Page 56 of Incipient

I jumped at the sound of Trace’s voice. Trace’sjovialvoice.

Definitely the tone I was expecting this morning.

Feeling a little less intimidated, I edged the covers down a little and chanced a peek at him. He was carrying a plate of whatsmelledlike bacon and eggs and had a glass of orange juice in the other hand.

Wondering if I’d dreamt the whole thing last night, I pulled the covers down to my waist and sat up. He definitely wasn’t looking at me like I’d made out with him, got half undressed and then blue-balled him in the bathroom.

“I wasn’t sure how you like your eggs. They’re supposed to be sunny side up,” he said with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders.

I lifted my chin to peer at the dish. The eggs looked halfway to scrambled and the bacon was definitely overcooked, but that didn’t stop me from tearing up at the sight of them. I thought for sure I was going to get his cold shoulder this morning or at the very least, that he’d demand an explanation. But instead, he cooked me breakfast in bed.

“Thank you,” I said as he placed the dish in front of me on the bed and the glass on the nightstand. “This is so…sweet. You didn’t have to do this.” Especially considering how I’d ended things between us last night.

“I wanted to,” he said as his phone chimed from his pocket.

Taking a bite of my slightly well-done bacon, I watched as he pulled his phone out and read the message. Not even a second later, my own phone sounded from the nightstand.

Phones going off at the same time? That couldn’t be good.

With my eyes still glued on him for clues, I reached over and grabbed my own phone.

“They’re calling an emergency meeting at Temple tonight,” he informed, studying my face as he slid his phone back into his pocket.

Mothercrapper.That definitely didn’t sound good.

“You think they’re going to tell the others about the Horsemen?” he asked as I quickly read the same vague message on my own phone requesting the attendance of all local members.

“I…have no idea,” I answered distractedly as I wondered why William hadn’t reached out to me beforehand. If they had new information, it would’ve been nice to be given a heads up. Hopefully, this was just a general meeting to clue everyone in on what’s been going on and not some earth-shattering reveal.

“Maybe they found out who the mother-to-be is,” he suggested, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Panic gripped my innards and squeezed them like a vice. Trace still had no clue that it was none other than Nikki who was carrying Lucifer’s child nor did he know that she was claiming that it wasTrace’sbaby.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his probing eyes closing in on me. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

Not wanting to make him suspicious, I forced myself to smile. “I’m fine. I’m just worried about that math exam today. I haven’t studied at all,” I lied as I set the plate aside and climbed out of bed. “We should probably get going if we don’t want to be late,” I said and grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate before stalking over to my duffle bag.

“Sure,” he said, his eyes trailing me as I pulled out my wrinkled school uniform and laid it out on the bed.

I turned to him expectantly. He may have seen me topless a couple of times this week, but that didn’t mean I was giving out free shows regularly.

Getting the message, he nodded. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

I watched silently as he left the room and closed the door behind himself. The moment he was gone, I pulled out my cell phone and texted the Senior Magister:

What is this meeting about? If you have new information, I want to know beforehand.

I hit the send button and then tossed my phone on the bed.

Throwing on my standard uniform—a buttoned up blouse, pleated skirt and knee-high stockings—I grabbed my blazer, tucked my phone into the pocket and then left the room in a hurry.

Since I had ended up leaving my car at Ben’s house the night before, Trace ported us to the back of his house later that morning. His sprawling backyard was adorned with perfectly manicured trees, a guest house bigger than my house in Florida, an infinity pool and a fence that seemed to go on forever. Basically, just your average ‘rich people’ backyard.

The cold slowly left my body, letting me know that we’d fully materialized and that it was safe to let go of Trace’s hand.

“Did you want to ride together?” he asked, tugging at his already loosened tie.

“Actually, I have to run a quick errand before school, so I’ll probably just meet you there afterward.” I kept my voice even and casual despite watching his expression tighten with apprehension. “It’s daytime. I’ll be fine,” I quickly added, sensing he was worried about me being on my own with Dominic on the loose.

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