Page 36 of Fortune's Ashes
‘I still don’t like the police,’ he continued. ‘But I love you. Your job is notyou.’
‘A Cassandra isn’t a job,’ I said quietly. ‘I can’t leave it. I can’t turn it off. I can’t bloody control it at all, Lukas.’
‘I’m a bloodsucker, Emma.’
I squinted. ‘So?’
‘You don’t like vampires.’
I started. Where did that come from? ‘What? That’s not true.’
‘Let me rephrase that. You don’t like that we have to drink blood in order to survive. And you don’t like that we’re naturally more attractive in order to persuade humans to give us that blood.’
I opened my mouth to protest then I closed it again. Shit. He was right.
‘Do you love me?’ he asked roughly.
‘Of course I love you,’ I snapped. ‘That’s not the problem.’
Lukas folded his arms across his chest, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. ‘I love you too. Nothing else matters. In fact, my love for you will help me overcome any prejudice I have against Cassandras. Everyone wins.’
‘It’s already causing problems, Lukas. The incident on Baker Street that I mentioned? It might have gone better if I’d not been there. My presence is part of what created the problem in the first place. I saw Alan Cobain’s death happening in a vision but I still couldn’t stop it. That sort of thing is going to keep happening.’
‘Then we’ll deal with it when it does,’ he said calmly.
‘Lukas—’
‘I will never hate you. I might not like everything that you do, but that doesn’t mean that my feelings for you will change, Emma Bellamy. They certainly won’t change because of something outwith your control. I willalwayshave your back. I willalwayslove you. We belong together. You know it as well as I do.’
I looked into his eyes and I knew, suddenly and fervently, that he was right.
‘Will you come home?’ he asked quietly. ‘Will you let me help you with this?’
My mouth was dry. ‘There’s something else I’ve not told you.’
Genuine fear flashed across his face and he stiffened. ‘What?’
I drew in a deep breath. Here we go. ‘I’m pregnant. I only found out yesterday.’
Lukas’s jaw dropped. ‘You … you’re … what?’
I repeated, ‘I’m going to have a baby.’ I added, somewhat unnecessarily, ‘It’s yours.We’regoing to have a baby.’
His expression transformed; every part of him radiated delight. ‘A baby?’ I nodded. He leapt off the sofa and pulled me into his arms. ‘A baby,’ he breathed. ‘We’re going to be a family.’
I pressed against him and, because I knew it was true, I said, ‘We’re already a family.’
Lukas crowed with joy and then he kissed me until every other thought fled my mind. Everything was going to be alright. We were going to get a happy ending.
* * *
‘Would you like a cold compress?’Lukas asked, handing me a steaming mug of hot chocolate before tucking the blanket closer around me.
I smiled at him. ‘No, thank you.’
‘How about something to eat?’
‘You cooked me a three-course meal less than two hours ago. I’m stuffed full.’
