Page 8 of The Union
“I’m right here, and I’m fine. I’m a little concerned about Sam’s blood supply, though.”
“I have two weeks’ worth,” he said. “Sam was set to give us some yesterday, but then Tripp interrupted us. Layla, see how you react to Jo’s. There’s nothing in any of my training or medical books on what types of blood a pregnant woman needs for a vampire baby. I’m assuming Sam’s since natural-born vampire babies who come out of the womb human will require their father’s blood when they turn vampire at an older age.”
Jo grabbed a dagger from her sheath, slit her palm, squeezed red droplets into my empty glass on the counter, and gave it to me. “Drink.”
I brought the cup to my nose and shook my head. “I can’t drink that.”
She knitted her perfectly manicured eyebrows. “Why not?”
I placed the glass in the sink, then backed away as though it was poisonous. “It smells like broccoli, and I hate broccoli.”
She busted out laughing. “What does Sam’s smell like?”
I snorted. “I don’t know. I’ve only drunk from his wrist, so normally it’s his scent that I usually smell.”
“You could drink from mine.” She held out her arm.
I lifted my hands. “I’m good.” I found the act of sucking on Sam’s wrist erotic, so I wasn’t eager to try it on Jo.
“Layla, you might not have a choice,” Dr. Vieira said. “You could try Steven’s. I just don’t want you drinking the processed kind. And you might not like the taste, but remember, the blood is more for the baby.”
“Not if I’m puking. But I’ll try Steven’s if I need to,” I said. Maybe his wouldn’t smell as bad as Jo’s. “Dr. Vieira, when I return, can we chat about my pregnancy? Now that my shock is wearing off, I have so many more questions.”
Dr. Vieira cleared his throat. “Of course. I would like to run more tests anyway. We’ll need to calculate a delivery date, although considering you may not have a normal pregnancy, you might deliver early.”
My forehead creased. “You mean, as in, the baby will grow faster?”
“Maybe,” Doc responded. “Layla, I want to assure you I’m researching our historical records on pregnancies. A couple of questions before I go. What was your mother’s maiden name? If she’s truly descended from vampires, there’s a good chance we might have records on her descendants. Also, I would like to get your medical records from your family doctor, if you had one growing up. Basically, I need to make sure we document your medical history and have it available in case of an emergency.”
I understood the need for my medical data. “I am allergic to latex and penicillin. Just so you know. And my mom’s maiden name was Drake. Also, our family physician was Asher Manning out of Bozeman. But I don’t know if he’s still in practice.”
“If he isn’t, I’m sure he’s left instructions on how to secure a former patient’s medical records,” Dr. Vieira said.
I regarded Jo. “Any strange pregnancies in your mom’s family? You know, vampire babies?”
Jo shook her head. “All my research on my mom so far hasn’t shown any weird anomalies. The standard supernatural stuff—vampires and witches. No pregnancies where the woman delivered a baby with fangs and powers.”
I sucked in a breath. “Witches?” I’d heard they existed, like shifters, but had never met a witch.
Jo’s silver eyes glinted in the muted light. “I guess it’s time to break the news to you. Right, Doc?”
“Go ahead,” he said.
She crossed one ankle over the other, pressing her hands on the counter behind her. “We were waiting for the right time to tell you. Females with Vel-negative blood come from a line of witches.”
I snorted, even though Jo was serious. Like I said, I knew witches existed, but no one had schooled me on them. My family had been focused on vampires and hardly paid attention to other supernaturals like witches and shifters. Still, I was curious if my mom had known or if she had Vel-negative blood as well. Par for the course, I guessed. My mom had been secretive her entire marriage, so I shouldn’t be shocked. “So, I could have vampire cousins, uncles, aunts, or even witches in my family?”
Jo tugged the sleeve of her black sweater to cover half of her hand. “It’s possible.”
I tucked my hands into my coat pockets, hoping they would warm up soon. “It doesn’t matter who I have in my family. What matters is my baby. So, Doc, do you think there’s something in my mom’s lineage that will tell us why you think I’m having a true vampire baby—you know, with fangs?”
“What in the world? You’re pregnant?” Jack’s voice sounded like a sonic boom behind me.
I froze as my jaw dropped open. Where the fuck had my uncle come from?
Jo’s wide-eyed gaze darted past me. “Doc, we’ll have to call you back.” Jo ended the call at the speed of light.
I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure I could speak. I’d been so adamant about Jordyn not spilling the beans, and fuck me, I was the one who announced it to Jack, of all people. The only thing louder than the mortified silence was my pulse pounding in my ears like a freaking war drum calling warriors into battle. “Help,” I mouthed to Jo.
