“You haven’t told Keenan why you’ve assigned him to me?”
“Not the full truth, not yet. I didn’t want to tell him before I told Levi, Tanner, or Larkin – they’re immature enough to be jealous about it. And no, I’m not kidding.”
Harper’s mouth quirked. “Okay, so we’ll tell everyone at the same time.”
“Keenan thinks I’ve asked him to guard you because I’m a little paranoid about your safety, which is actually true. Both he and Tanner will remain inside the studio with you all day. When you leave, they’ll leave with you.”
Despite knowing it was necessary, her instincts reflexively balked at that extent of the overprotectiveness – they were sentinels, they shouldn’t be lumbered with babysitting duty – but she didn’t argue. Common sense told her that it was better to be safe than sorry. The baby’s safety came before her pride and touchy independent streak.
“Since the person who’s targeting me tried kidnapping Heidi, do you think they’ve accepted that it would be too difficult for them to get to me?” she asked. “If so, it’s possible that it will be the other people in my life that they might consider harming.”
Knox thought on that for a moment. “Since their plan to get their hands on Heidi fell flat on its face, I doubt they’ll try touching your family or anyone in their lair again – that will include your co-workers.”
Full to her stomach, Harper shook her head when he offered her a slice of apple. “I can’t eat anymore. I’m stuffed.”
Knox didn’t lower the fork. “You’re eating for two now, remember.”
“I ate a lot more than I usually do,” she pointed out. “And the last thing I want to do is vomit it all back up, which is exactly what will happen if I try forcing more food into my stomach.”
“Valid point.” He put down the fork, which displeased his demon. Still, the entity could accept that she was right and, like Knox, knew there would have been no sense in pushing her. “I just worry about you.”
“I know you do, and I love you for it. But I’m honestly stuffed.”
He gestured to her orange juice. “Finish that, at least. For me.”
With a huff, she picked up the glass and downed the juice like it was tequila. “There. Done. Happy now?”
“I was already happy. Now I’m happier.” Knox kissed her, licking into her mouth, taking his time to gorge himself on her. She tasted like fruit and that sweet unique taste that was all Harper. Pulling back, he watched as her amber irises clouded and swirled before changing into a striking cobalt blue. “I wonder if the baby will have your eyes.”
Just the possibility of that had the potential to put Harper in a bad mood. “I don’t want our child to have freaky eyes.”
Knox shot her a mock glare and gave her lower lip a punishing bite. “Your eyes are not freaky.” He spoke against her mouth. “They’re beautiful. Unique. Fascinating. Just like you.”
“It’s good that you think so, but I don’t.” According to Carla, Harper had inherited the weird trait from Carla’s sister. It was possible that it could be passed on to the baby, especially since it was guaranteed to be a sphinx. Archdemons weren’t born from a womb. “I’d like it to have your dark eyes.” They made her think of black velvet. Just because the baby could only be a sphinx didn’t mean it couldn’t share any physical resemblances to Knox. The baby in her dream had looked up at her through dark eyes, she remembered… right before it blew up the cradle.
“What’s making you frown? Tell me. I’ll make it better.”
She smiled. “I was just remembering that odd dream I had about a baby, courtesy of the nightmare hunter.”
“Ah.” Knox sipped the coffee he’d almost finished. “It’s possible that some subconscious part of you considered that you could be pregnant. That might have sparked the dream. Like I said, nightmares can only cause dreams, they can’t fabricate the content.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
At that moment, Meg walked into the room. She looked at Harper’s plate and clucked in disapproval, settling her hands on her wide hips.
“I ate as much as I could,” said Harper defensively.
“She did,” Knox confirmed. “She can’t spend much more time sitting here anyway, since she has to get ready for work.”
Meg glowered at her. “You are going to work?” She went on to lecture Harper, just as Knox had known she would.
Ignoring the rant, Harper scowled at him. “Throwing me under the Meg bus was just plain mean, Thorne. And it won’t make me stay home, if that was your end game.”
Knox shrugged, mouth curving. “It was worth a try.”
Harper rolled her eyes at him. “Thank you for caring,” she then said to Meg, “but I can’t stay in this house for the rest of the pregnancy. I will go insane. Do you really want a crazily bored imp-by-nature-sphinx for company? ’Cause I gotta tell ya, they’re not fun to have around.”
Meg humphed and snatched Harper’s plate. “I will prepare you healthy snacks to take with you to work, and you will eat all of them.”
Harper sighed at her retreating back. “I’m not looking forward to telling the others, because there’s a good chance they’ll react just as protectively. I can’t handle that level of fretting. They’ll swarm around me like locusts.”
Knox drank what was left of his coffee. “I’d say I’m sorry that they’ll coddle you, but I’m not.” The more people protecting her, the better, as far as Knox was concerned. Eyes narrowing, she flipped him the finger. Knox just chuckled.
In the coffeehouse later that morning, Harper stood at the end of the counter while the barista prepared her order. Hearing the bell chime, she glanced at the door. Not Carla, she noted. Good. She’d checked each time she heard the bell. It would be just her luck that the woman sought another confrontation. Her demon really wouldn’t do well with that right now.
“How are you feeling today?” asked Wren.
Harper smiled. “Good, thanks. You?”
“I’m fine.” Wren put the last of the cups on the tray. “Frothed vanilla milk for you again, I suspect,” she added quietly with an odd gleam in her eyes
Harper stilled as the implication of that comment sank into her brain. “You knew?” All this time, she’d known? “How?”
“I sense these things. I wasn’t sure if you knew or not, but I’ve noticed you’re scanning the room as if potential threats may be lying in wait. Your demon’s paranoid, huh?” Wren leaned forward to make the conversation private. “Don’t fear that I’ll share what I know. You’ve had to deal with many people who would like to see Knox fall. It means you haven’t quite realized just how many people wish him to thrive.”
“Thrive?”
“Knox is everything a lair could want in a Prime. There are many who would defend him with their lives, though he doesn’t need their protection. If he produces a child who might one day take his place, our lair will continue to be strong. I won’t do anything to put that child at risk. And it would be at risk, but you’re smart enough to already know that.”
Harper gripped the tray tight. “Does anyone else suspect the pregnancy?”
“Not that I’m aware. I’ll let you know if any whispers begin to spread. I can assure you that the lair will close ranks around you, Knox, and your child. Most will be happy for him, just as they were happy for him when he took you as his mate. We want only good things for our Prime. Oh, there are those who have their grievances with him, but all will support him in this. As I said, they want the lair to be strong for their children, their grandchildren, and their grandchildren’s grandchildren, and so on and so on.”
“In other words, don’t worry so much?”
“A child is always a blessing. A pregnancy should be a time of celebration, not fear.”
She had that right, thought Harper. “Thanks.” Lifting the tray, she walked to the condiment trolley, where Raini was waiting.