Curse of Night (Thorne Hill 5)

“Am I?” I let out a high-pitched laugh.

“What’s wrong?” He gets up, and I hold out a hand, keeping the box behind my back.

“Nothing.” I flash a fake smile, and Lucas cocks an eyebrow. “It’s just something Easton said today that got me—”

“What did he say?” Lucas is on his feet in the blink of an eye. “Did he hit on you? Do I need to defend your honor?”

“My honor?” I make a face. “No. I’m capable of defending it on my own, but thanks.” I let my eyes fall shut and exhale heavily. “Sit down, and cool it. Easton didn’t say anything mean. He suggested something as a joke, and I would normally dismiss it, but well, not that long ago you were cursed to start coming alive, and certain parts of you were more human than vampire.”

I bite my lip and look at Lucas’s lap. I feel so sick right now but also really want a taco. And I don’t know if I want to nap or have sex more after that.

“What parts are you referring to?” he asks slowly.

“Well, your heart started beating. You drank water. Maybe…maybe your, uh, testicles started working again, too.”

“They’ve always worked,” Lucas shoots back, and then my words hit him. He gets up and zooms over. “What are you getting at, Callie?” he asks, though he knows exactly what I’m getting at.

“I’ve been really tired and have had a queasy stomach lately. I never have a queasy stomach.” I suck in a breath, and Lucas steps in closer. “I’ve been a little dizzy after you drink my blood. What…what if I’m pregnant?” Just saying it out loud causes nerves to ripple down my spine. “What if the curse made you human enough to…to…”

“Put a baby inside you.” Lucas looks into my eyes for a good five seconds before answering. “There’s only one way to find out.”

I bring my other hand forward, showing him the test. “I bought one on my way home.”

“Did you take it yet?”

I shake my head. “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be.” Lucas cups my face. He puts his lips to mine, and everything melts away for that brief second. “I’m here. No matter what. I’m here.”

Tears spring to my eyes, and I’m reminded of yet another symptom. I’ve been overly emotional lately. More so than normal. It would make sense to be pregnant, but…holy shit.

I can’t be.

Lucas is a vampire.

And I’m a hot fucking mess.

We can’t have a baby. My life is in danger every single day. I can’t handle being responsible for myself as well as an unborn child. And what will happen when that child is born? I’m not ready to be a mom. Hell, I don’t even know if I’m fit to be a mom.

A mom.

A baby.

Stop it. I don’t even know yet. The odds are against us, and the chances are minimal. There’s no way the one time we had sex while Lucas was cursed resulted in a pregnancy. So I’ll just take this test, get it over with, and wait for my period to finally start because—shit—I should have started already.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Yeah.” My voice comes out thin. Lucas takes my hand and leads me upstairs and into the bathroom. I rip open the test and sit on the toilet. “Can you turn the sink on and turn around?” I ask him.

Lucas nods and does just that. I close my eyes and position the test between my legs, suddenly too tense to pee even though I’ve been holding it for over an hour now. I squeeze my eyes closed and try to relax. There’s no way I’m pregnant.

I’m going to see a big fat negative pop up and celebrate with an even bigger class of wine. Because it’s impossible.

I’m not pregnant.

My heart pounds in my ears, and it feels like an hour passes, but finally I’m done. I recap the test and put it on the ground, not wanting to look until my pants are back up and I’ve washed my hands. Lucas turns around when he hears the toilet flush. He picks up the test.

“It says to wait at least two minutes,” I tell him and button my pants. I go to the sink and wash my hands.

“One line means you’re not pregnant?” he asks as I’m rubbing a towel over my hands. Not pregnant. Thank the fucking stars.

“Right.”

He looks up, blue eyes wide. He stares at me for a good moment in disbelief and then smiles. “You’re pregnant, Callie.”Chapter 35The towel falls from my hand, and suddenly the burger and fries I had earlier turn sour in my stomach. I dash forward, barely making it to the toilet in time. Lucas drops the pregnancy test and pulls my hair back as I throw up into the toilet.

“Morning sickness,” he says. “It’s what humans refer to feeling sick during pregnancy, right?”