Free Shadowflame by Dianne Sylvan Page A

chuckled and shook her head. “Remember when the worst thing that could happen was getting knocked up at a frat party?”
    Kat swallowed hard, looking down at her cup, her insides knotting up before she could force her emotions back down again. Damn it, if—
    Too late.
    “Hey,” Miranda said, staring at her keenly, “what’s wrong?”
    Kat still didn’t meet her eyes. “Quit doing that psychic thing on me.”
    “I’m not. I promise. I’ve just gotten a lot better at reading people. It’s . . . part of the job, I guess. You’ve been weird all night, not just now. It’s your turn to spill it.”
    “It’s not important,” Kat said, surprised at the spark of anger in her own voice. “Just a human problem.”
    Miranda didn’t snap back at her or even show that she heard the last statement. Kat remembered what she’d said about being empathic, that words didn’t always matter and she could feel the truth underneath them, even without trying. It was what had driven her crazy before.
    Miranda reached over and grabbed Kat’s hand, then sucked in a breath. “Holy shit.”
    Kat snatched her hand back. “I told you not to do that!”
    “I’m sorry,” Miranda said. “I just wanted to be sure. I keep myself shielded and I’m not used to picking things up from mortals, but you’re different. You’re my friend.”
    Kat did something completely out of character and also completely embarrassing. She burst into tears.
    She felt Miranda shift from the opposite side of the booth to sit by Kat and offer her shoulder. Kat buried her face in Miranda’s neck, and Miranda murmured to her, stroking her back. It was as if she were putting off gentle waves of soothing heat, and if that was part of her mojo, well, Kat wasn’t going to argue with it right now.
    “Does Drew know?” Miranda asked.
    “Not yet. He’s in Beaumont at a conference. Due back in a few days.” Kat wiped her eyes on her napkin and sat up, but Miranda stayed where she was, a solid presence that Kat wanted desperately to cling to until she wasn’t so scared of drowning. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
    Miranda didn’t say anything at first, and Kat went on, “I have an appointment at the women’s clinic Thursday for a consultation. I can go back a week later for the big suck . . . but . . .”
    “You aren’t sure,” Miranda said. “Kat . . .”
    “I mean, I have a house, and I’ve got money from Dad’s estate—not piles of it, but I do okay. And Drew might be a good dad. But I’m . . . God, Mira, how could this happen? I’m on the fucking pill!”
    Miranda had an odd look on her face, at once gravely attentive and miles away, as if she were listening to two conversations at once. Her fingers were still curled around Kat’s arm, and they were suddenly hot as she stared off into space.
    “Kat . . .” she said softly, “cancel the appointment.”
    “Wait, I’m not just going to—”
    “I’m not telling you to keep it.” Miranda cut her off gently but insistently. “I’m saying wait. Give it two weeks. Talk to Drew. You’ve got a little time to decide . . . I know what you’ve always said you’d do, but just wait. Just a little while. I promise it will be okay.”
    Kat gaped at her, her panic momentarily forgotten. “What the hell are you looking at?”
    Miranda’s eyes cleared, and she blinked and took her hand away. She looked, and sounded, as rattled as Kat felt. “I don’t know. Nothing like that has ever happened before.”
    She moved back across the booth, and Kat was able to breathe again. “Well, it was creepy.”
    “Yeah.” Miranda looked a little dizzy and leaned her forehead in her hands for a minute before looking up at Kat. “But take my advice, Kat. Wait. Nobody’s going to force you to do anything you’re not a hundred percent sure about . . . but make sure you’re a hundred percent sure.”
    Kat swallowed and nodded, grabbing her glass of water and gulping down half of it out of sheer