by Lisa Oliver
“I wouldn’t do that. I’d never harm another person if I can help it.” Baby flung himself back against the couch. “I’m just so sick of always being ignored, or hated, or just not fitting in. I wanted a home, and a mate, and I got them, so I know I should be grateful. But you watch. Now I’m pregnant, all Owen will care about is the new baby, leaving me out in the cold again. I just wanted to be important to someone for once, and not for my apparent baby making abilities.”
“You are important to me, and you always will be.”
“Owen?” Baby shot out off the couch, running across the room, flinging his arms around his mate who’d suddenly appeared in the corner. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I had no right to yell at you or ruin what could have been a beautiful moment. Can you ever forgive me? I’ll do better, I promise I will, and I will be happy about the baby when it comes.”
Baby found his feet dangling as Owen swept him up, holding him close. “You don’t ever have to promise me anything,” his big mate said fiercely. “You are, exactly who you are, and I love you for that. You need to believe it. You need to believe me. Can you do that?”
“Love, love?” Baby would believe the sky was purple if Owen told him so, but love? “You mean, not like, ‘wow I love your hair, get your pants off’ love, but real like love where that person is the most important being in your life, and always will be, type love? You love me like that?”
“Exactly like that, and while I do love your hair, and I do enjoy times when we’re not wearing pants, I do love you, love you; deeply, madly, seriously stupidly, and always will.”
Oh wow. And the thing was, Baby knew it was real. His heart was full to bursting and those instincts that had kept him out of trouble, were all letting him know Owen wasn’t lying. He knew he should say it back, but he was too busy kissing the crap out of Owen’s lips, because words like that came once in eternity and Baby wanted to hang onto the moment for as long as he could.
Which would have been a really good idea, if they weren’t still in Hades and Ali’s living room. A very fake cough reminded him of that. Pulling himself, very reluctantly off Owen’s lips, Baby called over his shoulder, “I’m not sorry. We’re still dressed. Count that as a win.”
“I wanted to greet your mate and introduce Ali before his young eyes saw more than he should,” Hades said with his normal dry humor.
Seeing as he put it that way. Baby didn’t need to see Owen’s eyes to know they were burning for him; he could feel it all through Owen’s body. “You probably should put me down,” he whispered. “My uncle Hades is a big wig in god circles.”
To his surprise, Owen laughed, although he did let him down gently, retaining a hold around Baby’s waist. “Hades and I know of each other,” he said as he moved towards the loving pair, inclining his head ever so slightly. “Lord of the Underworld and all its domains. Many thanks for your guidance to my warriors over centuries past, who have found a safe haven among your hunting grounds. Greetings and salutations on this glorious day. It would appear congratulations are in order.”
“Great Spirit,” Hades bowed, slightly deeper than Owen had. “Appreciations are not necessary when I gladly provide a home for those spirits who conduct themselves with honor among your people. My congratulations to you on claiming my beloved nephew. May I introduce Ali, the sweetness the Fates gifted to me so we can share eternity together – the same little one responsible for my current condition.”
“My gods,” Ali staged whispered, his eyes wide, lifting his hand to cover the side of his mouth. “Are all the big wigs so formal when they meet?”
“I haven’t got a clue,” Baby mimicked Ali’s whisper. “It’s the first time I’ve heard anything like it. They must be following rules written in a god’s conduct book or something. I didn’t get a copy.”
“Neither did I.” Ali started to giggle, and the noise was contagious because before Baby knew it, he was chuckling too.
“I’m so sorry. I’m not intentionally being rude. My animal tells me you’re a very powerful shifter god,” Ali said, exposing his neck to Owen, and then giggling at his mate again. “It’s just who says ‘condition’ anymore? You’re pregnant, mate of mine. Just say it.”
“Ali, I can see why the Fates believed you perfect for my usually dour friend,” Owen said with a grin of his own. “You’re the breath of fresh air, Hades so desperately needed, and it does my heart good to see you both so happy, and obviously flourishing.”
“Well, I’d love to know more about you,” Ali glanced at the clock. “Sebastian and Madison are joining us for dinner. Sebastian has just found out he’s pregnant too. You’re both welcome to stay.”
Please say no, please say no. Baby didn’t have a problem being around people. He usually thrived on it. But the things he wanted to say, and do, to his mate didn’t work in mixed company.
“Sebastian, son of Thanatos?” Owen looked down and Baby could feel the heat of his eyes even with the glasses on. “While I’d love to catch up with him, and meet his mate, I feel my mate and I need some time to ourselves for now. It’s been a very eventful day. We will meet up again soon, I’m sure. Baby’s house in Thurso is deliciously remote, if a little chilly this time of year. You can visit there without concerns about Hades’ condition. Another day.”
Thank you. Baby held his cool during the rounds of goodbyes and pleasantries, but he was so relieved when Owen translocated them home. Ali and Hades made a wonderful couple and Baby fully intended to invite them for dinner before their baby came along. As Owen said, on another day.
Chapter Eighteen
Owen needed to be honest with his mate. In his head, it wasn’t possible to share the words of love with another person and not be one hundred percent honest about everything. Unfortunately, being honest required them to have a conversation which was difficult to do when Baby was clinging to him like a spider monkey, his little body jiggles doing all sort of things to his hardening cock. He hadn’t gotten upset when Baby didn’t return his words of love – he knew that for his mate, love was a concept he struggled with. But Owen also knew he was cared for in Baby’s heart the same way as he knew the love he had for his mate was real.
But Poseidon’s relentless messages had to be addressed. Owen had been hiding them, something he had no right to do. Baby deserved to know the reason Poseidon hadn’t visited was because he’d expressly forbidden it.
So, when they arrived back in Baby’s bedroom in Thurso, talking was exactly what Owen had in mind – and maybe breakfast because neither one of them had eaten since they’d awoke. But they could talk over breakfast, if Baby didn’t have such a strangle hold around his neck, and this strong desire to feast on his lips.
Baby was temptation personified. Owen really enjoyed kissing, and all the stroking and caressing that went with it. In fact, really enjoyed was a pathetic way of expressing just how much his whole body loved being loved on by his mate. With a thought, they could be naked, and Owen’s cock could feel all the amazing sensations associated with being buried in Baby’s body.
But above all else, Owen was a responsible man. Disengaging wasn’t easy, especially when Owen’s cock was raging “what the hell do you think you’re doing”, but Owen did it. Baby’s delicious pout made it worse, and yes Owen could see it because his animal side wanted to claim Baby all over again too, so that pout was in delicious shades of gray. Their mate had run from them. His bear desperately wanted that reassurance that came from sex and a bite.
“Baby, my sweet angel, please. I need to talk to you.” Owen ran his thumb over his mate’s bottom lip.
“Now? You want to talk now?”
Owen understood his mate’s surprise. There were parts of his body that were just as shocked. But he stood firm. “You haven’t eaten, my angel. Neither have I. We need to discuss a few things and I didn’t see the harm in eating and talking at the same time. Then we can get back to the delicious exploring we’ve been known to do.”
“Geez.” Baby jumped out
of Owen’s arms, perfecting a beautiful back flip as he landed feet first on the ground. “Fine. Fine. Wave your hands. Feed us and talk fast. I don’t have time to salivate over watching you cook. And if I think for one second this feeding business has to do with my being pregnant, you’ll be napping in the living room. I’m quite old enough to know when I’m hungry.”
“It’s got nothing to do with that,” and that was only a tiny white lie. Owen would be watching what his mate ate from now on. Baby wouldn’t understand how much energy it took to grow another person. Spreading his hands, he conjured a huge feast complete with the table and two chairs, taking care to ensure that things like fish, shellfish, and chicken were absent. Roasted red meats and plenty of vegetables would do.
It took a bit of time, plating foods and eating, and it was Baby who broke the silence first. “You are right in that we probably should talk first. I am truly sorry I disappeared on you,” he said quietly. “It was selfish of me, and I know my words hurt you deeply. I guess I just wasn’t thinking straight. Finding out I was pregnant was a huge shock. But that didn’t give me the right to talk to you that way.”
“Believe me when I say I do understand. Well, not immediately, but I did when I realized you truly hadn’t known about it. I thought you knew you were pregnant and just didn’t know how to tell me. I just wanted you to know, I knew.” Owen enjoyed a mouthful of beef and swallowed. “But this isn’t about our pregnancy. I need to explain something to you – something I’m not necessarily proud of. You know of my genuine love for you, now, one would hope and in the spirit of having you trust me, you need to know what I’ve done.” He rested his elbows on the table. “Put simply, I’ve been keeping things from you, this past five days, and I’m apologizing for that right now. I arbitrarily made a decision, believing it to be in your best interests, even though I should’ve talked to you about it first.”
“Arbitrarily? Hmm. Must be bad if you’re using big words.” Baby pushed his finished plate away. “Do you mind if I conjure dessert? I have a hankering for pavlova.”
Owen didn’t like the edge of fear that ringed Baby’s aura. It showed he and Baby still had a way to go before his mate could trust him fully. “It’s nothing bad. At least, I didn’t think so, but I respect the fact you may have another opinion. It’s easier if I just tell you straight.” Owen took a deep breath. “Poseidon has been trying to get in touch with you since the day we claimed each other. That’s who’s been sending all those communication orbs. I told him to leave you alone. I didn’t want you upset by any of the thoughtless nonsense that comes out of his mouth, so I thought it was best you didn’t see him until you were ready. In hindsight I realize, I probably should have asked you first, or at least told you what I was doing.”
The fear ebbed away, leaving a pale pink shade of amusement. “That’s your big secret?” Baby laughed. “My gods, I thought you were going to tell me you have adopted a dozen children and have them stashed away somewhere, or that your ice companion has been lurking around the house trying to kill me.”
“No children adopted or otherwise, and no he won’t be doing that.” Although, Owen was going to have to go back to his house soon to make sure the damn soul wasn’t haunting his place. “As you know, Poseidon and I had words when I went to get his blessing on our mating…”
“Which he didn’t give.”
“Which he didn’t give,” Owen agreed. “But I think he’s been having issues with Claude…”
“About me.”
“It would seem so.” Owen could easily get distracted, watching the joy and pleasure in Baby’s aura, as he ate his cream laden dessert. “I don’t know why Claude has an issue…”
“I know I’m interrupting you, again, but you need to know this if you don’t already,” Baby chipped in quickly. “When Claude met me for the first time, I was being manhandled by an arrogant alpha wolf from another pack, who blamed me for the destruction of his pack house. In my defense, I didn’t know the rural wolves would take what I said as a challenge. I was offering a blow job, and I thought it only fair to suggest they fight for it, because there was so much testosterone in the air it was suffocating. I thought if they blew off a bit of steam, then they might go easier on me. And yes, things might have gotten a bit out of hand, but I personally didn’t do anything except sit in one spot, waiting to see who the winner would be.”
“While they trashed the pack house?” Owen bit his bottom lip to stop his growl escaping. “Did the winner get his blow job?”
“You can growl,” Baby said with a sigh. “I know it’s a shifter thing. The way I look at it, I was acting out of self-preservation. I walk into this place, this random pack house I came across, thinking I might meet someone special. My dad’s got his own wolf shifter, and no one thinks he’s going to cause problems with the pack, so I didn’t see the harm. But, my gods, it was like no one there had ever seen anyone in a clean shirt before. I was swarmed before I made it five feet in the door, by a bunch of lumberjacks with bad haircuts, all stinking of lust among other things.”
Baby shook his head. “I’d swear those assholes were all straight, but that’s part of the curse of who I am. I genuinely believed I was in grave danger of being gang-banged, so I did what I thought was best, hopped up, sat on the bar and laid out a challenge. It worked. By the time the alpha and his mate turned up, and you could smell what those two had been up to, the pack house was trashed and most of the lumberjacks were passed out or knocked out on the floor.”
“What about the ones who were still standing?”
Baby laughed. “Apparently, they had bond mates who didn’t appreciate their men fighting over the right to have their dick sucked. Those women were tougher than the men. But with the alpha ranting on about restitution, and who was going to pay for his run-down building, I immediately thought of Sei and figured I’d go and see if things were different in the pack he’d hooked up with.”
“And where they?” Owen wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Huffing, Baby shook his head. “How would I know? Claude didn’t let me near the public areas, the bar, or even the BDSM side of the club which was strictly for paranormals – I mean I qualified for that, but apparently it meant paranormals who aren’t me. I was under strict instructions to stay completely away from his unmated wolves. That’s why I eventually went to stay with Himeros.”
Owen winced. “Have you had enough to eat?”
“Yep.” Baby leaned back in his chair. “Thank you, food was a good idea. Now what?”
With a sweep of Owen’s hand, the table and remaining food was gone. Another gesture, and Baby was curled up on his lap, on the bed, although Owen made sure their clothes stayed on. If his mate was ever in need of a hug, Owen figured now was the time. “It has not been an easy life for you, wandering the world like you have, has it?”
“I’ve done okay. I’m smarter than people give me credit for and can usually talk my way out of difficult situations like I did at the lumberjack’s pack house.”
“You saved yourself, and that’s smart thinking. But why didn’t you just translocate out of there when you knew you were in danger?”
Baby sat up and poked Owen on the chest. “Because I don’t run from danger. I don’t see why I have to live in fear just because of the way I look and the vibe I apparently send out to straight wolves who suddenly get curious. Any time I can talk a situation around, or cause others to take their aggression out on anything that’s not me, then it’s a win in my book. Why should I be held responsible if other bastards can’t control their libido?”
Courage. Something else his mate had in spades and no one seemed to know about it. Suddenly, Owen felt silly for being the barrier between Baby and Poseidon. “Then I did wrong, shielding you from Sei the way I did. I apologize.”
“No, no, no, no, no. This is not how a relationship works.” Baby snuggled back into Owen’s chest again. “You did what you thought right at the time, and you don’t need to apologize for that. I’d
already kissed you senseless once because you stood up for me in front of my dad, and that was before we were mated. No one has ever stood up for me and my rights before and that truly means something so I can see why you thought I didn’t want to hear from him now.”
“I don’t like the thought of you being hurt emotionally or physically.” Owen shuddered at the thought of what might have happened in all the years Baby walked the earth alone. It wasn’t as though Owen had a direct 24/7 link to the oracle. How would he have felt if he had checked in on his mate one time and found him battered and bruised beyond repair? Owen’s arms automatically tightened around his mate as if his physical presence could shield Baby from all of life’s ills.
“Poseidon does hurt me,” Baby continued, “but I don’t think he ever means to. He’s like me, in that he doesn’t have much of a filter between brain and mouth. He was happy to see me when that alpha dragged me to Tulsa. Sei’s never worried about any trouble I might have caused before, but Claude spent two hours talking to that alpha and his mate before sending them on their way. And they were all wolves and stick together like shit on a blanket.”
“You seeking out a shifter of your own wasn’t a dumb idea,” Owen said. “You already had one, and it’s my fault you didn’t know about it sooner. But I will stick by you now, and I don’t want you to ever doubt that. For what it’s worth, I think Sei and Claude, not to mention that dimwit Himeros, all treated you terribly and you didn’t deserve it.”
“I do worry about the lengths Himeros will go to, trying to break up Sei and Claude,” Baby said pensively. “He’s like a god obsessed and for all Claude’s attitude towards me, he’s done Sei the power of good and I don’t want to see them break up inadvertently because of my existence.”
