I bite the inside of my cheek and wince.
Fuck. Nope, definitely real.
“This is why no one can know our identities,” Sebastian goes on, his low timbre snapping me out of my thoughts. “Obviously, that wouldn’t go over well.”
“Right. I can see that.” I nod, my head still a little swimmy. “So you just tour, feed on the crowd, and…”
Sebastian shrugs. “Yeah, that’s basically it. We were never supposed to get involved with humans.”
“Never supposed to impregnate them,” I add, my eyes shifting back to Niki. “So the baby… is a demon too?”
Niki nods. “Half-demon. It’s feeding on my energy, draining me slowly every day. That’s why I didn’t want you to call the ambulance earlier. We don’t know what would show up on the ultrasound. Staying away from doctors is our safest bet.”
“No doctors? So you plan to have this baby here? Alone?” My mind spins, and I gape at her. “Please tell me these demons at least know what they’re doing. Can any of them deliver a baby?”
Niki shifts uncomfortably in the recliner. “Sebastianhas been hunting everywhere for someone who can help. There’s never been a successful half-breed birth, so none of us know what to expect. We’re just taking things day by day.”
“Never?” My brows furrow together, my head canting to the side. “What do you mean successful?”’
Sebastian and Niki exchange a look, and my chest clenches tight. I have a feeling I’m not going to like what they’re about to say, so I try to prepare myself for the worst.
However, despite my few seconds of preparation, it does nothing to lessen the blow.
“Humans typically die before they can give birth,” Niki says softly. “In this case, the Ennubus baby is draining my energy faster than Sebastian can resupply it. There’s a chance, if we don’t find another solution, that my heart will give out before I have the baby.”
And just like that, my world shatters.
Chapter 11
Tobias
I lean my head back against the side of the tour bus, staring at the star-flecked sky overhead, thinking about just how close Sebastian’s mate came to death this evening. She was so weak, so far gone, that I almost couldn’t save her. I’d almost been too late.
Sebastian would have never forgiven me.
Dread creeps up my spine as I consider the alternatives, what would have happened if I hadn’t made it there when I did. It’s a grim prospect, and I don’t know if my energy will be enough to save her next time.
The half-demon baby inside of her is powerful, more so than it has any right to be. I’m now fully convinced that it will take her life; it’s only a matter of time. And, somehow, even though it shouldn’t be possible, I feel even more sympathy forSebastian.
What a horrible way to lose your mate.
I don’t think I could ever look at my child without resentment if that happened, which is why it never will. Human mates are far too delicate, too much trouble, to deal with. I’d never bond with one, much less procreate.
No, if I decide to take a mate, I’ll make sure she’s a succubus or another type of demon. As long as she isn’t a mortal.
The sound of a door closing makes my head snap to the side, and I watch Niki’s friend round the end of our tour bus. Her head is down, her arms crossed over her chest as she heads across the parking lot, but she doesn’t appear to be in a hurry. She walks slowly, deliberately, like she’s counting exactly how many steps there are between her and the bus.
Where the hell is she going?
I shouldn’t care. I don’t.
But it’s late, and the streetlights don’t quite illuminate the parking lot. Long shadows fall over her like reaching limbs as she leaves the tour buses behind, and I can’t tear my eyes away from her fading figure.
She’s important to Niki and, by extension, Sebastian.
And by some even further extension, the band.
I groan.
