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"Too dangerous for the Apex of the North American Central Pack?"

"Didn’t you once say ere family?" I teased

At the word "family," a shadow crossed his face, and the dread in his eyes chilledthat emotion on Gabriel Keene, as as fearless as they came

"What is it?" Ethan asked

Gabriel shook his head "It’s your wedding" He uncapped the flask he hadn’t yet put away, took a drink of his own before tucking it away

"It’s our life," Ethan said "And our city If you know so"

Gabriel had prophesied Ethan and I would have a child--the first a vampires Historically, three vampires had been conceived, but none were carried to term

There’d been a caveat to our possible miracle: We’d have to face some unspecified test before it happened, and even the drama of the last year hadn’t filled that horrible quota

Gabriel turned and looked at h ame" He looked at Ethan "Both of you"

"Meaning?" Ethan asked, a thread of concern in his voice

"Meaning" He paused, see in the air So uncoer, lifting goose buht of my conversation with Mallory

"What kind of so?" Ethan asked

Gabriel just shook his head "That’s the probleeneral unease?" I quietly asked "A malaise?"

He looked surprised, then suspicious

"Mallory said the sa," I explained "That she had a sense of dread and didn’t knohy Couldn’t identify a reason for it Catcher didn’t sense anything, and she didn’t want to talk to you because she was afraid she was just being paranoid"

Gabriel shook his head "I don’t like this"

"Why do you think it’s happening?"

"I don’t know," he said, and looked back at us "You know prophecy isn’t exact I get senses, ies, but I don’t know details"

"But?" I said

"But it feels like the world is shifting And with it, the future Your future" He glanced down at my abdomen "His or her future"

I hadn’t taken the idea of a child for granted, or hadn’t meant to I knew the future was uncertain But that didn’t ease the fear that clutched at me, that made me feel preternaturally protective of someone who didn’t even exist yet

Ethanme within the sphere of his protection "You’ve already said we’d be tested"