cutest little toes." Jazz seemed to forget what he was doing and began nibbling on his child's feet instead.
"We call him Angus for short," Knox added. His face no longer resembled a disapproving gargoyle, but I still couldn't look at him for long.
Jazz rocked his pudgy baby. "You know Diesel, Hallie, and Faust, obviously. And you met Knox yesterday. That's Huntley on the right and Jagger on the left. We've got shifters, humans, and nephilim." He winked. "I've almost got a bingo."
Everyone else seemed accustomed to letting Jazz take the lead and mostly ate silently while offering encouraging grunts. They didn't even mind when Jazz would ask one of them a question and then also answer it for them.
"What about you?" Jazz stared directly into my eyes.
I'd missed the first part of what he'd said. He spoke faster than a goldfinch, confusing, but just as pretty. "What about me what?"
Jazz snorted softly. "Your favorite breakfast food. I'll have Hallie teach me."
I reminded myself they would be able to tell if I tried to tell an untruth. "Oh, I don't know. Normally I just had chips, but if it was very near after a food drop, I'd have fruit. Or Pop-Tarts. Probably Pop-Tarts."
When Jazz didn't immediately reply, I glanced up, licking my lips nervously at the continued silence.
"That's?? Jazz's bottom lip trembled. Knox leaned over, nestling the point of his nose behind Jazz's ear. Jazz closed his eyes briefly.
I'd made him sad. I knew because of the tears and because I could feel it. I yanked my hands under the table, wringing them together tightly. "I'm sorry."
"No," Jazz all but shouted. He sniffed twice and wiped his eyes. "I'm the one who is sorry. I can absolutely figure out how to make a Pop-Tart."
The conversation continued, but I'd already spoiled the mood.
Dog licked my left wrist at the same time that Faust took my right hand, holding it between both of his. I gave Faust a watery smile.
"Um, Storri?" Jazz had regained much of his earlier pep. "I have a friend, Dr. Tiff, and I told her about you. Um, just the basics, no details, and she would really like to give you a checkup on video chat if that is something you are okay with."
I couldn't see why not. I didn't like the idea of talking to new people, but if they weren't in the room with me, it wouldn't be that bad. I squeezed Faust's hand, hoping he'd take over and answer for me, but he kept silent. "I??ure. I could do that."
Directly after breakfast, Faust and Dog went with me to a beautiful room with a wall of windows and a perfect view of the ocean.
"This is the operations room." Faust still had a hold of my hand. I'd worried my palm would get too sweaty and that he'd be grossed out, but he didn't seem to mind. He brought our joined hands up, brushing my knuckles along his lips.
The caress seemed so casual, and yet my own personal world skidded to a sudden and abrupt halt. That felt good. My next breath caught in my throat, and my toe jammed against the edge of a worn maroon carpet.
Faust still had a hold of me so I didn't fall.
I licked my lips, drawing my bottom lip in my mouth to gnaw on.
"Are you nervous?" Faust asked quietly. His lips stretched in a gentle smile.
I cleared my throat. "No?? mean, yes, I am nervous but?? Just then it wasn't nerves that made me stumble. "I'm just?? I couldn't think of an answer that wasn't a lie, so I would say nothing. I lifted my shoulder and let it drop.
Faust didn't push it.
Jazz was already there with Knox and Angus. I concentrated on the baby the man held and not the man. He still made me nervous. And not in the same way Faust did.
"Over here, Storri." Jazz patted the chair next to him. Both faced an open laptop sitting on a folding table. To the left, a line of tables had been erected and placed one after another. They held a row of monitors. One of the screens looked like it came from a recording of the front door. Surveillance? "I'll call now so we can get this part over with."
He clicked the mouse, pulling up a video chat program he used to call his friend. They must've been waiting on the other end because the person answered on the first ring.
The woman wore a white doctor's coat that