“From the first time I met him,” Scarlett admitted.
Casey opened her bag and removed a small square box, no bigger than her palm.“You’ve met before?Before he grabbed you from the resort, I mean.”
“Yes, he caught me pilfering precious stones on Narenda.”Scarlett grinned at the memory.She would’ve loved to see his face when he’d found her gone.
Casey powered up the box, pushed several buttons, then tapped in a series of commands.“I’ve set the machine to read for pregnancy.Just lie down for me.I’ll place it on your belly.”
“Should I strip?”
“No, it will read through your garments,” Casey said.
Scarlett toed off her boots and stretched out on the couch for Casey.Her breath caught as Casey held the black box above her abdomen.She wasn’t sure what she wanted.She’d have an excuse to see Ransom again if she were pregnant, but that was a double-edged sword.Trapping a man—no, that wasn’t her style.
“Do you know if a feline shifter can have offspring with a dragon?”she asked.
“Hmm.”Casey still peered at the readings on the machine.
“What?”
“Yes, they can have offspring,” Casey murmured.She raised her gaze to meet Scarlett’s.
“What?”
“You’re pregnant with twins.”
Scarlett gaped at Casey.
“Did you hear me?Scarlett?”Casey asked.
“Two babies?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“The reading is 99.9 percent reliable,” Casey reminded her.
“Don’t tell anyone.”Scarlett sat up and thrust her feet into her boots.“Not even Felix.Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I want to break the news myself.”Scarlett knew Casey would keep her word.
“What are you going to do?Scarlett?You have a weird expression on your face.”
“Make a plan,” Scarlett said.“Thanks, I’ll see you later.”
She found Saber in his office with Felix and Leo.Saber was busy talking and broke off mid-sentence when she tapped on the door and entered.“Saber, I wondered if I could have a word.”She glanced at her brothers and sighed.“I might as well speak to you all.”
“We can talk,” Saber said.“What’s the problem?”
Scarlett dropped onto an empty seat beside Leo and swallowed hard to settle the arrival of nerves as she stared across the compudesk at her oldest brother.Get it out, Scarlett.She clasped her hands to stop them shaking.
“Scarlett?”Saber prompted.
“I don’t want to work here.I’m bored with doing the same thing day in day out.”Scarlett paused.Saber wasn’t shouting.Neither were Felix and Leo, and that encouraged her to continue.“My dream is to focus on my jewelry designs and open a shop on Dalcon.I have a business plan and everything,” she said.“I’ve saved enough currency for a financial cushion if my sales aren’t as robust as my projections.There’s just one problem.”Scarlett swallowed again.An audible gulp.
Saber’s expression didn’t shift.“What sort of problem?”
