And I had no idea how I was supposed to feel about that.
The bell rang sharply, startling us both. I looked away, cramming books into my messenger bag, and walked to his truck in a sort of daze, weaving through the flood of students. It felt weird that all this mythical shit was going down, and yet life went on, looking for all the world like everything was totally normal. Trish certainly didn’t know about any of this. Could I tell her? Could I tell my grandma? No. How could I tell them something I didn’t even really believe myself?
“So,” I said, finally breaking the strained silence after we were winding our way into the mountains. “Your father’s secret evil plan is to—what? Kill me?”
There was another uncomfortable pause before he finally muttered, “Not exactly.”
I looked over at Adrian. Finally, he cleared his throat. “We think he wants to impregnate you.”
I blinked.
I laughed.
And then I saw that he was serious.
I spun toward him on the seat, not sure if I’d heard him right. “He wants to impregnate me? Like, with a baby, that kind of impregnate?”
“I understand you’re upset—”
“That does not even cover the middle finger of what I am feeling—”
“—but please believe that nothing is going to happen to you while I’m here—while we’re all here, my family and I.”
“What about when you’re not here?” I sputtered. “What about when I’m at home? Or when I’m asleep? What about my family?”
“This is not—he won’t rape you, or anything,” he said, struggling for words and looking awkward as hell. “He’ll make you want him. It’s—what they do. It’s a game.”
“This is not a game,” I spat back.
He took in a deep breath. “Look, I’ve never heard of a demon going up against a forewarned human.”
“At least give me something to work with here! How would I know who he is? What does he look like?”
Adrian looked at me almost apologetically. “Technically, he doesn’t look like anything. He’s more of an—entity. When he comes into this dimension, he either creates a body for himself or inhabits one. It’s different every time. Technically, he could look like me, though I doubt he’d go for something so obvious.”
I stared at him. “So I’m supposed to be afraid of all men for the rest of my life, including you.”
“No,” he replied firmly. “No. Not forever. And not afraid—just cautious.”
“What if he does show up as you? How would I know?”
“He wouldn’t have my memories,” Adrian said with a shrug. “He’s never met me, so he wouldn’t know my speech patterns or habits. You should be able to figure out pretty quick that he wasn’t me. And you can always call my cell—if it doesn’t ring in his pocket, it’s probably not me.”
“What if you don’t have your phone on you?”
“It’s not a foolproof plan.”
“Great.”
“You’re smart,” he said, looking over at me sharply. “And gut instinct is going to count for a lot. Something feels wrong, listen to that feeling.”
He pulled onto the driveway leading up to the ranch. “The truth is, you’re well protected. The only reason we’re telling you all this is so you can keep an eye out. But that’s all—you don’t need to worry about anything except selling the story. You and I dating is believable. Your aunt and uncle believe it. Everyone at school believes it. It gives me an excuse to watch out for you. Just leave the rest to me and my family. We’ll keep you safe, we’ll let you know what’s going on. I promise.”
I snorted and leaned my head against the back of the seat. “Sure, sure. I won’t worry about a thing.” I stuck a finger in the air, frowning. “Remind me, why does your dad want me to bake his vampire baby in my bun oven? I mean, honestly, what’s the point of getting me pregnant?”
He leaned back, looking somewhat deflated, as the house came into view. “It may have something to do with the type of person you are, the emotions you give off. And it may be payback.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Payback for what? I sure as hell haven’t done anything to him.”
He parked in front of the house and sat there for a moment before responding. “We took Lucian back. We pissed him off. Getting a local girl pregnant right under our noses would be a characteristic revenge.”
“But why? Why does he even need another kid?”
Adrian looked uncomfortable. “That’s one of the things I’m not allowed to tell you.”
“Well, that’s bullshit.”
He shrugged, looking grim. “I know.”
I waited, but he didn’t elaborate, and by the way his jaw was clenched, I doubted he was going to.