Jo’s mouth was on the floor.
Giselle beamed as she rolled her chair over to me quickly. “This is great news.”
In whose fucking world is that great news?I dropped down and bent over, breathing in and out, in and out.
Jo finally snapped out of her frozen state and rubbed my back as she mumbled all kinds of words I couldn’t make out. Hell, my brain was on a collision course with a Mack truck.
Sitting up straighter, I pushed my fingers through my hair. “Have you known this since you started testing her blood? I mean, what made you test for that?” His reasons didn’t matter. The cat was out of the bag and had clawed out my eyes.
Doc grinned as if proud of me. “Sam, you know I run a full gamut of tests with patients. I don’t leave any stone unturned. Anyway, we ran her blood type a few times just to be sure and repeated the pregnancy test several times. Her pregnancy hormone, hCG, is on the rise. She’s not that far along, but this is great news. Your father will be elated.”
I laughed like a nervous Nellie. “Layla won’t be.” I wasn’t sure I was on board, either.
Dude, you have no choice. You can’t take that steamy, sexy, hot-as-fuck night back no matter how many magical powers you might have or witches you might know.The last part made me laugh again. I doubted Alia Costner had any magical witch spells to help me with this one.
“This is insane,” I muttered. “Is that why Layla’s craving blood? Because she’s pregnant?”
“She shouldn’t be,” Doc said, a ton of questions written all over his face. “She should have a normal pregnancy like any other human woman who gets pregnant by a vampire.”
“So why does she have a hunger for blood?” None of it was making sense.
Jo, Giselle, and Doc looked at each other, confused as well.
Dr. Vieira scratched his neck. “You know nothing about the Mason family is normal. Maybe the fetus does require blood. Jo, start a small IV drip with Sam’s blood. If Layla shows any signs of a severe reaction, stop it immediately. I’ll be up later to check on her.”
I growled, wanting to punch something. “I need air.” I skirted benches and equipment.
“Sam, you need to go with Jo,” Doc said, raising his voice. “I don’t have any more of your blood here, so we’ll need to connect a line from you to Layla.”
“I need a minute.” I slapped a hand on the door and pushed so hard the wooden structure flew open, hit the wall, and punctured a hole in it.
Man, Layla was going to have a cow when she found out.
19
LAYLA
Isquirmed as my eyelids fluttered open to the sound of beeps and dings. I swiveled my head one way and then the other. Sam sat in a chair beside me, sleeping with an IV that was tethered to me stuck in his arm. I closed my eyes again then opened them.No. No. No. Why is there a line of blood from him into me?I grabbed the needle and ripped it out. Blood immediately dribbled onto the stark-white blanket, soaking through.
Footsteps, sounding like a horse in a gallop, grew louder before Jordyn came running in. “You can’t do that.”
Like hell I can’t.
Sam shot off the chair like a cannon being fired in war. “Get Dr. Vieira!” Sam shouted at Jordyn, like it was her fault.
Clenching my fists, I snarled at the green-eyed vampire.
He growled back as the room began to shake.
I mashed my lips together. “Really, vampire. You have to use your elemental powers on me?”
He flinched, and his eyes bulged. “I didn’t do that.” He removed the IV from his arm, gathered my needle, then placed it on the table beside my bed. Then he traipsed over to the window.
Sun glinted off the tall buildings in the distance.
“Maybe it’s a small tremor from an earthquake, then,” I offered.
“Boston doesn’t have earthquakes,” he said. “There’s construction going on across the street. I’m sure that’s what caused it.” He returned to my bedside, his long legs eating up the vast space.
