Shadow Watcher (Darkness #6)(14)

“Riiigggght. Yeah. Hey, let’s go inside. I ditched my bodyguards and want to see how long before they find me.” I waved them into the warm coffee shop.

I didn’t mention that I also wanted to be in a place where I couldn’t be watched easily. If that shifter walked in the coffee shop, I’d know. But hanging out somewhere outside with a pair of binoculars or something, I wouldn’t recognize the magic. Not from a distance, and not without concentrating.

“Oh, Sasha, aren’t they going to be mad?” Delilah asked in a whisper, glancing down the near empty street.

“Oh yeah. Really mad. That’ll teach them to spy. My goal is to get home and back in bed before they catch me. Then they’ll bust in and piss off Stefan. Payback.”

“You’re playing with fire, girl!” Birdie followed me into the shop and sat at a cozy seat next to the window. She was kind of missing the point.

“Do you anticipate anyone of interest being at the meeting today? Anyone new?” I asked as I sat down a moment later with a Frappuccino.

“We have a few perspectives.” Birdie sipped her coffee. “Not strong, but they are trying. I think we should switch gears and aim for finding breeders, though.”

I coughed into my coffee. “What?”

“I’ve been thinking.” Birdie hit me with that focused glare. “Children believe in magic. We feed them the tooth fairy and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny—but as they realize each of those isn’t real, their belief in magic as a whole dries up.”

“True…”

“Right. So then, as adults, re-teaching them that magic does exist is tough. There are exceptions, like us, but mostly, it is a tough road. I think we need to start with children. Like the Boss’ people do. So, I’m thinking that instead of looking for magic users, we should look for open-minded people who wouldn’t mind mixing with Stefan’s people.”

“You’re trying to breed humans…” I summarized with wide-eyes.

“Well?” Delilah defended. “It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“You’re in this, too, Delilah?” I couldn’t help the incredulous tone.

She raised her chin. “I helped think of it. Besides, Stefan’s people—your people, sorry—are excellent lovers. And great boyfriends if you don’t mind them screwing around. Any woman would be lucky to—“

“Wait,” I held up my hand to stop her. “Don’t tell me you’re taking part in your own breeding experiment.”

“Actually, at first it was more of a ‘when in Rome’ mentality, but yes. I want to see if we’re right. And I’m ready for a baby. Did you know they have a daycare setup? It’s free.”

I stared at the reserved woman sitting in front of me sipping her coffee with her pinky sticking up and couldn’t find any words. She was admitting to not only sexing her way through the Mansion, but to now seeing if that would produce a baby.

“And you said they were great boyfriends?” I asked with a slack jaw. “You know from experience?”

“Fine looking man,” Birdie commented.

My mouth opened wider. Birdie had made that comment. The woman who had told someone to stop masturbating or they’d go blind.

“He treats me better than I’ve ever been treated,” Delilah said. “If I get with child, he wants first dibs to mate me and take care of us. And I’m all for it. I really like him.”

“First dibs to mate you. Ahm. So…that’s like marriage. You know that, right?” I pushed. “I mean, not like human marriage, since you’d both, apparently, still screw around, but he’d become your baby-daddy.”

She broke out in a smile this time, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

World. Blown.

I didn’t really know what to say. This was weirder than first learning what went on at the Mansion.

“Any luck?” I asked in a wispy voice.

Delilah’s face fell. She took a bite of her cookie. “No. Just got a visit from Aunt Flow this morning. Speaking of, do you have any spare…you know? I’m on my last one and we have to go to Birdie’s club after this.”

“You can say it. Pad. I may not need them anymore, but it’s not like I’m Charles!” Birdie glared at Delilah. “And it’s our club. You helped found it.”

I reached into my handbag and felt around the bottom before I stilled. My world screeched to a halt. My heart started pounding and my head got light. I’d used the sugar pills, which meant I should’ve had my period. I usually had it a week before Delilah.

This had not dawned on me earlier.

I hadn’t had it.

Oh shit!

“I gotta go,” I said in a panicked rush.

“What? Why? Is Charles here?” Birdie peered out the window. “I don’t see—”

I was already in flight when the knowing look came over Delilah’s face. I sprinted outside. I needed time to myself. I needed to think about this.

I needed to get tested!

Holy shit, what if I was pregnant? Oh holy shit!

How did I get pregnant? I was on the pill for Christ’s sake. I’d missed a day or two at the council, but I’d doubled up the next day. That should’ve worked. I didn’t think I’d missed one completely.