by M. L. Briers
“Ouch?” he offered back and she gasped and slapped him again…
“I’m still sleeping …” she breathed out…
“Then I might just pinch you awake…”
“Don’t you…” she wriggled on his lap, tried to escape his arms…
“Can a dead man get a happy from all that wiggling?” Declan asked and brought her to an immediate stop … she froze like a statue… “Don’t stop, I like it…” He teased and she blinked twice…
“You’re not dead?” she gasped again…
“Not from the waist down…”
“I…?” she scowled at him and slapped him once more … that time harder than before…
“Okay, I’m feeling a little unloved…”
Lucy pounced on him, she brought her lips down on his, kissing him hard and with so much passion that the man had to respond … he kissed her right back..
Then she slapped both of her palms against his chest and wrenched her upper body away…
“How did they not kill you?”
“You saved me…” He grinned widely, his eyes fired up with amusement and happiness to have her right there with him.
“I did not…” she spat out.
“Malachi says you did…”
“I did not…”
“I think you did…”
“I did not…”
“Okay, well, let’s put it this way…” he chuckled and that sound was deep, gravely and stroked over her shot nerves like a velvet glove. “Is there something that you want to tell me?”
“No!” she snapped back, confusion was wrapped around her like a fog.
“Sure?”
“I don’t know!”
“Think about it, now…” he offered with another one of those teasing grins that made her insides melt…
“I can’t…”
“And you said I only have two brain cells…” he chuckled, and she slapped him again…
“Still not dead, honey!” he chuckled again…
“Just … checking…” she twisted her head on her neck and scowled back at him.
“Still not dead, honey…” he said again, just in case she was about to slap him again.
“But…?”
“Okay, maybe one more slap and then we can move on…”
Lucy launched herself at him again. Her lips on his, and this time he palmed the back of her head within his large hand and kept her right where he wanted her until he’d kissed her right back to him…
He slowly eased his lips from hers, and she rested her forehead against his…
“They’ll come again?” Lucy said, sounding heartbroken at the thought of it…
“No, it’s over…” He assured her.
“They’ll leave us alone?”
“I promise…” he offered back.
“Declan…” Lucy felt the tears prick the back of her eyes…
“No more tears, baby…” he cupped her cheeks within his hands and hushed her with soothing tones…
“Baby!” she snapped back away from him, her eyes wide, and a gasp in her throat…
“That’s what I wanted to hear…” Declan grinned like a madman…
“I’m…” Her mouth flapped around without words.
“Taking care of our cub…” he lowered his hand to her stomach and rested his palm against it… a low, deep gentle growl rolled through his chest.
“Yes…”
“That’s what saved me … you and the cub…” he offered back.
“We couldn’t lose you, Declan…”
“You’re never going to lose me.” He promised.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
~
The weather was changing again. Autumn had all but fled and winter had brought harsh cold winds to the mountain, the scent of snow was in the air. It might have come in fits and starts this year but it was back again and it felt like this was going to be a good amount of the icy white stuff dumped upon the land.
Declan loved this time of year. Especially now, especially with his mate, curled up inside the cabin in front of a roaring fire … they’d need to leave town soon to get home before the storm.
Declan wrapped his arm tighter around Lucy and drew her to his hip … one more intimate moment with her before they entered the bar. It was still closed to visitors until the midday rush, but it wasn’t booze or a good meal that he was after inside…
“That is not how you change a nappy!” Maisie berated him and the vampire dropped his head on his neck and groaned in disbelief.
“I’m a vampire. This is a baby. Who thought it would be a good idea to allow a vampire anywhere near a baby?” he grumbled and bit out in disbelief.
“We did!” Lucy announced as she detached herself from Declan and closed the distance to where Ethan was laid out on his changing mat on one of the dinner tables, lapping up all the attention that he always got.
“Speak for yourself, woman,” Declan growled back as he eyed Malachi and the man eyed him back…
“At least I’m not going to drop him, butterfingers,” Malachi shot back and Declan growled in annoyance.
“It was once and I caught him before he hit the ground!” Declan grumbled.
“Still the intent to bounce him on his head was there,” Malachi offered, enjoying the shifters unease and shame…
“Don’t poke the bear,” Lucy nudged the vampire in the ribs and he groaned, not because it hurt, but because she thought that it did and he didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Yeah, before the bear pokes you on the damn nose with his fist,” Declan growled at the man.
“We could take this outside…” Malachi tried to bait him…
“Or we could eat, foods done!” Ronald announced as he pushed through the double doors from the kitchen into the room.
“It had better be edible,” Maisie grumbled at the elder and he gave her a wicked grin.
“Would I serve you anything that wasn’t my dear?” The man turned on the charm and Maisie brightened a little more, her cheeks flushed a pink hue…
“Stop trying to sweet talk me, you old goat, or I might just ban you again.” She scowled back, playfully. “You’re only allowed back because you found a way to let Declan live.”
“Maybe I only let Declan live so I could come back,” Ronald offered back.
“Ooo, Mr Smooth,” Malachi teased and Ronald gave a low warning growl at the man.
“Nice to know my life hung in the balance for all the right reasons,” Declan grumbled.
“It did…” Lucy said as she scooped up Ethan and plonked him in Declan’s arms…
“Careful, don’t drop him,” Malachi teased. “Again.”
“I swear, vampire…” Declan grumbled.
“Let’s eat…” Ronald announced, and the scent of Ethan doing what babies always did around the time that food was served filled the air.
“Here,” Declan said, handing the cub to Malachi, and the vampire snatched him safely into his arms…
“Why are you giving the stinky to me?” Malachi scowled…
“Because you need to learn how to do a nappy, and I might drop him,” Declan said, wrapping his arm around Lucy’s waist and walking her towards the kitchen door… Malachi turned with pleading eyes towards Maisie…
“Don’t look at me, vampire. I’m hungry and you’ve seen worse than what’s filling his nappy!” she chuckled as she started for the door…
“But…” Malachi started.
“Suck it up, man!” Ronald growled at him.
“But…” Malachi tried again…
“And green is normal!” Declan called back over his shoulder.
“Green!” Malachi looked down at the cub in his arms and scowled. “Green?” he offered again and caught a whiff of what the child had in store for him… “Wow, who needs claws when you’ve got that in your damn nappy?”
Ethan gurgled happily back up at the Vampire and that took the scowl right off of Malachi’s face.
“Y
eah, cute will win you brownie points every time, boy.” Malachi sighed. “Come on, let’s see if this thing really is green.” He said, lowering the baby down to the changing mat.
A moment later as they listened behind the door; Malachi let out one heck of a roar of disgust…
“What the hell have you been feeding this kid?” he yelled in disbelief.
“Uncle Malachi will be just fine!” Maisie chuckled. “Let’s eat!”
“Eat!” Malachi shouted at them. “Who the hell can ever think of food again after this?”
The End.
