Chapter 3

Talon's wolf-brown eyes roved over my body. He unbuttoned my suede jacket and gathered my loose cotton shirt in his hands. It pressed against my abdomen, revealing what the looseness had concealed. The lighting was low, but vampires have vision like cats. I knew he could see every detail—my full breasts, my noticeably rounder belly.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked.

I lifted a shoulder, let it drop.

"Yeah," he said. "That's what I thought."

My gaze slid from his. I wasn't proud of what I'd done. Leaving without telling Talon he was going to be a father had been wrong. Yeah, I'd been desperate, but it had still been wrong.

"I've got to pee," I muttered.

He released me and I turned, making my way down the dimly lit hall and pushing open the first door I came to. A frosted-glass sconce came on, illuminating a lux silver-and-black bedroom. I dropped my jacket on the massive black-lacquer bed and hurried into the attached bathroom.

When Talon tried to follow, I shut the bathroom door in his face. He rapped on the thick wood.

"What?" I jerked down my pants and underwear, lowering myself to the toilet seat with a sigh of relief.

"Just…tell me if you feel faint or anything."

I briefly closed my eyes. Now he was being nice, but I knew it was only because of the baby. Somehow that hurt more than the cool disdain.

"I'm fine," I gritted. "You didn't have to call a doctor."

He grunted and didn't say anything else, but I knew he remained outside the door. Standing guard.

I finished and zipped up my pants, leaving the button undone. I was tall and wide-hipped enough that I wasn't in maternity clothes yet, but it wouldn't be much longer.

I took my time in the bathroom, washing my face, running my fingers through my hair. Then I placed my hands on the marble counter and stared at my reflection.

Jesus Murphy. I looked like crap. Pale, with purple smudges under my eyes and a pinched look around my mouth, like I was forty-three, not twenty-three.

Stress and pregnancy weren't a good mix. Talon showing up out of the blue tonight didn't help, but I couldn't blame it all on him. I'd been stressed for months.

First, I'd found out I was carrying the baby of a vampire who'd vowed never to mate with a human because he didn't want a dhampir spawn. Then I'd let myself get roped into spying on the other thralls, including a thrall that Brien, now the syndicate's new primus, had fallen in love with. And after that, I'd run, leaving everyone I loved behind.

Talon knocked again. "Eden?"

I heaved a breath, weary clear to my bones.

"You made your bed, now lie in it." Why did I hear my mom's voice whenever I messed up?

I wiped my hands, straightened my spine. "Coming."

The duffel bag was on a plush armchair, my jacket folded neatly on top. It was the only chair in the bedroom, so I sank onto the bed's velvet coverlet instead.

Talon dropped his leather jacket on top of my stuff and prowled closer, stopping with his booted toes an inch from mine. God, he was sexy. Dark-haired and broody, his jaw shadowed with stubble. A navy T-shirt hugged his powerful torso and biceps, and a menacing shark tattoo, the mark of a "made" man in the Maritime Syndicate, curved around the side of his neck.

I felt the usual tingle in my belly at having him so near. I'd missed him, which was so fucked up.

I hated how susceptible I was to him, how starved I'd been for his touch, his earthy male scent. His rare, slow smile.

"My mom and dad?" I blurted before he had a chance to read me. "They're okay?"

His heavy brows pulled together. "Yeah."

"And my sister?"

"Freya? She's fine, I guess. Still in Halifax as far as I know—I don't keep tabs on her."

"Good." Tears filled my eyes. I was just so relieved. Plus, I cried a lot these days. I swiped the moisture away. "That's good."

He took hold of my chin, making me look back up at him. "You're crying."

I drew a ragged breath. "It's nothing. Hormones."

His expression darkened. "You thought I'd hurt them to punish you?"

I swallowed, the sound loud in the quiet bedroom. "No."

"Don't lie. You know I can sense it."

"Fine, then. I wondered, all right? I know how angry you and Brien must be with me. How bad I made you look, and I was afraid you'd take it out on them—"

Talon released me. "The primus," he said, emphasizing his friend's title, "has kept what you did quiet. Everyone thinks you left with our permission."

I blinked. "He did? But why?"

"We would've looked weak." His mouth twisted. "You spying on us like that and then escaping without punishment."

"Oh." The faint hope that I'd been forgiven shriveled. My shoulders slumped. "Of course. And the baby?"

His gaze dropped to my abdomen. I covered it protectively.

I didn't mean to. Instinct made me do it, just like when I'd come back to consciousness at my apartment and found Talon touching me, his expression possessive. I'd spent the past few months terrified that when the syndicate found out about my baby, they'd take him or her away to punish me.

Talon's gaze snapped back to mine. "Fuck, Eden. I'm not going to hurt you or the baby."

I rolled my lips in. I couldn't seem to help messing things up with this man. "I know."

At least, I knew he wouldn't hurt either of us physically. But would he let me keep the baby? That was the fear that had made me run, that still had me jolting awake, heart racing, sweat beading my forehead.

He expelled a breath through his teeth. "You're tired. We'll continue this tomorrow. Just tell me one thing. The child—it's mine, isn't it?"

It wasn't really a question. His voice barely went up at the end. But I knew he still wanted an answer, and he'd know if I lied. Like he'd said, he could sense it; vampires have built-in lie detectors where humans are concerned.

But damn him for asking. He knew it was his.

He knew there'd been no one but him for the past year.

He might've well slapped me. I recoiled, my hand flying to my abdomen.

"Yes," I said between tight lips. "There was no one else, and you know that. When would I have even had a chance to—?" I shook my head. "And if you don't believe me, check your goddamn cams."

He nodded, satisfied. "I believe you."

I ground my back teeth together. "That was some kind of a truth test, wasn't it?"

An unapologetic shrug. "I had to know."

"Well, fuck you, too."

His jaw set. "You know the syndicate takes full responsibility for any spawn born to a thrall."

"Maybe I don't want my baby"—I deliberately used the word baby, not spawn—"growing up in a syndicate."

My dhampir baby—half-human, half-vampire. Talon wasn't the only vampire who looked down on dhampirs. My kid wasn't going to be raised as a second-class citizen. A child whose mother wasn't even his father's mate, but a disgraced thrall.

His frown deepened. "Is that why you ran?"

I dug my fingers into my thighs. "It's part of the reason, yeah."

But mostly because I was afraid that when you found out what I'd done, you'd take the baby from me.

I didn't say it aloud, though. It was a weakness, one Talon might use against me like he'd used Rio.

He pursed his lips, considering me in that way he had of peeling back the bullshit to see straight into my soul.

I shifted, feeling itchy, exposed. "But I was always planning to leave. I was just marking time until my contract was up."

It was a bitchy thing to say, and I knew it.

Still, I didn't expect my jab to hit, but something flickered way back in his eyes. Something that looked like hurt.

But that couldn't be right because I'd always known I had an expiration date. He hadn't made me any promises, and he sure as hell hadn't asked me to extend my contract. As soon as my time was up, he would've turned to another thrall…or three. He was a vampire, after all.

Even this past year, I might have been his favorite, but I'd known we weren't exclusive. Actually, that wasn't true. He'd called dibs on me, and he was high enough in the hierarchy that the rest of the syndicate had left me alone.

However, it hadn't worked both ways. He hadn't flaunted other women in front of me, but it was no secret. I knew…which was a special kind of torture.

His eyes hooded, hiding whatever I'd thought I'd seen. "Yeah, I know."

I opened my mouth to say something—maybe even apologize—but he put his fingers on my lips. "I told you, we'll talk tomorrow."

He crouched at my feet to remove my boots. I stared down at him, confused and wanting.

Don't read too much into it.

But it was such a gentlemanly, caring thing to do.

He stood up, my boots in his hand. As he set them next to the chair, Adrian knocked on the outer door to say the doctor had arrived.

"Stay here," Talon told me, and let her in.

The two had a low-voiced conference in the hall, then Dr. Lopez appeared, a small, motherly woman who seemed unfazed at being called out at eleven p.m. to examine me. She won me over when the first thing she did was to shoo Talon from the bedroom.

He started to object until I frowned at him and mouthed, "Go."

His lips lifted in an almost-smirk, like he found me amusing. But he left, saying, "Call me if you need anything."

Dr. Lopez set a leather bag on the bed. "I'm Carla," she told me with a warm smile. "And your name is Eden? May I call you that?"

"Yes." I relaxed enough to smile back.

"So, I hear you're pregnant, sweetie. How far along?"

"Five and a half months," I told her. "I think. I…haven't been to a doctor yet."

She clucked her tongue, not to shame me but more like my mom would've—commiserating with and scolding me at the same time.

"I suppose you had your reasons," she said. "You need a proper exam—blood tests, an ultrasound—but let's look you over, check your vitals. I understand you've fainted more than once?"

"Yeah, but I thought that was common."

"It is, but you shouldn't ignore it. It could be a sign of something more serious."

"Oh," I said, feeling like the worst mom in the world. "It was only three—no, four—times."

"Okay." She took out a blood pressure cuff from the leather bag. "Blood pressure is great," she said after checking it. "And your pulse seems normal."

She had me remove my clothes and lie on the bed. After some poking and prodding, she announced that everything seemed fine. "And you're right, you're about somewhere between five and six months pregnant."

"You can tell?"

"The size of your uterus confirms it." She looked sideways, calculating. "It's early November, which means the baby is due in February. You can put your clothes on now."

She pulled off her surgical gloves and dropped them into a trash can. She waited until I was dressed, then said, "I assume the lieutenant is the father?" She waited for my nod, then said, "Well, you're a healthy pregnant woman, and your baby is doing great."

"Yeah." A relieved smile bubbled up from my chest. "That's good to know. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She handed me bottle of prenatal vitamins. "Start taking these as of now. And no more skipping meals," she added sternly. "That's not good for you or the baby."

I gripped the bottle. "I'm sorry."

"You should be." Her hug softened the scolding words. "You have to take care of yourself. If not for you, for your baby."

"I will," I promised.

Her arms tightened on me. "Are you safe?" she asked in my ear. "I can arrange something…"

Heat pressed at the back of my eyes. I bit down hard on my lower lip.

She was a brave woman, to offer to interfere in a syndicate matter. And a good one.

"It's not like that. Talon—I'm in the wrong here, not him."

"You're sure?" She pulled back to examine my face.

I formed my features into what I hoped was a reassuring expression. "I'm sure."

The bedroom door opened as she was packing up her medical bag. "How is she?" asked Talon.

"She's in excellent health—and as far as I can tell, so is your spawn—but she needs a full exam as soon as you can arrange it."

"I'll make sure of it," he said with a frown in my direction.

Talon followed the doctor into the hall. He thanked her for coming out tonight, then they had a short conversation in voices too low for me to overhear. But from her tone, she was scolding him, too.

When Talon returned, his face was carved into rigid lines.

"What?" I asked.

"You haven't even had a fucking exam?" His measured words made me wince.

"I should've. I've been meaning to. But I didn't want to be traced, and I was afraid that would make it easier…"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come here."

I padded over to him in my stocking feet. His fingers went to my shirt.

I tried to push him away. "What are you doing?"

A dark look. "Undressing you." In a few efficient moves, he stripped off my shirt and pants, leaving me in my bra and panties.

We both stared at my naked abdomen. I looked like I'd swallowed a rugby ball.

Talon laid a hand on my rounded stomach. "This is mine, Eden."

I frowned up at him, uncertain of his meaning. "And mine," I said, just so we were clear on it.

"Mm," he said, which wasn't really an answer. His other hand curved around my nape, pulling me closer so that my nearly naked body touched his fully clothed one. Beneath my bra, my nipples hardened and pressed against his T-shirt.

He felt it, of course. His hand skated up to my breast, squeezing it. "That means you're mine, too."

A treacherous thrill went over me at hearing him claiming me so explicitly. I tamped it down.

He doesn't want you.

He didn't even want the baby, not really. I'd overheard him telling Cain he didn't want to sire a dhampir, that he only wanted a pureblood spawn.

I tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened on my nape. His eyes dropped to my mouth at the same time mine went to his.

He had such a sexy mouth, with a full, sensual lower lip.

I moistened my lips. He made a sound low in his throat and lowered his head. His clean, woodsy scent enveloped me, a reminder of everything I'd left behind in Nova Scotia.

My family, my friends—and Talon himself.

Yearning knotted my chest, a tight ache that made it difficult to breathe.

His tongue slid over the seam of my lips. I swayed into him, my pregnant belly resting against his rock-hard abs.

"Open for me," he coaxed, his tongue licking my closed mouth. Sweet, wet temptation.

I swallowed a moan. It would be so easy to part my lips and let him in. To go back to how we were, vampire and thrall. To be Talon's willing hostage so that I could be with my baby.

But I didn't want Talon like that.

I wanted Talon to want me for myself, not my baby.

I wanted Talon to love me for myself.

"Don't." I turned my head to the side.

He straightened from me and craned his neck, trying to make me meet his eyes. "Eden?"

"I'm really tired." I kept my gaze angled down and away from him. "I just want to go to bed."

"Of course." The warmth in his voice evaporated, leaving me feeling hollowed out and lost.

He pulled back the coverlet and sheet and waited as I climbed into the bed. My cheeks heated. I felt awkward and very pregnant, having him watch me with that intense focus. I dragged the sheet up to my neck, and he tucked the coverlet around me.

Without saying anything, he left the bedroom, returning with a bottle of water, which he put on the nightstand next to me.

"Thanks," I muttered and struggled back to sitting. This time, he just watched without trying to help.

Uncapping the bottle, I took a drink and put it back on the nightstand.

Talon waited until I was under the covers again, then stowed the duffel bag in the closet and settled on the armchair.

I eyed him. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you sleep."

"What if I don't want you to?"

He stared back, unblinking.

"Whatever. Suit yourself." I rolled onto my side, giving him my back.

I thought I was too churned up to sleep, but I was wrong. I was out within minutes.

Right before I dropped off, I thought I felt Talon brush a hand down my face from my forehead to my chin, soothing me in a way he knew I liked. "Sleep, now. Everything's going to be all right."

But I might've dreamed that part.