeles,” I say. “CK will give you the address.”
He nods and says, “I know it.” He vanishes from sight and I smile up at CK. He has a grimace on his face after Frederick’s admission.
“You should go as well. Take Dr. Hathaway,” he says, trying one last time to keep us safe.
“No,” I say with a small smile. “She will be born here in her family home. Besides he has all of his equipment here.”