His hand made its way down my shoulder, arm, and then traveled slowly down my side, resting on my stomach. His fingers pressed into my skin, palming my belly like a basketball. His firm grip took me off guard, and I felt my eyebrows move in, curious what he was up to. His lips weren’t as soft as they usually were; instead they felt dry and scratchy.

“A little lip balm goes a long way, love,” I whispered.

“Is this unpleasant for you?” A voice rasped.

I looked down. The hand cupping my stomach had pasty, abnormally long fingers. The nails were filthy, and came to a point at the ends.

When I turned, a pale face and black eyes were just inches from my face. The creature grinned, revealing two rows of unnatural, razor-sharp teeth.

I sat up straight and blinked my eyes. The office was dark and quiet, except for the sound of my heart thumping in my ears. My breath was quick and shallow. The frightening man was no longer behind me, but a dark figure sat in the green chair on the other side of my desk. I gasped.

Jared reached out. “It’s okay. It’s okay, it’s just me.”

“Oh,” I said, touching my fingertips to my chest.

“You’re shaking.”

“Bad dream. I must have dozed off.”

“It’s been a long week,” Jared said, forcing a small smile. “My dad wasn’t there, was he?”

“No,” I said, trying to calm myself. “No. I don’t know who it was. Someone with too many teeth.”

Jared nodded once. “I could sense them.”

“Or it’s just that I’m pregnant. I’ve read pregnant women notice an increase in nightmares.”

Jared frowned. He was always one to imagine the worst. With good reason, granted, but it would be nice if he would admit for once that something perfectly normal could be the culprit. I stood, grabbed my briefcase from the floor, and then shoved my feet into my shoes. I didn’t remember taking them off. I must have been exhausted.

“Claire called,” Jared said.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ryan’s fine. They were wondering if we wanted to join them for dinner.”

“At the hospital?”

“They’re bored.”

I ran my fingers through my hair and wiped the mascara that had likely smudged under my eyes. “I am hungry. That’s the best time to eat hospital food, right?”

“I thought we could bring some take-out.”

“Even better,” I said, opening the door. “I know just the place.” Jared put his hand on the knob over mine, and leaned down to kiss my lips. Instantly, I felt better. His lips were their usual soft and smooth. Not as warm, though.