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vegetables over the open flame.  I m not ready for this, not any of it. I d like to be a mother someday in the
future, but not yet. She paused, gearing up to ask him again if he d consider Jacob s solution revealing
vampires as real and exposing Overton as one. It sounded increasingly like a viable option to her. But as
she opened her mouth, Valarian spoke up.
 Motherhood may come sooner than you think, Akila. You may already be pregnant.
She shook her head.  That s not possible. I haven t stopped taking the Pill because I hadn t come to a
decision yet.
He rotated a vegetable skewer with concentrated intensity, refusing to meet her eyes.  Trust me, it s
possible, as possible as a vampire impregnating a human by proxy.
She stared at him, decoding his tone of voice, which held no uncertainty.  Are you saying I could get
pregnant despite any safeguards because of the special nature of this& arrangement?
 Yes. He set down the tongs and faced her.  Birth control can t stop it if this child is meant to be
conceived.
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Akila s mind flew over the past few days and the numerous times Jacob had released inside her.  Did
one of these mysterious nuns tell you that? Did you know and you ve been hiding the truth from me? Oh
God.
Her hand dropped to her stomach as if she would suddenly find a bulge there and could maybe press it
back into flatness.
 They suggested nature would take its course as long as all the elements of the equation were brought
together. They claimed destiny could not be stopped by you or me or Jacob none of us. This baby was
meant to be born.
 Jesus. Fuck! When were you going to tell me? You let me believe the choice was mine. You lied!
She sounded like a child who d just learned Santa wasn t real and her daddy had made those footprints on
the roof. Christ, she was a child, who d blundered blithely into this situation without using an ounce of
caution or common sense. Her mama had warned her about her impulsive nature countless times and now
all her dire forecasts seemed to be coming true. Akila might be pregnant with Satan s child, for all she
knew. Panic sheared through her and she could barely breathe.
Valarian came toward her and reached out to grasp her arms.  Calm down.
She shook off his hands.  No. I won t. You lied to me. She drew a shaky breath.  I was ready to take
responsibility, but on my terms, not to have it thrust upon me. You had no right.
She couldn t explain her rage in coherent words, she was so incensed at Valarian for hiding the facts
but mostly at herself for being stupid and carried along on a tide of crazy hormones.
Back in high school one of her best friends had gotten knocked up and, while Akila had never said a
negative word aloud, she d always felt exasperated at the girl for not taking precautions. Akila herself had
always been very careful about sex. Until now. She d taken Jacob at his word that condoms weren t
necessary because he didn t carry human diseases& what idiocy had that been? And she d felt herself
secure in the armor of the Pill because Valarian hadn t told her there was a chance nothing could stop an
onslaught of Jacob s potent paranormal sperm.
 I m sorry, Valarian said.  I didn t mean to mislead you.
 Yes, you did, or you would ve said something.
 All right. Maybe I did, a little, but I knew you d come around eventually and figured we should get
started.
 Am I an Easy Bake oven? Just pop in some batter and out comes a baby? She glared at him.  You
can talk about destiny and fate all you want, but what matters is that you lied to me. You let me believe I
had a choice, then you took that choice away from me.
Her head was whirling. Pregnant. But it wasn t necessarily true. She had to buy a test and find out.
But first she had to get off this island, away from this liar who d seduced her into believing in him. She
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couldn t think for herself with him clouding her thoughts and judgment. And what about Jacob? Had he
known about this but done what his master bade him?
She d begun to care for both Valarian and Jacob very much, but it was Jacob she d trusted the most.
He was so serious and steadfast. Reliable. Now she felt the solid ground he d provided had crumbled
beneath her feet. How could he keep something this huge from her? How could both of these men promise
her the decision to conceive or not to conceive was in her hands when they knew it wasn t necessarily true?
 I want to leave now. She clenched her jaw, trying to control the tremble in her voice and the sting of
tears in her eyes.  I want to go home.
 Akila. You can t just leave. There s no escaping fate and you said yourself you would have decided
to bow to it eventually. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]