Page 1 (1/2)

Chapter 1

I’et to know it For ht now, it was akin to one of the inner circles of Hell

"How," I demanded, "can the air possibly contain this "

My sister, walking beside ic to push it off you"

"Too rumbled Jasmine, like me, had been raised in the dry heat of Arizona, so I couldn’t understand why she didn’t have the sah suic, but hers was focused primarily on water, so maybe that explained her blasé attitude Maybe it was just the resilience of youth, seeing as she was about ten years younger than me Or maybe, just nant and hauling around an extra ten pounds or so of offspring who see odda I did

It was also possible hor me a little irritable

"We’re almost there," said a polite voice on the other side of iel He was the son of Ysabel, one of the bitchiest gentry women I knew--and she didn’t even have excess horiel hadn’t inherited his mother’s personality, thankfully, and possessed a knack for crossing between the Otherworld and the huhly the sae escort to get me to my doctor’s appointments only added insult to the many injuries I’d endured these last few months

A block ahead, the Hudson Wo its carefully pruned pear trees and neat rows of geraniuht on the line of the coive the appearance that it was part of the latter It wasn’t the pretty landscaping thathalf a ate and the clinic It wasn’t even the medical care, which was fine as far as I could tell Really, when it caest appeal was that so far, no one had tried to killwith sweat by the ti in the desert, but soross Fortunately, a wave of air-conditioning hit us as alked through the door As glorious as it was forhis face when he felt that first blast He’d grown up in the Otherworld, where fairy--or gentry, the teric could onders He wouldn’t blink an eye at ape But this? Cold air produced by a machine? It blew his enie," said the receptionist She was ed and plump, with a kindly, hometown air about her "Back with your faiel off as our brother, for siine us all being related Jasiel’s a true auburn We could have done advertising for the National Redhead Solidarity Group, if such a thing existed No one at the clinic ever sees along, so maybe that was nor rooiel shift uncomfortably in his jeans I hid a sht huly, but Jasmine and I had insisted he wear them if he wanted to be part of entry favored silks and velvet in their clothing, with flourishes like puffy sleeves and cloaks Maybe he could have gotten aith that on the West Coast but not here in middle America

Both he and Jasetincident when Pagiel had tried to attack sotone, we’d decided it was best if he wasn’t left alone Although, I admit, it was hard to fault his actions

I went to see an ultrasound tech first As the ory and had to have nancy would The tech situated el onit with her paddle And just like that, all htily walked in with--vanished

And were replaced with terror

There they were, the things that I’d risked es still didn’t look like much to h with each visit, they becaly more babylike I supposed this was a marked iiving birth to aliens and nothing huentry at all

"Ah, there’s your son," said the tech, gesturing to the left side of the screen "I was pretty sure we’d be able to spot hiht My son As she le, his profile flashed into stark relief, ss and a rounded head that looked very hu heart was also clearly visible, hardly seemed like a conqueror of worlds He seemed very small and very vulnerable, and I wondered not for the first tinancy Had I been tricked? Had I been taken in by this innocent façade? Was I even now nurturing the man who prophecy said would try to enslave huhts, his sister stirred on the other side of the screen She had been a large driving force in nancy If I’d terminated it in an attempt to save the world fro her life I couldn’t do that to her I couldn’t do that to him, even It didn’t matter what the prophecy said They both deserved a chance to live their lives, free of what destiny had allegedly dictated for them