Her shoulders slumped. “Tired and kind of achy. Virus-27 is like the flu but tunnels deeper.”
His chest tightened. “I’ve had all medical facilities I know of report to Kane and Emma.”
“Even the demon facilities?” Janie asked, her eyebrows rising.
“No. Suri won’t allow that.” Zane rubbed the rigid muscles at the base of his neck. “But I still have some allies in vampire and shifter nations that aren’t aligned with the Realm. Maybe through this, they will.”
Janie’s smile wavered. “Is there any way to reach peace with Suri? Now that we’ve mated, and your family is safe, maybe Suri will move on.”
Zane rolled his shoulders. “That’s a nice thought, but Suri’s not a man who’d take my betrayal well.”
“But couldn’t you try?” Janie grasped his hand on the table. “Since the virus has gone airborne, even demon mates are susceptible. The Kurjan-Demon alliance is dead in the water because you and I mated. At least give peace a chance with Suri.”
Zane studied her. Intelligent and hopeful was a sexy combination. More than that, he wanted to see that smile on her face again. “I can try,” he said slowly.
The smile bloomed. “Excellent. Peace is not only the right solution, it’s the smart one. We all need to work together to cure this virus.”
He finished his stew and leaned back to study his stunning mate. She’d pulled her sable hair up into a messy bun, and no makeup covered her pretty face. She didn’t need makeup. “Dinner was wonderful, and I appreciate your feeding me. Now would you like to tell me what’s on your mind?”
She blinked and set down her water glass. “How did you know?”
He smiled. The woman should never play poker. “You have several tells.” He flipped his hand over hers, trying to warm her chilly skin. “You can tell me anything. No matter what, I’m on your side, Belle. I promise.” Whatever was bothering her would be a pleasure to fix, even if it meant reaching out to his damn uncle. “What’s going on?”
She took a deep breath. “We ran a full blood panel on me today in the lab.”
“Of course.” He frowned and leaned closer. “Did the results concern you?”
She barked out a quiet laugh. “Concern? No, but they surprised me.”
“How so?” He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, trying to offer comfort.
“I’m pregnant.”
Adrenaline roared through his blood, while his entire body froze in place. He jerked his head. Had he heard her right? “You’rewhat?”
Janie stiffened and then let out a rolling laugh. Her face scrunched up, and her eyes watered as mirth overtook her. Deep, belly-rumbling laughs rolled from her. She tried to cover her mouth with her free hand, but she kept laughing. “Pre-pregnant,” she gasped out.
Zane remained in place, his mind spinning. Was she getting hysterical? As she wound down, he tried to keep his voice calm. “How in the hell did this happen?”
Her eyes widened, and then she let loose another round of laughter. “I can get you a book on how babies are made,” she finally coughed.
He frowned and tried to make sense of the situation. First, he had to calm Janie down. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She yanked her hand free and leaped to her feet. “All right? Am I all right?” Her eyes widened, and her arms swept out, all humor gone. “No. No, I am not all right.”
Ah. Okay. “Janie, let’s—”
“I’ve been mated for all of a second, and I’ve only had sex twice. In addition, I’m now being attacked by a virus that wants to turn me into turd slime, and I’m pregnant. Pregnant with a demon, vampire, shifter, human baby who probably doesn’t want to catch the damn virus.” She took a shaky breath, her chest hitching. “And I don’t even know you.”
Faced with her crisis, he calmed. “Okay.” He slid back his chair and stood, quickly reaching to lift her into his arms. She gave a half-hearted struggle, and he tucked her closer, striding into the living room to drop onto the sofa. Pregnant? She was pregnant? God. He was going to be a father. His heart swelled while his fears exploded. “Let’s take a deep breath and tackle each issue at a time.” He forced a reasonable tone into his voice before he started yelling, too.
She tucked her head into his neck, igniting every protective instinct he had. “I’m sorry to freak out.”
“You’re entitled.” He ran a soothing hand down her back, marveling at the fragile bones. Concern softened his touch. Was she strong enough to birth a vampire-demon son? “First of all, are you sure you’re pregnant?”
“Yes.” She splayed her hand across his chest and above his heart. “Our medical procedures are eons ahead of humans, and Kane performed the test three times. Plus, I guess once he knew, he could actually scent the baby.”
Zane closed his eyes and opened his senses. Fresh rain and honey dew. He cleared his throat. “I can smell the baby, too.”
