Page 65 of Prince with a Chance of Darkness

“Really? If I try to leave, a bunch of Van Helsings aren’t going to try to stop me?” I asked, glancing around the room.

The room, which was filled to the brim with Van Helsing males, fell silent.

Jonathan made his way toward me with his hands raised. “Mina, they won’t have to. The Harker wolves will. It’s not safe for you or Temperance out there right now. You may not like it, but that is the truth.”

“Why?”

“Why will my pack stop you?” he asked. “Like I said, because it’s not safe.”

“No. Why isn’t it safe? I want details. Now. And a pizza,” I said with a grunt.

“We should start with the pizza,” added Willa. “She’s so cranky when she’s hungry.”

“And you’re not?” I shot back.

She bit her lower lip. “Guilty. Oh, can we get pickles and cream cheese on the pizza?”

My gaze whipped to Jonathan. “Wow, England. Two weeks with her, and you’ve already got another bun in the oven. I hope it’s twin girls. This town is choking on testosterone.”

“He is quick, isn’t he?” asked the woman I’d been avoiding because of excessive pep, sashayed into the room. Marcy’s long blonde hair was down and she had a wide smile on her face. She was wearing a see-through, light pink top with a shirt under it that said, “My Honey-Bear is Making Me Wear This.” The shirts were paired with a long light pink skirt.

Seward saw the shirt and laughed. “You wore it!”

“I cannot believe you had that made for her,” said Bram, glaring at Seward.

She beamed. “Jack, I wore it because you were right. He did see me in this,” she tugged at the outer shirt, “and tell me I couldn’t go out of our bedroom in it. He said other men would see my breasts. I tried to explain if the men here hadn’t seen a pair of breasts by now, maybe they did need to see mine. Hedidn’t seem to agree. Then he looked like he might burst a blood vessel if I went against his wishes. I took pity on him and put the shirt you got me under it. See. All better now, Honey-Bear.”

I glanced at Willa. Was Marcy for real?

Willa was too busy staring at her stomach to notice me.

Jonathan twisted around, his eyes wide. “Marcy? Is Willa expecting?”

“Are you asking if she has a package arriving from the post office or if she’s pregnant?” questioned Marcy. She tugged at the ends of her hair. “Um, if it’s a package. You should know, Imighthave sort of ran into your mailbox earlier today. Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.”

“You were driving?” asked Bram, drawing her closer to him.

They seemed like such an odd pairing, but they worked.

He touched her chin. “Marcy, I assigned a driver to you.”

“I know, Honey-Bear, but he was stuck in the bathroom, and I really needed to run an errand,” she said before sighing loudly. “I’ve had long talks with the spirits here about playing practical jokes on the living, but you know how naughty the dearly departed can be. They wanted to play a prank on him, but I didn’t have time for it. No worries. I got what I needed. But you might want to see to it Jonathan gets a new mailbox. His is in the trunk of your car.” She tugged at her lower lip and averted her gaze. “So is the stop sign from Dead Man Crossing. And the one from Fortune Lane.”

Bram looked tired.

I can’t say I blamed him.

Jonathan moved closer to her and waved a hand in front of her face, pulling his attention to him. “Marcy, is Willa pregnant?”

Marcy put her hands on her husband’s chest. “It will be so nice to have all the babies around here. So many pregnancies arehappening all at once. As it was meant to be. Your girls will love playing with Bram’s.”

The man I’d learned was the head of the local wolf-pack was standing at the far end of the room. He was Bram’s son-in-law and was expecting a child with Bram’s daughter. He lifted a hand. “I’m not sure Dana is going to be the best playmate. She’s freaking out that she’s not mother material as it is. But if you’re talking about our little one…”

Marcy laughed. “Don’t be silly. Dana is going to be a wonderful mother. And I meant Bram’sotherdaughter, Jeffrey.”

Seward stepped back. “Bram, you haveanotherdaughter out there somewhere?”

“No,” said Bram, confusion coating his expression as he drew his wife closer.

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