Page 6 of Infernium

Wordless.

I scooted up in my chair, pulling my knees together. “Um … is … is everything okay?”

After washing his hands, he returned to his little stool, and I lowered my legs to the edge of the bench. “The uterus appears empty, though there seems to be … something there.”

I cleared my throat yet again, daring myself to ask the question, wondering if he caught movement on the screen, as well. “Something?”

“I’d be inclined to think that this was an ectopic pregnancy, but I’d have expected your urine test to be positive in that case, as far along as you claim to be. Are you certain that it was a positive test that brought you here, Miss Ravenshaw?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “Two lines, right?” An unconvincing chuckle flew past my lips.

“I’ll wait for the blood to confirm, but in the case of ectopic pregnancy, I’m recommending methotrexate.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s an injection given, to stop the fetal cells from dividing. To terminate the pregnancy. Essentially.”

Terminate.Terminate?

I shook my head. “I’m not terminating this pregnancy.”

“If it’s confirmed that you are, in fact, pregnant, it is imperative that you do this. Ectopic pregnancy is life-threatening.”

“What do you meanconfirm? You’re telling me itcouldbe ectopic. As in, you’re not certain after theultrasound?”

A quick glance over his shoulder toward the blonde, and he turned to me, tucking his hands into his coat pocket. “I’m afraid I don’t quite know what I saw, Miss Ravenshaw. There seems to be a significant mass outside the uterus.”

“Mass? Like …” I swallowed a gulp, not wanting to say it aloud and put the possibility in his head. “A tumor?”

“A tumor is something I could identify, based on having seen one before. This was … unusual. I thought maybe the transducer wasn’t working properly, but it persisted onscreen with the second.”

“So, what is it?”

“I’m not sure. I’d like to wait for the blood results to proceed. Another ultrasound would be in order. We’ll try a different monitor and perhaps more extensive tests. In the meantime, I’ll ask that you make a follow up appointment at the front desk and prepare yourself for the likelihood of termination.”

No. I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t. I didn’t know enough about Sentinel pregnancies to make a decision like that. Maybe it was normal to have a negative test and empty uterus. Maybe every Sentinel mother experienced the weird flickering screen and shadowy movement on ultrasound. I’d watched enough death in the past couple of months–Jericho, Garic, Remy–and I surely wouldn’t be adding Jericho’s baby to that list.

I hated that the two of them seemed to be studying me as if waiting for my reaction. “Is there no possible way that the baby could–”

“I’m afraid not. And prolonging it only puts you at risk. Please consider my advice on this, Miss Ravenshaw.”

I’d considered, and unfortunately for him, I’d already made my decision. What I’d come to know in my time spent in purgatory was, not everything followed the rules of what should be. Some beings surpassed, or defied, our limits of science. Jericho had taught me that.

The familiar sting in my eyes and nose had me looking away, because a monstrous deluge of pain and grief was on the brink of tripping the gates and I surely didn’t want to break in front of Ken and his Barbie.

I wasn’t going to terminate the pregnancy. I wasn’t going to take some metho crap to kill Jericho’s baby. His legacy. The only thing I had left of a centuries-old love.

No matter what.

2

EVIE

Present day …

Evie sat up from the rented bed of the village tavern, where she’d made her home in recent months. With an appreciative smile, she watched the blond stranger pull his leathers over an inhumanly perfect ass. A lean, muscular build gave him the body of a warrior, and his skin bore no flaws. Not even so much as a birthmark, freckle, or scar. “So, how does it work?”

Still busying himself with getting dressed, he didn’t bother to glance her way, or acknowledge that she’d even asked a question. Until after an exceptionally long pause, when he looped his belt through his trousers and frowned. “How does what work?”

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