The Struggle
Page 54

I had no idea why that ability had started to show recently. “You’re not.”
“That’s not all.”
“It’s not?” Eagerness filled Deacon’s voice.
“I can tell things. Like when someone is sick. They have this grayish glow to them, like an aura. I thought I was having vision problems,” she said, and the more she talked, I had to wonder how she thought she was a normal mortal. “And I know when women are freaking pregnant! At least I think I do. And by the way, that got me fired.”
I blinked slowly.
“Do tell,” Deacon murmured, eyes glittering with interest.
“So I was working at the indie bookstore and my manager came into work one morning, late as usual with her husband, and when I looked at her stomach, I could see this little ball of light that for some reason, in my head, was shaped like a baby! A freaking fist-size ball of light shaped like a baby.”
Deacon and I exchanged looks.
“So what else would I do? I blurted out that she was pregnant,” Cora continued on from the other side of the door. “Little did I know, her and her husband had hit a major dry spell, and if she was pregnant, it couldn’t have been her husband’s.”
“Oh my,” I said.
“Yeah, oh my. So she fired me that afternoon.” There was a thump from the other side of the door that I really hoped wasn’t her head. “Of course, I learned to not just blurt out random hallucinations real quickly.”
Deacon grinned. “Smart move, but it probably wasn’t a hallucination.”
Cora’s sigh was audible through the door. “This is real, and you guys aren’t going away, are you?”
“This is real and we really don’t want to leave you,” I said, pushing off the wall. “You have to be hungry, right? We can get food and answer all the questions you have.”
There was no immediate response, but then I saw the door knob starting to turn. Stepping back, I crossed my arms over my stomach. I had this nearly overwhelming urge to run away before the door opened. If she could see a baby in a belly . . .
Okay.
I was being stupid.
I was not pregnant.
Uncrossing my arms, I hoped the smile that I fixed on my face wasn’t as creepy as the one Deacon was rocking.
The door cracked open slowly, and then I saw the girl that Deacon and Luke had technically kidnapped. She was about my height and was absolutely stunning. Raven-colored hair hung in tight, springy curls all the way to her breasts. Her skin was a deep, warm brown that was a startling contrast to eyes so pale they were somewhere between gray and blue.
“Hi,” I said, giving her a little wave.
Cora turned from Deacon and looked at me strangely, her light gaze dropping to my stomach. Her brows shot up and then she squeezed her eyes shut as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy.”
I stood as still as a cat in front of a hellhound.
Glancing over at Deacon, it didn’t appear that he had noticed anything weird, but I was seconds away from freaking out.
Okay.
That was more than just a little weird.
Cora moved aside, holding the door open for us. I forced a smile as I stepped inside the dorm room, hiding the fact that I wanted to find the nearest corner and start rocking in it. She either saw that I was sick—sick from the bands—or she saw something else.
Something that looked like a baby-shaped ball of light.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Deacon said, closing the door behind us.
Cora glanced nervously between us, and I made sure the smile was still planted on my face. “We do.”
And as soon as we got done there, I needed to find Alex.
~
About an hour later, I walked out of Cora’s room and headed toward the lobby. Deacon was still with her, and she’d calmed down a lot, but was still understandably mind blown by everything.
My stomach had settled and I no longer felt like I was about to spew vomit everywhere, but there were tiny coils of tension deep in my belly for a whole different reason.
I knew I was probably being dumb, but I needed to take a pregnancy test just to set my mind at ease. The last thing I wanted to do was share the fact that I was most likely overreacting like a mofo, but I had no idea where I could get a test. I doubted they carried them in their university bookstore.
Or maybe they did?
Then again, I remembered hearing that many of the students were given birth-control shots.
That was something I probably should’ve looked into.
Anxious and jittery, I hurried through the common area. A few of the halfs looked in my direction, but no one really paid me any mind as I pushed open the doors and spied Alex.
She was leaning against one of the columns, talking to Luke and a dark-haired half-blood I had sort of gotten to know before we’d gone to retrieve the other demigods.
“Hey,” Colin turned with a smile, his blue eyes as bright as I remembered. “Holy crap, I was wondering if I was ever going to see you again!”
“Hi.” I gave him a little wave. “How have you’ve been?”
Colin gave me a quick one-armed hug. “Perfect. I hear things have been a little crazy for you guys.”
“Understatement of the year,” Alex chimed in, and I wondered if she knew that Colin totally idolized her and Aiden.
“Yeah, that’s the truth,” I commented.
“Glad to see you’re doing okay.” He glanced at Luke. “I heard things got . . . a little rough.”
Pressing my lips together, I nodded as I forced my arms across my chest. “I’m doing good.”
“How did things go with Cora?” Luke asked, stepping around Colin.
“She finally opened the door and let us in. She’s starting to come around. I mean, she believes us now,” I told him. “But I think we need to proceed with baby steps so we don’t overwhelm her.”
“Baby steps?” Colin’s dark brows lifted. “And you left her in there with Deacon? He’s probably lighting things on fire for her.”
“Shit. You’re so right.” Luke sighed. “I better go check on them.”
Before Alex followed Luke, I tapped her arm. “Can I talk with you for a moment?”
“Sure.” She pushed away from the column as she brushed her long ponytail off her shoulder.
“Sorry,” I said to Colin, feeling bad that I had busted in on the conversation. “I didn’t mean to interrupt or steal her.”
“Nah. It’s cool. I was going to try to follow Luke. Like to meet another demigod,” he said, grinning. “It’s like you guys are popping up everywhere now.”
“Tell me about it,” Luke said, motioning Colin to follow him. “Let’s go make sure Deacon hasn’t traumatized Cora.”
“More than you all did when you kidnapped her?” Colin clapped a hand down on my shoulder as he passed me by.
“Look, it wasn’t really kidnapping.” Luke opened the door. “It was more like witness relocation against her will. Totally different.”
Their conversation was cut off as the door closed behind them. Alex raised her brows. “How much do you want to bet they’ll have that girl rocking in a corner somewhere?”
“Or marathoning Supernatural. There’s no in-between.”
Alex laughed. “True.” Her eyes squinted as she looked up at the fading sun. “So, what did you need to talk to me about?” Concern briefly flickered across her face. “You haven’t heard from Seth—”
“No. Nothing like that.” My stomach dipped as I glanced at the doors. “Can we walk and talk?”
“Sure.” Curiosity now filled her gaze.
I kept my arms crossed as we walked off the wide steps and started along the incredibly impressive marble walkway. The amount of money they had to have spent just to lay the pathways on the campus could probably have fed a small country.
Several knots had formed in my belly. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to have to say these words. Especially to someone who had more than once made out with the guy who could possibly be my baby’s daddy. Granted, I’d moved way past having a problem with that, but still—awkward. I just didn’t know who else to go to.