The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,5

did it, but something changed. The shivering sensation across my skin was annoying and persistent. It took less than a second to realize I was being summoned. The problem was why - and from where. We were all here. Bel was lying on the couch, catching up on a little sleep after spending too many nights in Sia's bed. Sam and Sia were painting...

I stood, interrupting the mood around the table with the speed that I reached my feet. "I'll be right back," I breathed, following the pull of the summons.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"Sam," I told him.

Behind me, I heard Ron tell Luke, "He's with Sia. Think she's ok?"

"Unicorns have been on the other side of the property lately," Luke said. "Fairies finally figure out where we are?"

Those and a million other potential problems ran through my mind as I hurried past the house, across the open meadow, and toward the brook. That was the direction of the pull, but this area had been considered safe. We'd pruned back any plants that could harm us, chased out the wildlife that tended to be aggressive, and had almost returned the Vale to the sanctuary I'd made it when my wife had been alive.

Just as I got close to the brook, Sam appeared. He was holding Sia's clothes, which made my heart stop for a moment, but he didn't look worried. That let me breathe again. Still, he motioned for me to stop and jogged over.

"Hey, I need some boyfriend help here," he said, keeping his voice down. "Can you take her pants inside, wash the blood out, and bring back a clean set of clothes for her?"

"Blood?" I asked. "Is she ok?"

He grunted, dragging out the end of the sound with a long breath. "She's fine. That time of month, you know."

And ice washed over my skin. "She's on Depo."

"Was," he corrected. "She was on Depo when she was at college. That was the end of August, Nick. We've all lost track of time, and it's what, January now? She's more than a month overdue - but on her period."

Ok, so this meant she wasn't pregnant. It didn't matter that her birth control had run out, because she was on her period, so clearly not pregnant. I felt like I could breathe again, and nodded to show I was keeping up. "Ok. Whatever happened to getting her a rune?"

"We've been busy," Sam said, "and we all forgot. Every single one of us. Look, I'm thinking we got lucky. When we moved in here, she wasn't interested in doing much since she didn't have her own room. We slowed down building hers while we handled the Vesdar veil. Could be the only reason we didn't manage to get her pregnant, but I'm not complaining." Then he leaned closer. "And you will not make her feel bad for this. It's not her responsibility alone to keep track of that."

I palmed the side of his neck. "I'm not, Sam. And if I had to have a child, I'd want it to be with her. I'd just rather not see my kid get old and die. Never mind what it would do to her! That's my only concern. I'd much rather she adopt or help the kids that are already mortal, rather than spending a century trying to undo what is impossible to change."

"Trust me," Sam breathed, "I agree. I've actually done it. Watching a friend die hurts. Watching my kids?" He shook his head. "Never again."

"Ok." I scrubbed at my face. "So I'll talk to Ron about that rune. I'm assuming we're keeping this low key?"

"She's horrified," Sam assured me. "Don't let the guys see the blood on her pants, ok? Or, if you do, make sure they do not mention it? Oh, and she needs tampons. Can you..."

"I'll handle it." I tilted my head back toward the bathing area. "I'm assuming that you're going to keep her company and talk her down?"

"Already have, I think." Then he flashed me one of his devious little smirks. "The first time, at least. But this is Sia. It'll take at least five more conversations before she buys it."

"Tell me about it," I groaned playfully. "No, she's actually handling all of this better than I expected." Then I pulled the clothes from his arms. "I'll take care of this. Go have a bath with her and make sure she's not feeling bad? Physically or mentally, ok?"

Sam leaned up to press his lips against mine. "You're a