All of a sudden, Linus experienced the very Grier-like urge to kick the doctor in the shin for his insufferable attitude and how he minimized the emotional toll on Grier.
“Baby. Fist. Stomach.” She bared her teeth at him. “Tell me not to be afraid one more time. I dare you.”
The vampire exhaled, ignoring her outburst, and began his examination. Twenty minutes later, he announced Grier was stable and in good health. Aside from the incident, the pregnancy was progressing normally.
“Are you certain you didn’t imagine the incident?” He smiled benevolently down at Grier. “Linus might have been reacting to your suggestion.” He checked with Linus. “Are you certain you saw what you think you saw?”
“LJ,” she crooned, hand on her side. “Can you show the idiotic doctor your mommy’s not crazy?”
As before, black mist wafted off the taut skin of her belly, and a small fist reached out to Grier.
The doctor’s jaw fell open, and his fangs popped out in utter shock. “I…”
“Can you see this?” She held up her finger, which LJ was holding. “Or are you hallucinating?”
“Maybe there’s a gas leak,” Lethe growled from the doorway. “Or maybe it’s moonlight glinting off swamp gas.”
“Impossible,” Dr. Rogers said and took a healthy step back. “This is…impossible.”
“And yet,” Grier muttered, “here we are.”
Aware of his role in her earlier panic, Linus caught her eye. “May I?”
“Daddy wants some love too,” she cooed. “Can you say hi?”
Gently, Linus touched the hand and found it warm and soft. “Hello.”
The chubby fingers closed over his and held tight, and where they touched, black mist curled off Linus as well.
“Remarkable,” he murmured then checked with Grier. “This doesn’t hurt you?”
“It makes a cold spot.” She shivered. “The sensation’s not unpleasant, just strange.”
Given his own body temperature, he hadn’t noticed the baby’s was lower than normal. Everyone read as warmer to his touch, and so did LJ. He might run lower than the average necromancer, but he wasn’t as cold as Linus.
“What does this mean?” He posed the question to Dr. Rogers. “For Grier and the baby?”
“There are risks with any child who possesses supernatural powers.” Dr. Rogers kept his distance. “What I recommend is bumping Grier’s cesarean up to dusk tomorrow. I need time to prepare for an emergency procedure.”
The baby released Linus’s finger and retreated, as if Grier’s panic had spooked him.
Clasping hands with her, Linus asked him, “Are you sure that’s the wisest course of action?”
“The child has the ability to manifest parts of himself outside his mother’s body. So far, he has control of the trick. What happens when he loses it? Assuming he is human in form, as the ultrasound suggests, he could corporealize with an appendage piercing Grier’s stomach.”
Pallor swept through her as what he meant registered, and Linus’s gut clenched in sympathy.
“Early delivery sounds good,” she rushed to assure him. “Let’s do it.”
“I’ll clear my schedule for the next seventy-two hours. I will be on call for you, and you alone. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re in pain or discomfort. I’ll have my staff ready to receive you at dusk.”
“Thanks.” She rallied a polite smile. “We’ll see you then.”
“I’ll walk him out.” Lethe rubbed her arms. “I’ll be right back.”
Once they were alone, Linus faced Grier. “Our son is going to be a handful.”
“You would think a noncorporeal child would have shown up during one of my fifty ultrasounds.”
“You’re speaking to him, and he understands you. Developmentally, he’s not an infant. He will be aware, and alert, if this is any indication.” Linus brushed the hair from Grier’s forehead. “I knew any child of yours would be a miracle, but this…”
“Ours,” she corrected him tartly. “I didn’t get this way on my own.”
“Ours,” he agreed, his heart full to bursting.
“You’re the genius,” she continued. “Clearly, his intellect is your fault.”
“He already loves you.”
A huff of laughter eased her frown lines. “We can’t know that.”
“He couldn’t wait to meet you.” He smoothed a hand over her stomach. “He reached out to you.”
“Literally.” Her amusement faded, and she studied him. “What do we do?”
“Focus on keeping our son where he belongs for twenty-four more hours.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” She gentled her voice. “What about your mother?”
“The others will continue the search. No one knows how Boaz thinks better than Clem.”
“I figured there must be another reason why you wanted him home so badly.”
Footsteps pelted the stairs, and Adelaide rushed to the doorway with her phone in hand.
“Good news?” Grier elbowed a pillow into submission. “Your cheeks are all flush.”
“Too much cardio,” she joked, her teeth sawing on her bottom lip. “It’s just…”
“Tell us.” Grier covered his hand with hers. “You’re not going to catapult me into labor with your news.”
“Boaz texted me a string of numbers.” She forwarded it to both of them. “I think they’re coordinates.”
“Check your phone,” Grier urged him. “You’re not betraying me by worrying about your mother.”
Loyalties torn, he did as she instructed and had to agree. “Have you checked them?”
“Yeah.” Adelaide toed the floor with her sneaker. “I wouldn’t have bothered you otherwise.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense.” Grier smiled at her. “Where’s the party?”
“A lingerie store on Abercorn Street.”
“Your face says you’re not joking,” Grier clarified, “but your mouth delivered one half of a punchline.”
“That’s what I got.” Adelaide spread her hands. “Linus is welcome to check behind me.”
Phone in hand, he did just that and came to the same conclusion. “She’s right.”
“Do we know of any tunnels in the area?” Grier lips pursed. “That would explain it.”
Worrying the hem of her shirt, Adelaide asked Grier, “Can you ask Savannah?”
“Not through the wards.” She shook her head. “Even if Woolly took them down, which is too risky, it’s easier to communicate with her directly.”
The reminder of how nuanced her bond with Savannah had grown gave him an idea of how to avoid surprises, such as his mother’s, in the future. Grier could ask the city to report unusual activity underground, and they could zero in on it before it caught them unawares.
That would help going forward, but it was useless to them now.
“I can’t make it down the stairs again,” Grier confessed. “Activity riles up LJ, and I’m not afraid to admit the mental picture of his hand getting stuck halfway through my navel is one I’m going to have nightmares about for years to come.”
Relief cascaded through Linus, and he was grateful not to have to be the bad guy and suggest she stay in bed except for bathroom breaks until it was time for her emergency surgery.
“We’ll find another way.” Adelaide rocked back on her heels. “I’ll report in when we get there.”
“Don’t bother.” Grier shoved Linus at her. “Go.”
“I’m not leaving you.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “You need me.”
“Always,” she said softly, “but right now your mother and Boaz need you a little bit more.”
“I won’t leave her side,” Lethe vowed from the doorway. “Potty breaks included.”
“See?” Though Grier wrinkled her nose, she didn’t complain. “I’m all set.”
Chest tight, he made his decision. “Will you keep Cletus with you so that I can look in on you?”
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll even keep Oscar and Hood in here if it makes you feel better.”
“I’ll leave that to your discretion.” He brushed his lips across her forehead. “I’ll be home soon.”
“Be careful.” She caught him by the front of his shirt and yanked him down for a kiss that stole his breath. “I mean it.” Shoving him back, she wiggled her fingers. “Hand.”
Dutifully, he allowed her to draw an impervious sigil on his wrist. “I love you.”
“I know,” she said smugly and winked. “I’ve seen your art studio.”
A flush swept up his throat into his cheeks, and he cleared his throat as he stood.
“I got this.” Lethe flopped down on his side of the bed. “Go save your mom.”
“She’ll be fine.” Adelaide touched his arm. “We need to go.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I’m not sure how long Boaz can afford to stay in one place. We might lose them if they have to move again.”
The added urgency spurred him into motion. He wasn’t the only one with a loved one in harm’s way. He owed it to Adelaide to get her to her fiancé safely, and to extract his mother and Boaz before they were forced to flee again.
“All right.” He sidled past her and hit the stairs. “Corbin?”
“Right here.” He strolled around the corner with Oscar on his shoulders. “Time to go?”
The ghost stuck out his bottom lip, and it trembled with the promise of tears.
“We have a lead,” Linus confirmed. “We need to move fast.” He searched the entryway. “Clem?”