Pia Does Hollywood (Elder Races, #8.6)

She tried not to obsess over what had happened last month when they had traveled to Washington to participate in a summit between the leaders of the Elder Races and the human government, but the thought that she might have frightened that new, tiny spark bothered her quite a bit. Between the anti-Elder Races sentiment, the occasional outright hostility, the vice president’s husband being murdered at their house during a very important dinner party and Pia’s subsequent collapse, it had been one of the roughest weeks she had ever lived through.

Liam frowned. “I don’t remember being frightened, and from all the stories you’ve told me, you were pretty stressed when you got pregnant with me too.”

“You have a point.” She wanted to believe him badly and bit her lip. “I know you’ve said before that you didn’t pay attention to much of what happened outside your own experience, except the time that Urien shot me.”

The time she—they—had almost died. Then, Liam, who had been nothing more than a peanut himself, had flared up to try to heal her, until Dragos laid his Power over the bright, new little spark and gentled him down.

A good thing, too, Dragos murmured in her head. Considering all the rampant sex we had.

Laughter flared, and she looked over her shoulder at him with dancing eyes. And continue to have.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Liam said, resting his cheek on her leg. “I remember sleeping a lot. Man, those were the best naps. I just sorted of drifted, weightless. And I remember feeling like you were so big, you were my entire universe. Which I guess you were.”

She ran her fingers through his hair again. “And you felt safe?”

“Totally safe, except that once.” His smile faded only briefly then returned. “Then I remember Dad being there, and I was safe again.”

Relief coursed through her. Dragos’s fingers tightened gently on her shoulder. She reached up to stroke his long, warm fingers as she said, “Okay, if this peanut is anything like you were, then what was happening in my reality won’t really impinge on his—or her—awareness. Agh, these pronouns are going to be hard to juggle until we know the sex of the baby. Anyway, it must be cloaking itself out of instinct, so that’s part of its nature.”

“Can you sense it now?” Liam asked.

“I can, but your dad had to show me how at first. And he only knew because Dr. Medina told us I was pregnant,” she replied. “Want me to show you?”

He nodded, and when he sank his bright, familiar Power into her body—gods, Liam was every bit as strong as Dragos—she brushed her awareness against his and told him telepathically, Ease up a little there. You’re feeling pretty intense.

Sorry! he said. I’m just excited.

I know. I am too. When his presence lightened, she guided him to the subtle, tiny shadow, and together they hovered to observe it.

After a few moments, it occurred to her that Liam had unique capabilities that were quite different from anything she, Dragos or Dr. Medina had.

She asked him curiously, This little shadow is all any of us can pick up. Can you sense anything?

Once again, he took his time in responding, and she held her breath as she waited for his reply.

Finally, he said, I’m not sure. As I watch it, I keep getting impressions of fire.

Fire? she repeated. I guess that would make sense. Both you and your dad are pretty fiery.

She felt rather than saw, Liam shake his head. No, I’m not quite the same as Dad. I don’t think I’m as hot as this one is. This one feels as hot as Dad does, to me.

Oh wow, was she going to have another dragon baby? The suspense was going to kill her!

Hugging herself tighter, she told herself she wasn’t going to ask it, but then immediately she caved and asked it anyway. Can you sense if it’s a boy or a girl?

This time, he answered her quickly. No, I’m not picking anything else up. Just heat and fire.

Well, that’s more than your dad and I have been able to sense so far. How exciting! As Liam’s presence pulled away, she surfaced with him. They grinned at each other.

“You both look like a pair of Cheshire cats,” Dragos told them. He was smiling as well.

“Tell him what you saw.” She poked Liam in the stomach. “Tell him!”

He was very ticklish, and his lanky body folded around her prodding finger as he laughed. “I’m not sure I saw anything!”

“You did too,” she insisted. Twisting to look at Dragos, she told him, “He did too.”

“You’ve got good instincts,” Dragos told Liam. “Trust them. What was it?”

“I just kept getting impressions of fire,” Liam said to his father. “That’s all. It felt hotter than I do, more like you.”

“Ah,” said Dragos, with intense male satisfaction. “That sounds like it could be another dragon.”

“You don’t know that.” Pia waved a cautioning finger in the air. “It could mean a fiery nature.”

“True.” He captured her finger, pulled her hand to him and kissed the finger. “But I doubt Liam would just sense a hothead. My guess is, whether the baby is a dragon or not, Liam is somehow reading the new one’s Power.”

Laughing, Liam held up both hands. “I don’t know anything for sure! Maybe I imagined it. I just think it’s so cool I’m going to have a baby brother or sister. Maybe it’ll be like me in some ways!”