Page 121 of Beautiful Exile

Fallon smacked his arm as she passed. “That’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny. And a lot true,” Kye shot back.

I pinned him with my death stare. “Just remember this moment when I let Fal glitter bomb your office at Haven.”

The smirk slipped right off his face. “You wouldn’t.”

“Test me.”

“Shit,” Kye muttered.

“Swear jar,” Keely said, looking up from her spot on the floor, where she was working on a puzzle with Luca.

Fallon’s lips twitched as she held out her hand. “Yeah, Kye, swear jar. Pay up.”

Kye leaned to the side and pulled out his wallet, scowling into it. “I only have twenties.”

Fallon’s dark blue eyes twinkled. “Sucks for you.”

Kye smacked a bill into her palm but didn’t let go. “I’ll be checking the swear jar to make sure this was added, and you didn’t use it to fuel your sweets addiction.”

She laughed, tugging her hand free. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

Keely grinned at her. “If you get me some candy, too, I won’t tell that it didn’t go in the swear jar.”

“Me, too,” Luca cut in.

“Robbing me blind,” Kye muttered.

“Like you don’t deserve it,” Cope called from his spot on one of the kitchen stools next to Sutton as Nora and Rhodes worked on some dinner concoction that smelled amazing.

Linc shifted again. He tried to hide the wince this time, but I saw the echo of it. My back teeth ground together as I leaned forward to grab the bottle of pills. “If you don’t take one of these, I’m going to grind it up and slip it into your drink.”

“I want to try to stretch at least another thirty minutes,” Linc argued. “I hate that dopey feeling.”

“Dopey is a heck of a lot better than being in pain,” I shot back.

“Arden—”

“Please.” I wasn’t above begging because seeing him like this was killing me. “I can’t take it,” I said, dropping my voice. “You’re hurting because you were trying to protect me. Let me take care of you now.”

Linc’s hazel eyes flashed, turning more gold than green. “Vicious…”

“Please.”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me into him until our foreheads were touching. “I’d take that bullet over and over again if it meant you were safe.”

“Don’t say that.” Panic clawed at me, icy fear right on its heels. How many people had to be hurt because they were trying to protect me?

Linc’s thumb traced my jawline. “You want me to lie to you?”

“I want you to be safe,” I whispered.

Those hazel eyes swirled, and I saw confusion and worry there. But he didn’t let go. Didn’t let me fall into the pit of worry and fear.

“Are you gonna have a baby?” Keely’s voice cut into my spiral, making me jerk back as a different sort of panic cut in.

“A baby?” I squeaked.

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