She couldn’t sense anything about him, because she didn’t have that ability. Her brothers could sense preternatural beings at fifty paces. Ellina couldn’t tell a demon from a human from a wererabbit—if there were such a thing.
To her, Jude was nothing more than an unusually good-looking—and irritating—guy. But he must be something pretty powerful. A demon too? A very old vampire? Except he was out in the daylight, so probably not.
Was he put off because he was such a strong preternatural and she wasn’t?
“Is it the half demon thing?” she heard herself asking, wondering why it mattered.
Jude clenched his teeth again. Did she have to look so wounded when she asked that? He didn’t like the way her frown and searching eyes made him feel. Like a real jerk. And he was pretty good at doing that to himself without any outside help.
Maybe because she’d hit on something that was true. He didn’t like preternaturals. Hypocritical, he knew. But that wouldn’t stop him from taking a job. Obviously. Money was the only thing that factored into why he took a job.
But his likes and dislikes aside, why did it matter why he didn’t want to work with her?
She still watched him, hints of hurt darkening her pale eyes to a steely gray. Clearly, it did matter. She was taking his refusal personally.
For a moment, he considered telling her it was the demon thing, but knew he couldn’t. He’d already assured Maksim that he was quite comfortable facing off with other preternaturals. Any kind. And the same went for protecting them. A job was a job.
Of course, he hadn’t expected his first face-off to come with the person he was supposed to be protecting.
He pulled in a deep breath, trying to decide how to get out of this without causing even more wounded looks from the stunningly beautiful woman in front of him.
Stunningly beautiful. And that thought right there was why he needed out of this job.
Then Jude managed to gather his scrambled, distracted thoughts. “I should have mentioned this on the phone,” he said quickly, “but I’m also considering another job.”
Which was a lie. This was the only job he had lined up. The only paying gig to get him closer to where he wanted to be. Done with violence, done with preternaturals. Free. And in charge of his own life for the first time in centuries.
“Listen,” Maksim said, “I’ve already told you I’m willing to pay you anything you ask.”
Maksim’s wife moaned softly, and Jude supposed that offering their money so freely might not sit as well with her.
“Name your price,” Maksim said.
Jude wanted to groan too. He was so close. This job, especially if he could set any price, could be enough to allow him some semblance of a normal life.
His gaze flicked back to Ellina’s lovely face. He flexed his fingers, which still tingled from when he’d touched her, a warm and arousing sensation.
He didn’t know if he could be around this woman. This demon, he told himself as if that reminder would somehow negate his instant reaction to her. And that reaction was dangerous. He just knew it.
But the money…
“Truthfully, you are our only option,” Maksim said.
Ellina snorted. The indignant sound should have sounded out of place and graceless coming from such a pretty woman, but somehow even her snort worked for her.
So dangerous, Jude told himself. So, so dangerous.
But it was the noise that then came from Maksim’s wife that jarred everyone out of their conversation. A shuddering breath that turned into a full-out cry.
All eyes turned to her. The woman hunched forward, her arms wrapped around her distended abdomen like she was hugging a beach ball to herself.
“Jo!” Maksim was at her side at once, his demon abilities making the movement unnaturally quick. But the way he braced his arms around his wife, trying to take her weight and her pain, was purely human. Jo curled into him, her pain seemingly made more manageable by his nearness.
Jude’s chest tightened, and he found the interaction hard to watch, but he did, waiting to see what he could do to help, if anything.
“The baby?” Maksim asked, his voice bordering on panic. Another jarringly human reaction.
For a moment another woman, swollen with child, and another man, thrilled and terrified at the prospect of his first child, flashed through Jude’s mind.
He shook his head, shoving the image aside.
Those thoughts were better left in the past. For a very short time, he’d believed he could atone for his past. He could have a full life again. Then he realized he’d never be anything other than a monster. And monsters didn’t deserve redemption. All he wanted now was peace.
“Should I call your doctor?” Ellina asked, joining Maksim at her sister-in-law’s side.
“I think—” Jo struggled to pull in a calming breath. “I think I’ll be all right.”
“Yes,” Maksim said, as if his wife hadn’t spoken. “Call this number.” He fished a cell phone from his jeans pocket, rifling through the numbers in his phone book with one hand, the other still around Jo’s back.
Jo shot her husband a look somewhere between irritation and amusement. “I’ve only had a few contractions, and they weren’t terribly close together.”
“You’ve been having contractions?” Maksim looked hurt that she’d withheld that information from him, but he shook the emotion off. “I don’t care how close together they are, call the doctor.”
Maksim waved the cell phone toward his sister. Ellina took it, and he returned his attention to his wife.
Jude watched as Ellina pressed the button to connect with the doctor, seeing the excitement in her eyes. There was something else there that caught his attention. A change in the color of them? In the shape? Even her features seemed somehow different.
She told someone on the other end of the line what was happening, referring to Jo for more information, which Maksim felt the need to repeat as if Ellina wasn’t right there to hear Jo.
“Dr. Kelley said that you probably have hours to go yet,” Ellina told them after she hung up the phone. “Just time the contractions. Walking will help. Or a bath. And call her when they are coming in regular five-minute intervals.”
Jo started to nod, then another contraction hit her. She groaned and hunched forward. Maksim held her again, talking to her in low, hushed tones. But Jo only groaned louder.
“We’re going to the hospital,” Maksim announced as soon as the contraction lessened and Jo could stand upright.
“But—” Jo started.
“No,” Maksim said, all frazzled expectant dad, “I’ll feel better if we are there. Please.”
Jo smiled at him, oddly calmer than her demon husband. “Okay. I guess I would too, actually.”
They started toward the door, when Maksim seemed to remember Jude was still there.
“I’ll pay you whatever you want. Whatever—you name it. But you can’t leave. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. And I don’t want Ellina alone.”
Jude hesitated, then found himself nodding.
What the hell was he doing? He couldn’t do this. Being here was too much. It was a situation that was making him feel strange things. And remember things he didn’t want to think about again. Ever again.
He’d learned long, long ago the best