Page 48 of Truthfinder’s Promise

“In a minute. I need to talk to Jensen.”

From the tone of Dom’s voice, Meredith didn’t think it was going to be a happy talk.

Jensen had obviously picked up on the fact, because he answered with a resigned, “Yeah, okay.” They exited through the patio doors and walked out of sight, leaving Meredith with Valkyrie and Random.

All three of them blew out a collective breath.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Random said.

Valkyrie did. “How about what the hell, Mer? You promised to call if anything else happened and then you went off to meet Julian without backup?”

“I agreed to call if anything happened with the wards, not Julian. How did you know to show up here?”

“I didn’t, exactly. Aunt Ella called and said something about you meeting Julian. I called you half a dozen times but you didn’t pick up, so I got worried and I dragged everyone over here to have an intervention.”

Meredith sighed. Siren was the one who needed an intervention, not her. “Well, it’s all out there now. How long are you going to be pissed at me?”

Valkyrie relented. “Probably just another hour or so. Since, you know, I don’t really have room to speak where keeping secrets is concerned.”

“Neither does our little redhead.” Random nodded in the direction of the guest bathroom, where Jace and Siren’s voices were rising and falling in volume as they argued, though never quite loud enough to make out what was being said. It spoke to the level of emotional distress they were in that neither of them had put a silencing spell on the room.

Valkyrie glanced down the hall. “Do you think they were trying?”

Speaking of silencing spells…Meredith didn’t know how acute Shifter hearing was, but on the off chance that it was above average she encased them all in a soundproof bubble of Aspect before she pointed out the obvious. “Siren would have to have been, at least. She can’t get pregnant on accident.” The benefits of Life Aspect and its full control over the human body’s systems was that her Aspect could literally be her own birth control. “I can’t see her deciding to get pregnant without Jace being on board, but she obviously hadn’t told him she was, so…”

“She wouldn’t keep it a secret without a reason,” Random said. “And she wouldn’t want to hurt Jace.”

A reason. Of course. “There’s something wrong with the pregnancy.”

Valkyrie and Random swiveled to stare at her.

“Think about it. Siren shouldn’t be sick. She should be the one woman capable of going through pregnancy without a single unpleasant symptom. But she is sick. And it’s worse when she uses her Aspect. And if she thought she was going to lose the kid...”

“She wouldn’t tell Jace she was pregnant,” Valkyrie finished. “I’m going to murder her.”

“Not if Jace does first,” Random muttered. “Goddess, you three could drive any man to an early grave. Maybe Jace and I should form a support group and invite Jensen.”

Meredith winced. “Look, Jensen and I aren’t…I don’t know what we are.”

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow. “You’re married.”

“By Shifter standards and I didn’t know that. It can’t be a valid marriage if I didn’t know I was getting hitched. As soon as he gets his ass back in here I’m asking for a divorce.”

“And then?”

“And then what?”

“After you divorce him. Are you going to keep him?”

“Why would I?”

Valkyrie shrugged. “He looks about six-foot three. He has dark brown hair and very blue eyes and, when wearing your dad’s old clothes isn’t his only option, I’d bet he dresses like a lumberjack.”

“So you do listen when I talk. I’m touched.”

“All I’m saying is it seemed like you liked him.”

Meredith pressed her fingers to her eyes. “It is very complicated. Besides, it’s not like it’s all up to me. There are two of us involved in this sham marriage.”

“Okay, fine. Do you want to keep him?”

“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. We had a great affair and I wanted it to be something more and then he disappeared, and now it turns out he’s a werewolf and our respective peoples are mortal enemies and he tricked me into matrimony for the sake of my safety, and I’m really hoping the stunning jaguar shifter on the second floor is his ex-girlfriend. How am I supposed to have logical thoughts about any of that?”

“Huh. Good point.”

Random shook his head. “Definitely forming a support group.”