Claire shrugged. “Ryan wants to start back…I just thought….”

“No, I’m thrilled!” Lillian said, beaming.

“We’re not coming back until Bean is born,” Jared said. The entire table was silent. No one moved, and all eyes were on Jared. “The answer has been right in front of us all along. The Sepulchre is the one place I know she’ll be safe until she can deliver.”

Claire frowned. “You want to live in Jerusalem for nine months?”

“Not an entire nine months,” Lillian said. “I’m not exactly sure, but she probably only has a couple of months left.”

Jared’s face blanched. “What?”

Lillian fiddled with her napkin. “I should have said something, son, I’m so sorry. Nina’s situation is obviously different, but a full term Hybrid pregnancy is six to seven months. I assume it’s the same, maybe less for Bean.”

Bex smiled. “Now you’re saying it. That poor kid is never going to get a real name.”

I looked down at my stomach. Because of our situation, we had refrained from prenatal care, but I’d just assumed my pregnancy would be a normal gestation. I was measuring a bit larger than normal, but nothing out of the ordinary. Jared assumed it was because of my small frame.

“So…July? August?” I asked.

“Possibly,” Lillian answered.

Jared nodded. “Then it’s settled. The closer it gets, the more danger she’s in. We should leave now.”

I shook my head. “I have things at Titan I need to wrap up.”

Jared sighed, but agreed. “Okay. We’ll all take the week to prepare. We leave on Sunday.”

“Sweet!” Bex said.

“Not you,” Claire said. “You have to stay with Mom.”

“What?” Bex wailed.

Jared glared at him. “We can’t leave her alone.”

“But I have to go. You know I do!”

Lillian frowned. “Jared, that’s ridiculous. You need everyone with you to get her there safe. The second you land, you’ll be bombarded. They will do everything they can to keep her from somewhere they can’t go.”

I swallowed. It was so close. I’d always felt like we had plenty of time before the pandemonium started.

Claire sighed. “We can’t leave you unprotected, Mom.”

“What about Grant?” Bex said.

“Bex!” Jared yelled. His voice boomed throughout the house. Bex’s face turned red, and his eyes immediately fell.

“Grant?” I said, confused. “Grant Bristol?” No one said a word. All eyes were on the table but mine, which danced in every direction. “Titan’s Grant? Is a…Hybrid?”

“No,” Lillian said, cupping Bex’s shoulder. “He’s an Arch.”

I dropped my fork, and it clanged against my plate. “I don’t believe it.”

Lillian attempted to soften Jared with one of her sweetest smiles. “It’s not a bad idea.”