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One

"Knock Knock"

"Who’s there?" I said it without thinking, then realized there was so the old joke on me I jumped up just as the dead bolts flipped and the door to hteous when she wasn’t showing her true nature, leaned against the doorja to hide a thing and I shuddered

"You’re not " I frantically glanced around for a weapon I was at a serious disadvantage et polish on my toenails and a deep conditioner on my hair under a towel turban

"I wouldn’t toss that polish remover if I were you It won’t hurt me and it’ll do a real number on your hardwood floor" Alesa sauntered into the rooe relief Not that it meant she’d act hus or scaly snout and skin anyrabbed a nail file with a sharp pointy end At least I could make her bleed Oh, wait Deood idea I’d learned that the hard way

"That’s right, sugar pluain, do you?" She shts without breaking a sweat She was still sporting those evil teeth "Last tilanced down and patted her tuawked Oh, no It couldn’t be "Is that what I think it is? Say it isn’t--"

"A baby buly sweet scent, the burned sugar candy s "Oh, yes When you and Rafe et my drift"

"No, that’s impossible I’m a vampire I can’t have children My equipment died when I died When Jerry turned me" I sank down on the couch, my hand over my own stomach It had been one of those unforeseen consequences I hadn’t thought through at the ti and so hopelessly in love with Jeremiah Ca as I could live forever with him Only later, when the lust had burned off a little had I realizedwith my mortality Tears blurred the rooreat news In a way, this baby is part yours, you know You were ive me what I wanted I told him when I arrived here in Austin that I wanted his baby" Alesa sank down on the couch next to ot it" She looked at , dumbass Va sickness here, anyway?"

"Sorry, I guess it was just…" I took a last shuddery breath What was Rafe going to do? He hated Alesa and sure didn’t want a child by her A demon child Sure, he had soot to call Rafe"

"Sure you do Call the ood news" Alesa leaned back and rubbed her swollen sto in so here Burgers, fries"--she glanced down--"chocolateso, but a peaceful sunificant "How far along are you?"

"Do the ht here until the little demon pops out Won’t that be fun? We can be roo my current roo alone, aren’t you?"

"No, I’ va here with me And I really don’t want her around you She’s already rabbed my cell phone I did need to call Rafe but I dreaded it He was doing ith his new club We’d settled into a nice friendship, though it was still a bit tense since I’d gone back to Jerry, my sire, my always lover Oh, God, ould Jerry think of this situation? Nothing like re him that I’d slept with Rafe while Alesa possessed ave Alesa a narrow-eyed look "Are you sure that’s how you got pregnant? While you were inside me? That really doesn’tin, vampire?" Alesa put her feet on my beautiful black lacquered coffee table Nobody put their feet on that, especially not while wearing high heels, even if they were this season’s Prada

I stalked over and lifted them off and pushed them over to my tired thrift store sofa I had a few pieces of nice, new furniture, courtesy of a fight Jerry and Rafe had had inroom They’d replaced the stuff they’d deood shape The sofa? I was saving up for a new one Prada was actually an upgrade

"Look I’ot yourself knocked up by soot here Now head out Take your tale to the real daddy Or let Lucifer take care of you"