Page 140 of Viper

“No, Omen told me; thought it was hilarious. What did Ghost do?”

“We were sitting together in the main area. I’d fallen asleep. I woke up to find him reading to the baby.”

“And that’s bad?”

“He was readingThe Exorcist.”

Mia clamped her lips shut, clearly fighting a smile.

“He even did the demonic voice,” Ella griped. “The baby thought it was funny. I didn’t. And neither should you.”

“I don’t.”

“Your eyes are laughing.”

“How can eyes laugh?”

“I don’t know, but yours are cracking up.”

Mia held up two placatory hands. “Ghost would never read a book like that to the baby, he had to have been messing with you. He probably hadn’t read a single word from the book until he saw you start to wake.”

“Didn’t look like it to me.” With an indignant huff, Ella rested her hand on her slightly swollen belly.

“You’re not gonna be able to hide that bump with baggy clothes for much longer,” remarked Mia.

“I know.” Ella sighed. “That’s when I’ll have to berealcareful. Stuff travels fast through the demonic grapevine, so the news of my pregnancy will spread like wildfire. And considering I’moften seen with Viper, people will be quick to assume he’s the father. Not all will like it.”

Ella was already well-protected—she was never alone outside the compound, and she now drove the brand new and much safer vehicle that Viper had bought for her. But the Black Saints would likely step up the security around her even further when her pregnancy became common knowledge.

Some demons would be unbothered by the baby being half celestial. Others? There would be those who were merely concerned or wary. However, there’d be demons who would be downright rude and unfriendly to Ella, as if she’d betrayed her race by procreating with ‘the enemy’.

A part of Ella chafed at being so coddled, but she accepted the overprotective security measures for the sake of her child—and also because they made her demon less tense. Having been claimed by Viper also seemed to have settled something in her demon.

A phone beeped, making Mia dip her hand down the pocket of her jeans. Fishing out her cell, she frowned. “It’s Joe.”

Ella felt her brows knit. “Why would he text you when he can just telepath you?”

Mia exhaled heavily. “He finds telepathy intimate, so he’ll avoid talking to people mind-to-mind when he’s unhappy with them.”

Hello, man child.“What does he want?”

Mia angled the phone so Ella could the read text:Can we talk?

Ella wasn’t exactly in a ‘let’s forgive Joe’ frame of mind. However, there was the little problem that a lot of physical distance between anchors could cause them issues psychically. So Ella wasn’t going to urge Mia to ignore Joe’s request. Besides, it wasn’t her decision to make.

As such, Ella softly asked, “What are you going to do?”

Mia rubbed at her throat. “What Iwantto do is tell him to wait awhile before we talk again. None of the recent conversations we’ve had have really helped our situation. But I want it resolved once and for all. Before all this, we never had a single problem. I would never have imagined we’d be where we are now.

“The person he’s been lately … it’s nothim. It’s a hurt, defensive, guarded version of him. We can all get twisted up inside when we’re in pain. I don’t like knowing he has to feel very alone right now. You’d be the same if it was Luka.”

Yes, Ella would. And so she knew … “You’re going to respond to the text.”

“Yes. I have to know if hefinallymeans for us to move forward.” Mia typed out a response and then showed it to Ella. It read:Depends what you want to talk about. Lately, it’s never been anything good.“Do you think that was a little mean?”

“No,” Ella assured her. “I think you needed to make it clear that you acknowledging his message doesn’t mean he isn’t still firmly in the dog house.”

Another beep came. Mia angled the phone so Ella could easily read the text as well. It simply said:I deserved that.

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