Blowing out a breath, Amelie shook her head. “I know nothing. He’s Sulen’s friend and helped save Fleur.”
“He’s in the Guild too, right?”
Amelie grimaced. “I’m not sure how much I’m supposed to say about that. Sulen renewed his contract for another two years and I have to start being more careful of how I discuss his absences.”
Scarlett shrugged and hopped up to sit on a stool. “Say what we’ve been saying. He’s gone for work. No one’s questioned it before and shouldn’t now. If they do, blow them off.”
Amelie sighed, wishing she had her friend’s cavalier attitude. Pulling out dishes to serve the dessert, she said, “Hopefully, no one probes too hard.”
Scarlett snagged a plate and utensil, digging into the creamy filling of the square on her plate. She angled her body to a slant and licked the white fluff while watching Amar. He happened to look over at the right moment and stilled.
His lids grew heavy and the corner of his lips tilted up. He said something to Sulen then headed for the door.
“Damn,” Scarlett muttered after he left.
Amelie was still chuckling when Sulen joined her and looped an arm about her waist. “What are you two up to?”
“Nothing.”
***
Sulen curved his arm about Amelie’s waist as she cut and served cake to everyone. He buried his nose in her hair and closed his eyes. The scent of her washed over him and he took a moment to be thankful that he’d found her. When he’d vowed to find the one who forged a connection with him, he could not have expected that he’d find a ready made family.
Fleur giggled at something Saedra said and curled up on the sofa beside the woman. Garik stared and Sulen felt his smile grow wider. Garik was in for a time as a parent. While Sulen hadn’t been prepared to be a dad, at least Fleur was at the walking and talking stage. Garik would have to do it all from the beginning and Sulen didn’t envy him.
“Are you okay?” Amelie asked.
“Happy,” he said.
Scarlett leaned forward on the counter with her plate and fork in hand. “Mushy talk later. Tell me about your friend, Amar.”
Shocked, Sulen read the interest in Scarlett’s gaze. He considered what he knew of Amar and thought of him with Scarlett. Humor erupted. “I think I’ll leave that for you to discover.”
Epilogue
The baby’s coming.
Sulen read Amelie’s message blinking on his comm when he woke up. It took a moment then he shot straight out of bed.
The baby. The baby was coming. Wasn’t it early? Why hadn’t she awakened him?
The answer was obvious. He’d just returned from a mission in the middle of the night and she’d probably thought he needed his sleep. How many times had he told her he was used to operating without rest for days at a time?
Jamming his legs in his pants and foregoing shoes and a shirt, Sulen crossed the hall and flicked on the light. Fleur’s sleeping face was turned in his direction. His heart clenched as it always did knowing this tiny princess belonged to him. Being a father hadn’t been something he’d imagined but he couldn’t envision a life without her in it now.
“Fleur?”
Her head popped up, no signs of sleepiness. “Is it baby time?”
Sulen chuckled. “Yes. It’s baby time.”
She cheered and slid out of bed to race to her closet, flinging the doors open. He left her to get ready and grabbed a shirt and his shoes. Little time had passed when he and Fleur rushed out the door and drove to the medical center.
The halls were empty other than a few uniformed staff members walking around. He held Fleur cradled against his chest and stopped a hurried woman in a lab coat. “I’m trying to find my bond mate. She’s here—”
“The baby’s coming,” Fleur whisper yelled.
That brought a smile to the weary lined face. “Usually, there are plenty of babies coming this time in the morning but I happen to know of only one that was born just five minutes ago.”
They’d missed the fireworks. Sulen tried to feel regret but his fear about the whole thing had him more relieved than anything. “Can you tell us where to go?”
“Down the hall, ask the person on duty to get you cleared and they’ll direct you.”
Badged and security approved, Sulen knocked on the closed door with the number nine printed in a large block.
“Come in,” Amelie called out.
Taking a deep breath, Sulen pushed the door open and lowered Fleur to her feet. His daughter took off like a shot for the woman in the bed holding a bundle wrapped baby.
Garik hovered nearby and Amar surprisingly was leaning against a wall smirking. Sulen wasn’t sure how the other assassin had beat him here or what made him come.
Amelie’s face was wreathed in a pleased smile. Taking the safest route, Sulen went to her. She flung her arms about his neck. “It’s a girl!”
Caught off guard Sulen laughed and swung her up off her toes. She rained kissed over his face and Sulen captured her mouth to lay a deep one on her before she pulled back and eyed him with a dreamy expression.
Scarlett bustled in, lab coat swinging open to reveal pink fleece pants and a light purple tank top. She winked at him but continued toward Saedra. “How is the new mommy?”
“Fantastic,” Saedra answered, pushing herself back and up in the bed to sit upright.
Garik snarled and rushed behind her to adjust the pillows. “You just had a baby. I watched it all. You can’t feel fantastic.”
Now that Sulen took a closer look at his friend’s face, Garik did appear a bit green. Saedra frowned and shoved him away with one hand while she hugged the baby closer with the other. “Stop fussing over me. This was normal. Scarlett said the birth went way better than Amelie’s.”
Amelie flinched in his arms and Sulen tipped his head down to catch her expression. The brief flash of sorrow was there and gone.
“The next time won’t be that way,” he whispered for her ears alone. “I’ll be with you every step and not far away.”
Her weight stilled in his arms. “Next time?”
Sulen kissed her and winked. All was right in his world.
Author’s Note
Once more, thanks go out to the In The Stars team for creating a place for authors to write stories that are fun and full of the tropes I read about when I started reading romances many years ago.
To everyone who messaged me to say how much they loved Garik and Saedra’s story, THANK YOU.
I hope everyone enjoyed this sequel to The Unexpected Bonding Vow featuring Garik’s assassin peer Sulen. I’ve wanted to write a secret baby plot book forever.
Sulen and Amelie were great fun to write about and I was really drawn to Sulen’s character. He was supposed to be angry and full of scowls but he fell like a ton of bricks for Fleur and Amelie.
On a research note regarding Sulen being Fleur’s genetic father, I fell down a rabbit hole looking up articles regarding surrogacy and whether the carrier of the baby could impact genetic expression. It was interesting reading and by no means conclusive but it allowed me to use my imagination to play with the idea of “what if” from the paternal aspect.
Next up will be a romance for Amelie’s friend and medic, Scarlett. She has some secrets of her own.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a review at the retailer of your choice. As always, happy reading.
Michelle H.
Books by Michelle
Warlords
* Honor Bound (Warlord Series 1)
* The Overlord’s Heir (Warlord Series 2)
* A King’s Revenge (Warlord Series 3)
* Rise of the Shadow Warriors (Warlord Series 4)
* A Warlord’s Heart (Warlord Series 5)
* Unexpected Bride (Warlord Series 6)
* Unleashing a Warrior (Books 1-3 Warlord Series)
Alpha Squad
* Project Genesis (Alpha Squad)
Harmony
; * No Reason to Run (A Harmony Novel)
Sci-Fi Romance
* Mating Urge (Love in the Stars 1)
* Love Like No Other (Love in the Stars 2)
* Wired For Love (Wired)
* The Unexpected Bonding Vow (Assassins Guild)
* Claiming His Unexpected Baby (Assassins Guild)
A World Beyond
* Torkel’s Chosen (A World Beyond 1)
* Arak’s Love (A World Beyond 2)
* Lindsey’s Rescue (A World Beyond 3)
* Kyele’s Passion (A World Beyond 4)
* Rydak’s Fall (A World Beyond 5)
* Jaron’s Promise (A World Beyond 6)
* V’hor’s Nestmate (A World Beyond 7)
* Stolen Moments (A World Beyond 8)
* Bane’s Heart (A World Beyond 9)
* Nikol’s Surrender (A World Beyond 10)
Paranormal
* Djinn Lover (Magical Lovers book 1)
* Wicked Lover (Magical Lovers book 2)
A Novel of the Dracol
* Rylin’s Fire (A Novel of the Dracol 1)
* Relentless Fire (A Novel of the Dracol 2)
* Frost Fire (A Novel of the Dracol 3)
* Secret Fire TBD (A Novel of the Dracol 4)
About the Author
USA Best Selling Author, Michelle Howard lives in a happy fantasy world where she writes sci-fi and paranormal based romances. Love stories have been a staple in her life since she discovered some of her favorite romance novels by classic authors like Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood and Johanna Lindsey.
I love to hear from fans so please reach out to me. If the mood hits you, leave a review.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @mhowardwrites
Instagram: mhowardwrites
Website: www.michellehowardwrites.com
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Claiming His Unexpected Baby Page 14
