“I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I am,” Claire said, pulling me to my feet. She slapped my backside. “Now go kiss and make up with your husband, who is more than likely kicking himself right now.”
I walked to the door, hesitated, and then finally pulled it open. Jared stood in the hallway, his hands in his pockets.
I crossed my arms. “You look like you lost your best friend.”
“Did I?” he asked, miserable.
My shoulders fell.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I swear that’s everything. You know everything else.”
“I think I’ve heard that before,” I said, walking to him until I was just inches away.
Jared touched each side of my belly and looked down, his eyes dark with worry and guilt. I wrapped my arms around his neck and touched my cheek to his. We stood silently for a long while in that embrace. Holding him felt just as good if not better than the first time. The electricity was still there, and I had the same desperate need to be closer to him. He smelled just as amazing, and his skin was still as soft. Too many months had passed since we took a moment to ourselves just to hold each other. I tried to be present in that moment and be aware of everything possible. We would leave in eight days, facing the fight of our lives. I didn’t know when this moment would happen again.
His hand slipped to my lower back, and he pulled me closer. I lifted my chin, and his lips touched mine. I dug my fingers into the skin of his arms and then deeper into the muscle. His tongue slipped into my mouth, but then he pulled away.
“Ahem,” Ryan said.
I turned to see the source of the interruption standing next to Claire at the top of the stairs.
“Figures,” Jared grumbled.
We returned downstairs together, joining Bex and Lillian in the foyer. I hugged my mother-in-law goodbye, smiling when her enthusiastic hug became a bit too tight.
“I love you,” she said, kissing my hair. She looked to Jared. “Be good to each other.” Jared nodded and she waved goodbye.
I walked into the dining room and Jared, Claire, and Ryan followed.
Ryan and Claire began clearing the table. Ryan smiled and elbowed her. “Your mom loves me.”
“She loves everyone,” Claire sneered. “You’re not special.”
“You don’t love everyone. I’d say that makes me pretty special . . . since you do.”
Claire glanced at Jared and me, clearly embarrassed. “You wish!”
“Just say it,” Ryan said.
“Stop telling me what to do,” Claire snapped back.
He crossed his arms. “It’s because I’m human, isn’t it?”
Claire’s eyes narrowed. “Seriously? It is possible that I just don’t like you.”
“Me?” Ryan said, pointing to his chest. “Nah,” he said, dismissing her suggestion. “You’re a strong woman. I get it. Not many can handle it that their girl could kick their ass—even fewer soldiers and even fewer Special Forces guys. But I get it, and I can keep up with you more than anyone else could. I’ve had training, and we’ve pretty much been told by the Creator of the Universe that we have to spend all of our time together. How much proof do you need?”
Claire turned and swiped her leg under Ryan’s feet, throwing him to the ground, flat on his back. “First of all, you can’t keep up with me. Second of all—”
Ryan kicked forward and then leapt to his feet. Claire crouched in a defensive position. Ryan smiled at her reaction. “I can keep up with you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Try me. If I can’t, I’ll leave you alone.”
Claire looked at Ryan from under her brow. Her ice-blue eyes turned murderous, but under them was a mischievous smile.
I frowned. “This is a terrible idea.”
“Too late now,” Claire said.
She bent her knee and shoved her boot into Ryan’s stomach. He flew across the room and flattened against the wall, falling to the ground. He stumbled to his feet and sucked in a few times, the air knocked out of him.
I cringed. “At least she’s not wearing stilettos.”
Ryan shot an annoyed look my way and then coughed a few times. He stood on wobbly knees and lifted his hands, palm-out to Claire. “You should know by now that I don’t give up.”
Claire grinned with devilish intent. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Not as much as I will,” Jared said. I glared at him, and he shrugged. “What?”
Claire attacked and Ryan turned. With a different adversary, he would have turned at the precise time to avoid a landed punch, but Claire was faster than the supernaturally fast—and she preferred kicking.
Claire spun around, her heel making contact with Ryan’s backside. He was shoved forward a few steps and then turned and punched. His hand met the drywall, and it cracked in several pieces around his fist.
“He better know how to fix that,” I grumbled.
Claire leaned forward and elbowed the back of his head. Ryan spun around, wrapping his arms around her waist at the same time. He charged forward, and they both crashed into the table.
“C’mon!” I yelled, seeing my mother’s imported English dining table in pieces.
Immediately on her feet, Claire grabbed two fistfuls of Ryan’s shirt and tossed him into the foyer.
“I love it when you play rough!” Ryan yelled from the other room.
Claire wiped her bloodied lip and licked the crimson liquid from her fingers. “You haven’t seen rough yet.” She disappeared through the doorway, and I winced when Ryan cried out.
“That’s fighting dirty!” he yelled, crying out again.
“We’d better get in there and supervise,” Jared said, pulling me into the next room.
Claire held Ryan upside down by his ankle, feigning sympathy as he swiped at her to no avail. He scanned the room and then arched his back, lifting a solid wood statue from the floor, hammering Claire’s knee just after getting his hands on it.
She was knocked to the ground, and Ryan fell on his head with a crack. When he stood, a thin line of red streamed from his hairline. “It was worth it,” he said, running at Claire.
She flipped backward and then drew her side arm.
“Not funny,” Jared warned.
The gun fired, and Ryan jerked, covering his head with one hand, his crotch with the other. The bullet lodged into the wall—right through the center of Cynthia’s prized original Renoir.
“I think . . . I think I’m going to pass out,” I said, feeling woozy. Jared obliged when I hooked my arm around his.
“Should I stop them?” Jared said.
“They won’t stop until they’re finished being CHILDISH!” I said. “Take it outside!”
Ryan pointed at Claire. “You . . . you just shot at me!”
Claire rolled her eyes. “You’re such a baby. That wasn’t even close.”
“The bullet blew air by my eyeball!” he said, dramatically pointing to his eye.
“Fine,” she said in a huff. “I’ll put it away so you don’t pee your pants, big Special Forces man.”
Ryan relaxed and stood up straight and then charged her again. Claire rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the throat, stopping him in his tracks. “All you do is run at me. I’m bored.”
Ryan took a swipe at her, making strange hacking noises.
I walked over to them, glaring at Ryan and then at Claire. “He’s turning blue.”
Claire raised her other fist as if she were going to punch him, but then turned it over, casually picking at her nails.
“Claire,” Jared growled.
She looked at Ryan and narrowed her eyes. “Tap out.”
Ryan struggled to make a noise. “No,” he choked. His eyes fluttered as he lost consciousness.
I frowned. “Okay, that’s enough. Jared, please make her stop.”
Jared took a step, and Claire pointed at him. “Jared Gabriel, don’t you dare.”
“Claire—” he began, but she
held her hand palm-out to her brother.
I glanced at Ryan and then back at her. “It’s not funny anymore.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s kinda funny.”
I grabbed Claire’s wrist with one hand and wrapped my arm around Ryan with the other. It was futile, but I hoped Claire would snap out of her rage and realize what she was doing. As if it were nothing, they separated.
“Thank you,” I said, helping Ryan to the floor. “Ry,” I said, patting his cheek. “Deep breaths.” I looked up at Claire to send her a look of disapproval, but her expression took me off guard. “What?”
“I didn’t let go,” she said, stunned.
Jared’s eyes darted between the three of us. “What do you mean you didn’t let go?”
Claire’s eyes widened. “She pulled me off him.”
“This isn’t the time for jokes,” I said. “You went too far.”
Claire shook her head. “How did you do that?”
She was serious. I had pulled Ryan from her grip without effort. I had barely tensed, thinking Claire had simply decided to let go. “I . . . I don’t . . . know,” I said. I waited for Jared to offer an answer, but he stood speechless.
Ryan stirred. “Did I win?”
Claire frowned. “Of course not, stupid. ‘Did I win,’” she said, mocking Ryan’s deep voice. She rolled her eyes, and then her face brightened. “Stand up, Nina.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
I stood, and Claire took a defensive crouch. In the next moment, Jared was between us. “You have lost your mind!”
“Just one time!” Claire begged. “I bet it won’t even hurt her!”
“What are we talking about, here?” I said, my eyes dancing between the two of them.
“I’ll do it,” Jared said.
“Do what?” I asked. Jared led me to the center of the room, standing directly in front of me.
“What is he doing?” Ryan asked Claire.
“Sssh. Pass out again,” she said, impatiently waiting for something to happen.
My eyebrows pulled in. “What do you plan to do?”
Jared steadied himself and squared his shoulders. His eyes darkened, and then he lowered his chin. In the next moment his body relaxed, and he threw his head back. “I can’t,” he sighed, looking at the ceiling.
“What a wuss!” Claire laughed.
The front door opened, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the painful shrieking of my mother. It never came.
“Uh . . . what happened here?” Bex said. I opened my eyes, seeing Bex standing frozen in place in the doorway, a half-eaten apple in one hand.
“Nina pulled me off Ryan,” Claire said, her voice trembling with excitement.
“Okay. So what are you doing, Jared?” Bex said.
“Nothing,” Jared replied, clearly embarrassed.
“He’s going to test the theory,” Claire said.
Jared shook his head quickly. “No, I’m not.”
I crossed my arms. “And how were you going to do that, exactly?”
Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just going to throw it. I wasn’t going to . . . .”
“Punch her?” Bex said.
Jared frowned at Bex and then looked at me apologetically.
“What?” I wailed.
Jared held out his hands. “I wasn’t going to land it! Just to see if you would catch it.”
Claire puffed, unimpressed. “I was going to punch her,” she mumbled.
My mouth fell open.
Bex walked casually across the room, stopping a couple of feet from me. Jared reclaimed my attention when he reached for me again. “Come on, Nina. You don’t think I would punch my pregnant wi—”
Before Jared could finish his sentence, Bex’s fist hurled toward me with lightning speed. My body reacted, and suddenly his fist was in my hand.
“I’m not holding back,” Bex grunted, still pushing his fist toward my face.
Jared’s eyes widened. He tried to talk, but the only result was his jaw flapping about.
Bex relaxed and lowered his hand and then bent down to kiss my forehead. “She’s been like that for months. You couldn’t tell?” he asked Jared.
“I uh . . . I could tell something was different. I assumed it was the baby.”
“It is the baby.” Bex smiled. “Bean is sharing angel juice with Nina. I haven’t taken it easy sparring with her for weeks.”
“What?” I said.
“What?” Jared repeated.
Bex rolled his eyes. “Remember that time she threw me on my back?”
Jared’s eyes dashed to mine. “She really did that?”
Bex frowned. “It hurt, too. I just didn’t say anything because I assumed you knew, and this was one of those things you didn’t want to talk about.”
“He is so like that,” Claire said.
Jared was instantly angry. “You were sparring with her on your level? She’s pregnant, Bex. Are you insane? What if you hurt the baby?”
I looked down at my protruding belly and gingerly rubbed it with my fingers. “Bean is giving me abilities?”
Bex shrugged. “Bean’s full-on angel, Nina. You’ve got more power than we do, I bet. That’s why you could hover during your dreams and climb the walls and stuff. You were pregnant then, weren’t you?”
Ryan laughed once. “What? She’s Spider-Man, now?”
“That’s what I said!” Bex beamed. “Love Spider-Man.”
Jared frowned. “You should have said something.”
Bex laughed once without humor. “She’s your Taleh . . . not to mention your wife. I thought you knew!”
“You didn’t think I’d mention it if I had?”
“No! That doesn’t sound like you at all!” Bex snapped.
“He’s right,” Claire said. “Being forthcoming isn’t your strong suit.”
Jared turned on his heels, crossing his arms. His biceps bulged over his hands. “I guess you knew, too?”
“Obviously not!” Claire said. “It was my idea to punch her!”
“Well, let’s brag about it,” I said flatly.
Silence overcame the room while the new knowledge set in. Jared’s eyes bounced around different points on the floor while his brain processed a million thoughts a second.
A loud bang sounded from across the room, followed by a vibration in the floor. Claire was lying on her back, looking up at Ryan with a shocked expression.
He smiled. “I told you I wouldn’t give up.”
Her face flashed red, and I waited for her to send Ryan flying across the room again. But the flush of her cheeks returned to a warm tone, and her eyes softened. A slow, small smile turned up the corners of her mouth. Ryan, without caution, kneeled beside her. His eyes left hers and then transfixed onto her lips. He leaned in closer. I waited for Claire to grab him by the throat or kick him in his nether region, but she slowly closed her eyes.
“What in the hell happened in here?” Cynthia shrieked, slamming the door behind her.
My mother’s surprise entrance took my attention away for only a moment, and when I looked back, I could see a familiar frustration in Ryan’s eyes.
I smiled.
“Someone had better answer me,” Cynthia said.
Realization fluttered in Claire’s eyes, and she glanced in my direction.
“Karma,” I said with a knowing grin. She had made a hobby of interrupting Jared and me when we were falling in love. It was refreshing to see her reaction when the same happened to her.
“Oh, shut up,” she said, pushing herself to her feet. She grabbed Ryan’s hand and helped him to stand. “I apologize, Mrs. Grey.”
“You did this,” Cynthia said. Her words were more an accusation than a question. “I expect everything to be in order by tomorrow morning.” With that, she left for her bedroom.
Claire surveyed the destruction. “It’s going to be a long night.”
“I’ll help you,” Ryan said.
&
nbsp; Claire left for the kitchen, and returned holding a large garbage can. She carried it in one hand, picking up the splinters of wood that covered the floor with the other.
“Have fun with that,” Jared smiled, taking my hand. “We’ll be at the oak tree at first light.”
“Oh?” I said with a smile.
Jared glanced at his little brother. “You’re coming, too.”
“I am?” Bex said.
A wary frown touched Bex’s face as his eyes darted between Jared and me. I could tell that he was hesitant to be excited. “Why? Isn’t that, like, your breeding ground?”
Jared rolled his eyes. “I want to see what Nina is capable of.”
“Sweet!” Bex said, clapping his hands together once. “You ready to spar, Sis?” His hands rubbed together.
A broad smile widened my face. “Oh. It’s on.”
10. Matches
Jared and I walked upstairs. I went through the motions of my nightly routine in a daze, trying to concede to this new reality. Knowing I had a lot to prove in the morning, it was difficult to sleep. Finally I forced my mind to slow down and managed to close my eyes for a few hours before the sun breeched the horizon.
Once my eyes fluttered, there was no falling back asleep—no sleeping in. I was wide awake, and my body screamed to get out of bed and get to the oak tree. I didn’t bother with a shower, knowing I would be sweaty and covered in dust and dirt within the hour. An oversized T-shirt of Jared’s barely stretched over my belly, but it would suffice. I was really showing now, and the thought crossed my mind at how ridiculous I would look, swollen and awkward, while Bex attacked me with gorgeous precision from every angle.
Jared and I met downstairs, where the others were still cleaning. The only person not smiling and joking about the night before was Ryan.
“What?” Jared said, smug. “You don’t think Nina can take Bex?”
Ryan pointed at me but looked at Jared. “She’s still pregnant.”
Bex laughed once. “Don’t worry. Bean’s tougher than I am.”
Claire thought I should start with Ryan; however, Ryan held out his hands. “What the hell is this? Beat-the-shit-out-of-Ryan week?”
“I didn’t think you’d mind, since you’re always insisting upon getting yourself hospitalized,” Claire said.
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