Eye of the Beholder by Dana Marie Bell Page B

be.”
    What the hell? “I was just gonna switch drinks.”
    “Sit.” Travis’s eyes narrowed, but something about his expression was off. He was hiding something from her, and she didn’t like it one little bit.
    “Woof.” Jamie matched Travis’s glare, but it was hard. At least most of the swelling was finally gone, so glaring at him was no longer painful. Of course, now she looked like a goth Rainbow Bright, all greens and purples in unattractive places.
    He sighed. “Trust me. Don’t switch drinks.”
    “Why not?”
    “Yeah, why not?” Jordan stood, but got put back in her seat by Logan, who sat on the arm of her chair.
    Logan stared down at Jordan, a frown on his face. “Do you want me to tell them why not, or would you rather tell them?”
    Jeff was watching them, speculation in his eyes. “You’re pregnant.”
    All sound ceased as Jamie and her brothers stared at Jordan.
    Jordan rolled her eyes, and pandemonium erupted. It was so loud Jamie barely heard the doorbell ring.
    “I’ll get it. Stay put.” Travis got up and answered the door, letting Uncle Val into the condo.
    Seriously, what do these guys eat? ’Cause I want me some. It suddenly shocked her how good the men in her family looked. Uncle Val could have been a model. Admittedly, he’d be selling guns or motorcycles, but still. M’row. She bit down on her cheesesteak with a grimace. And ew for thinking that. Uncle Val had to be in his mid to late forties by now. Instead, he looked like a man in his late twenties or early thirties.
    She frowned. Come to think of it, how old is Travis? He had barely changed at all since the first time she saw him nine years ago.
    She blinked. How the fuck old were Magnus and Morgan, for that matter? She stared at her brothers, visions of vampires running through her head. They hadn’t aged, either.
    Not one. Damn. Day.
    She swallowed hard, the steak nearly choking her. Oh hell.
    She looked over at Jeff, who was frowning at her. What? he mouthed.
    She turned back to Magnus and Morgan, watching them devour their second set of steaks. Okay, maybe werewolves? How long does the furry set live for, anyway? Her big brothers were serious carnivores.
    “Hey, pumpkin.” Uncle Val leaned down to give her a hug, and she winced. “Did I hurt you?”
    The genuine concern on his face helped ease some of her fears, but not all of them. Couldn’t vampires hypnotize people with their eyes? “Um, no.”
    Those icy eyes of his narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
    She bit her lip, wondering how to head him off. Uncle Val was like a bulldog when he thought something was wrong with any of his nieces or nephews. “Nothing.”
    He studied her intently, joined by Travis. The two men looked like they were trying to see inside her soul.
    Are two vamps stronger than one vamp? She didn’t know, but she wasn’t eager to find out. She squeezed her eyes shut. It was a stupid gesture, she knew that, but it wasn’t like she could go running down the hall for the elevator and freedom.
    “What the fuck is wrong with you? Someone slip magic mushrooms onto your sandwich?”
    She opened her eyes to see Jeff frowning at her curiously. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” She gave him a weak, sickly grin, signaling with her hands that he should drop it.
    “It’s finally worn off.” She looked over to find Travis grimacing and exchanging a loaded glance with Uncle Val.
    “We knew it would.” Uncle Val picked up a sandwich, but the easy expression he’d walked in with had turned hard. It was his game face, the one he showed when he was about to get down to business. On anyone else that expression would have terrified her. But this was Uncle Val, who wouldn’t harm a hair on her head.
    Would he?
    “We knew what would?” Jeff stood off and faced his uncle and friend, his hands clenched at his sides. He’d angled his body between hers and theirs, protecting her, his expression fierce.
    Travis held up his hand. “Down, boy.”
    Jeff held up