Shadow Watcher (Darkness #6)(18)

Jonas stared at me. Apparently that was the right finish to the sentence. I felt like I was in a twilight zone.

“Fine. Great. Let Stefan go crazy and fuzzy. I can handle that.” But I didn’t think I could handle much more talk like this.

Charles snickered. “You have no idea, Sasha. You are totally going to flip.”

“Shut up, simpleton,” Jonas warned. “You’re still learning how your dick works. As soon as you grow pubic hair you’ll take this seriously.”

“Bro, I’m taking this seriously. You just don’t know her as well as I do. You weren’t there in the beginning. They have an understanding now, sure, but that shit is about to change when he tries to take control again. This is going to be fireworks and kerosene, yo.”

“He was there,” I corrected him, wiping my brow. “He tried to let the Dulcha kill me, remember?”

“Busted!” Charles yelled. “Such a dick move. Total 180, though. It all worked out. Just sayin’.”

Jonas was trying for patience—his smoldering eyes and clenched fists gave him away. It just wasn’t coming as fast this time.

“Oh, and Sasha,” Charles continued. “When the Mansion finds out, they’ll be crazy, too. Just so you know.”

My phone chirped from my handbag near the door. I bounded up and immediately ran into Charles. “What do you need? I’ll get it.”

“I ain’t done, human,” Jonas pushed.

“That’s probably Ann.” I pushed at Charles. “I need girl time. I called her to come over.”

“I’ll go get her.” Charles waited for Jonas to come and play roadblock so he could scoop up my phone and took off out the door.

“Jonas, this is already irritating,” I cautioned.

“That’s my point. Now, you need to take it easy. Take it slow. And if your body rejects that baby in the first three months, that’s okay. You don’t need to get down on yourself. It is perfectly natural. Most females lose their first couple of babies.”

I slowed down until everything settled. I stared up at Jonas and soaked in his comforting, calming stance. I was barely getting used to the idea of being pregnant myself, and he was telling me I’d probably lose it.

Something clicked over in my head. I hadn’t known how to feel, and I wasn’t sure about a trespasser inside me, but hearing I might lose him or her shook me. This baby was Stefan’s and mine. It was a piece of us. I didn’t want to lose it. I needed a moment to stress and panic about being a crappy mother, but I didn’t want to lose the life we’d created. I wanted this little peanut, and I would do anything to protect him or her. He or she was a part of our family now.

Jonas put a hand on my shoulder. The comforting warmth seeped into me. In a display of affection that was unusual for him, he reeled me in and held me gently. “The good news is that you are able to get pregnant. That is step one.”

“Where is she, Charles?” Ann stormed into the living room a moment later and stopped dead with the sight of Jonas holding me. “What happened?” she whispered in a terrified voice.

“These guys have grown vaginas,” I murmured through Jonas’ hard chest. “But Jonas is like an electric blanket, and I am surprisingly really comfortable. It helps knowing that he’s not trying to get in my pants, of course.”

“I only tried until the Boss marked you,” Charles said in a huff as he walked in.

“So what’s going on?” Ann stood beside us in a fuzzy pink robe. Charles must’ve snatched it up from my old room.

I struggled out of Jonas’ grasp and faced Ann. With a deep breath, I said, “I’m pregnant.”

Ann stared at me for a second. “Are you sure?”

“I took two tests.”

“Holy shit, Sasha.” Ann breathed deeply and put her hands to her hips. “How did this happen?”

Finally! A normal reaction!

“I have no idea,” I admitted, taking a couple steps and sinking into the couch. Ann followed in a daze. “I was on the pill.”

“I thought these guys weren’t even fertile?”

I shrugged. I was just as mystified as she was.

“Ungrateful,” Charles growled. “Why are you bringing logic into this? This isn’t a place for logic. This is a place for unicorns and cotton candy.”

“Charles, you belong in a fun house with your unicorns and cotton candy,” Ann retorted. She stared at me. “Scared? Happy?”

“Yes. Both. I don’t know anything about this.”

“I told you—”

Suddenly Ann was action, cutting Charles off. She jumped off the couch, punched him soundly in the stomach, and pointed a finger toward the door. “Get out! This is a girl conversation. You don’t have any part of this. Get out. When all this is hashed out, we’ll talk to you.”

“What about Jonas?” Charles whined.

“Jonas is being quiet. Besides, he is giving me some terrifying looks. I know your people go fruit-loops over pregnant women—I’ve seen that weird farm you have—so I know what to expect. But you’re just being a mother hen, and that isn’t working right now.”

“Jesus. Gang up on a guy.” With a last look at Jonas, who apparently supported Ann’s judgment, Charles left shaking his head. I felt a little bad for him, but in this situation, I just needed a second to digest things. Just one.