A crack echoed through the parking lot as I backhanded him hard enough to send him staggering. Hell, in the past year I’d punched and slapped enough demonic lords that a mere son of one didn’t stand a chance. And, best of all, his look of bewildered outrage told me I’d succeeded in shocking him out of his death spiral of irrational angsty crap. And I knew all about irrational angsty crap.
I seized the front of his shirt with both hands and pulled him close so only a few inches separated our faces. “Listen to me. You are the most amazing and gifted summoner I’ve ever known. You’re NOT Rhyzkahl, and I’m an authority on that subject. I’m cool as shit, and you’re my cousin. That’s the bloodline you need to be concerned about. Now straighten up, be the brilliant and kind and awesome cousin I love, and Fix. That. Valve.”
I released his shirt and stepped back. He blinked, then squared his shoulders and turned to the valve while I trembled in relief. We were probably still going to eat it, but at least we’d go down fighting. Pellini gave me a nod of approval that warmed me to my toes then settled in to work next to Idris.
“I’ll watch your backs,” I announced then let out a yelp as Jill appeared beside me out of nowhere. She swayed, eyes unfocused, and I threw my arms around her. “Jill! Fucking hell, woman!” My heart slammed. She’d teleported here. Or rather, the bean had. But why would the bean bring her here when our community fortune cookie read You will be blown to bits in the near future?
I steadied her and discarded the notion of finding a safe place to stash her. No such thing at the moment. On to the next wild idea. I bent close to Jill’s belly. “Hey! Listen up! It’s not safe! You got her here, you can get her out! Do it! NOW!”
“Kara?” Jill mumbled. “What are you doing?”
Damn. She was still here talking to me, which meant the bean wasn’t listening. Or was being willfully disobedient. Brat. “Um. Nothing important.” I straightened. “Let’s find a place for you to sit.”
She put a hand to her temple. “Yeah. I don’t feel so hot.”
“You can sit in Pellini’s truck. That’ll be nice and safe.” What a nightmare. The only way this could be any worse would be if—
“Kara?” Jill lifted her head and gave me a woozy smile. “I think my water just broke.”
Chapter 37
“What do you mean your water just broke?” I demanded in horror. I looked down at the growing pool of I-did-not-want-to-know-what-kind-of-liquid on the asphalt between her feet.
She shook off the dazed look and scalded me with a glare. “It means my kiddie pool has a crack,” she snapped, but she couldn’t hide the shaking in her voice.
“I’ve only been to one class,” I said and would have gone on in that vein, but her fear finally penetrated my thick skull. “Aaand it was more than enough!” I finished gamely.
She clutched my arm. “Why am I at the station?” she asked, confusion making her words shrill. “Goddammit, it happened again!” She swung her gaze around while I groped for a reassuring answer. I had a feeling the truth would not suffice.
My phone buzzed on my belt with Bryce’s ringtone. Shit, he had to be freaking out. I hit the answer button, but he spoke over me in a rush before I could say word one. “She’s gone! Disappeared from right in front of me,” he gabbled in the closest to outright panic I’d ever heard in him. “I saw it this time. Kara, I swear to God I—”
“She’s here,” I yelled to make sure he heard me. “Jill’s right here beside me,” I said at a more normal volume.
“Tell me,” he ordered, all trace of panic gone.
“We’re in the PD parking lot. The valve is going to blow at any minute.” That pretty much covered it. He wanted a situation report, not story time.
“On my way.” The line went dead.
The ground swayed in a tremor. Across the street a window ledge detached from City Hall and crashed to the sidewalk.
Jill let out a little moan, and her grip tightened on my arm. “Let’s get you into Pellini’s truck,” I said. That was the best option at the moment. I slung an arm around her waist, force-marched her to the truck and managed to shove her up into the backseat. She flopped onto her left side while I half-knelt on the floor and steadied myself with one foot on the running board.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said in a combination of fear and annoyance.
“You just wanted to be the center of attention,” I said with a shaky laugh to cover my own fear. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to deliver your kid!”
Jill managed to hold a brave face for approximately two seconds before she writhed and bit down on a squeal. “You’d better have learned something in that class!”
“First, we’d better get your pants off.” That wasn’t from class—that was basic logistics. I reached for her waistband then gulped as her belly did a weird lurch and ripple that looked nothing like the instructional videos.
Jill seized my hand in a crushing grip. “Something’s not right!” she cried out, eyes wide in panic. “This . . . this isn’t right!” She let out a howl of pain as her tummy rippled weirdly again.