Page 114 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

A cloud moved across the moon overhead. For a moment, we fell into shadows, darkness obscuring his face.

And as the moon broke free of the clouds, his eyes shuttered, and then he spoke, “Thea, I think you’re pregnant.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

JULIAN

“Nope.”

It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. I blinked a few times, waiting for her to fully process what I’d just said.

“Thea, I said—”

“No,” she cut me off. Moonlight glimmered in her eyes, and the distance in her voice felt as far away as the night sky over our heads. “I am not. There’s no way.”

“No way?” I repeated. Did she need a refresher on the birds and the bees? I managed to keep myself from saying it out loud.

Not that it mattered, because her eyes instantly narrowed. “I know how babies are made, Julian.”

“Then you know you could be pregnant.” I dialed back my certainty for her sake. Maybe she just needed a minute to wrap her head around this.

“But I’m not.” She wrenched her hand from mine and got up, dusting sand off her lower half.

I joined her but kept a close distance. It was an exercise in restraint not to pick her up and carry her into the house. But if I was right and Thea was carrying my child, it was going to be a long nine months if I gave in to my protective urges all the time. She might have let me have a few minutes, though.

She planted a hand on her hip. “Do vampires really think you can just sniff a woman and find out she’s pregnant? Watch out, Clearblue Easy!”

I stared at her. “I did a little more than sniff you. Your blood—”

“Maybe it was something I ate!” She whipped a finger through the air triumphantly. “Did you ever think about that?”

This was ridiculous. Thea’s eyes flashed, and I knew she’d caught that thought, too. I needed to get my shit together and keep my thoughts shielded unless I wanted this to be worse.

“I need to pee,” she announced.

I forced a smile, albeit a grim one and offered her my hand. She glared at it like it was a trick.

“I don’t want you to fall again,” I said as carefully as possible, but she didn’t budge. Dark magic blossomed inside my chest, the beast there howling to be set free. I could only imagine how she would react if I gave in and let him take charge. Something told me that if I pushed this too far, I’d have hell to pay. But was I really supposed to just stand back and wait for her to come around? Regardless of what she believed, it was still my job to look out for her. That left only one choice. I swallowed. “Please. Just let me see you inside.”

Her nostrils flared as she considered my request. Then, she dropped her hand in mine.

It was hardly a win, but I would take what I could get. At least until I could convince her that I was right.

I led Thea toward the house, my eyes sweeping across the dunes for signs of any potential threat. I’d been satisfied with the security situation when we arrived, but that was before. Now I needed to consider both Thea’s safety and that of my child.

My child.

I tamped down on the wave of emotions the thought produced. Thankfully, Thea seemed lost in her own thoughts. Part of me hoped she would slip and broadcast them at me. I wanted to know what she was thinking. But more than ever, she deserved her privacy.

Especially since she seemed not only resistant to the idea of being pregnant, but downright hostile. I wasn’t sure what to do about that. Maybe a pregnancy test would convince her, but it wouldn’t soothe her jagged feelings on the matter.

When we reached the door, I held my hand over the barometric reader to unlock it. Thea watched me with wide eyes as I opened the door and held it for her.

“It’s already been coded to you,” I murmured. “I had Celia use the scans from our place in San Francisco.”

Thea nodded, but she didn’t look at me as she stepped inside. She scanned the three-story foyer that opened into the living area without comment. There were unbroken views of the water from three sides, but given the hour, she likely only saw darkness stretching ahead of her. She finally turned to me. “Bathroom?”

“Third door on the left.” I pointed down the hall that led to the ground floor’s bedrooms. “I’ll, uh, wait out here.”

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