Page 5 of Incipient

I held his gaze incredulously. “Just because youcando something, doesn’t mean you should. Life lesson number two,” I said, holding up two fingers. “That one is free, but the next one is going to cost you.”

Before he could voice the confusion that was clearly written all over his face, the door ripped open, causing both of our gazes to snap to a very pissed-off looking Nikki.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She was standing at the entrance with her arms folded across her chest as she glared down at me like I was vermin infesting her front porch.

“So good to see you, too,” I muttered as my eyes immediately began scanning her mid-drift for any sign of a bulge or baby bump. But of course, she was wearing yet another frumpy sweater that looked about three sizes too big. Come to think of it, she’d been wearing these kinds of ill-fitting clothes for quite a while now. Even her school uniform had been hanging off her body the last time I bothered to notice.

If that wasn’t a major clue, I don’t know what was, because let’s face it, Nikki was a lot of things but modest wasn’t one of them.

“Why are you staring at me like some pervert?” she asked as her eyes slid over to War. “And who’s the juice head?”

I decided to ignore both her questions and take control of this conversation. You know, finesse some truth right out of her mouth. “For the love of all things good and holy in this world, please tell me you are not pregnant!”

Well, that certainly came out a little more pitchy and direct than I’d intended. War appeared to agree judging by the crazy look he was giving me.

“Excuseyou?”Her head snapped back a good five inches.

No sense in backtracking now.

“Pregnant,” I repeated ridiculously slowly as though she were hard of hearing. “You know, with child. Expectant. Preggers. Do I need to go on?”

“No, but you can get the hell off my property,” she shot back and tried to slam the door in my face, but I quickly kicked my foot out and stopped her.

I wasn’t going anywhere until I got what I came here for. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Nikki. Just answer the goddamn question.”

Her aquamarine eyes twitched with irritation, like she was getting ready to blast me off her front steps by way of her witchy powers. I resisted the urge to recoil from her. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I am not pregnant.”

My questioning gaze slid to War. Someone wasn’t being straight up with me.

“She is lying,” answered War, his voice as thick and smooth as gravy. “I can sense the child.”

Nikki’s eyes all but bulged out of her head as her arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her belly. “What the hell are you?” she asked him as the light from her foyer flickered above her head.

That was never a good sign.

“He’s just an old friend,” I lied, emphasis on theold. My eyes were fixed on the baby bump she was cradling which was clearly visible with her arms wrapped around it.

Her eyes followed mine and then quickly dropped to her side. But it was too late.

“You are pregnant.” I ran a hand down my face as though trying to wipe the image from my brain. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“What’s the matter, Jemma? Are you afraid you’re finally going to lose Trace for good once he finds out I’m carrying his child?” If evil looks could kill, I would’ve been dead twice over with the one she was giving me. “We both know the kind of man he is. He’ll stand by my side and raise his baby with me.”

My hands balled into fists. “That’s not his baby, you no-brain-having psycho-witch from hell. It’s Lucifer’s!”

Nikki tossed her head back and laughed like I was the crazy one here. “It was Trace’sbody. Trust me, it’s his baby.”

Anger broiling, I took a step toward her. “Are you insane? That isn’t the way this works, Nikki, and you know it. Lucifer was in control of his vessel. It’snotTrace’s baby.”

“Yes, it is!” she roared back, clearly in a deep state of denial.

“Do you know who this is?” I asked her as I grabbed War by his shirt and yanked him forward. “This is War, as in one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

Her eyes darted from me to him and then back again. “And?”

“Anddon’t you think his timing is a little suspicious? Don’t you think it’s weird that he knew you were pregnant before you told anyone else? Use your head, Nikki. You’re carrying Lucifer’s baby, for god’s sake!” I shrieked, my panic steadily rising as she continued to look at me blank faced. “Just forget it. You need to come with me right now,” I said as I reached forward and grabbed her wrist. “We have to go to the Council. They’ll know what to do—”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said and ripped her arm free from my grasp, her eyes all but igniting into pools of orange fire.

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