Empusa's Hunger: A Reverse Harem Romance (Monsters and Gargoyles Book 8)
Page 12
I look at my mother. “Our guard?”
Her cheeks turn pink. “Andros was our guard, but he was also our protector in every way he could, and also my lover.”
“I had no idea,” I say, shaking my head in disbelief.
“You were already dealing with so much, I didn’t want to put more on your shoulders.”
I lean back on my pillows. “So you’re all on earth here together? You, Orion, Andros, and Ajax? You’re a family.”
She laughs. “Plus my phoenix, Blaise.”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe it.”
My mom’s face falls, and she gives her son a kiss on the head, then hands the boy back to his father.
“I’ll let you two talk,” he says, then ducks back out of the room.
My mother turns to me. “You know I could never be completely happy until I knew you were safe, right? I never purposely tried to create a family, and even my family, well, you’re my family…”
I’ve never seen my mom so distressed before. Leaning forward, I wince at the pain from my belly, and take her hand. “I’m not upset. I’m actually happy. You deserve good things. And you spent my whole childhood protecting me, I’m an adult now, you don’t need to keep worrying about me.”
“I’ll always worry about you!”
I smile. “I know, and I also know you’ll always love me.”
She looks relieved. “Absolutely. And as for your gargoyles and phoenix… do they make you happy? Are they the family you need?”
I hesitate. “I think so, but I still have so much to learn about life.”
“Can you learn about life with them?”
I find myself smiling, thinking of all of us learning about this new world together. “Absolutely.”
“Then, it sounds like you’ve found some wonderful people to have in your life. And, I’ll tell you, my guys have been talking to them a lot over the last few days that you’ve been here. They had a lot of questions about how it worked having a phoenix in our Brotherhood, and even more about having a child. Andros said that they’ve each come to him privately to talk about what to do to make a woman happy. It’s actually been pretty darling.”
My heart feels warm. “They’re sweet, even if they don’t always know what to do.”
She laughs. “No one, man, woman, gargoyle, or monster, ever always knows what to do.”
And, it’s like I can finally breathe. My mom always had this way about her. She just made me feel like as crazy and strange as I felt sometimes, I was completely normal. And hearing her reassuring me is the first time I really feel like things can work with me as a mother, and as a partner to my gargoyles.
“So, the guys tell me you’ve been hunting monsters and that you killed Ceuthonymus?”
I almost tell her I know who he is, but I see the pain she’s trying so hard to hide. She doesn’t need to know that I’m aware of the truth. “Yes, we have been and we did kill him.”
She hesitates, and then says, “So what do you plan to do next?”
The truth is, I don’t know. “I feel like I was meant to hunt monsters, but I also want my child to be safe. I want her to have a home of her own, and a family to love her.”
“I think you can do all of that, if you just give yourself a break.” She spreads her hands to indicate the room. “And you’re welcome to live here. It’s not very big, but we own all the lands around here, courtesy of some money the gargoyle council left us, and we can build another home for you.”
For some reason, her words feel strange to me. When I think of a home for my daughter and my men, my mind goes back to Leo’s cabin in the woods. Something about that place just felt like home. But is that crazy? I’ve finally found my mom, shouldn’t I stay close to her?
“That’s not what you want,” she tells me gently.
I stare down at my belly. “Well, Leo has this cabin she let us stay at. It’s a bit of a mess, but, for some reason, I really like it there…”
“Dr. Leo, the sphinx? The vet?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, she’s only about a half hour drive from here. And if she was willing to sell you the cabin, we could help you get it fixed up, and we’d still be close enough to see each other regularly.”
I look up. My mom is smiling. Actually smiling in a way I can feel down to my very soul.
“That would be perfect!”
“Let’s see what we can do,” she says, and winks at me.
We hold hands for a long time, and she tells me all about her life since I last saw her. My mom’s adventure escaping from the Underworld is incredible, and so much about her interactions with her gargoyles and phoenix feel similar to my own. Through her story, in a strange way, I feel like I understand myself a little better and my relationship with my men.
And then she asks me about what I’ve done since she was gone, and I tell her the story. She listens to every word with big eyes, asking only a few questions. When I’m done, she hugs me and says, “I’m glad you found so much love and so much happiness.”
My eyes sting. Is that what I’ve found?
I smile against her hair and hug her back. Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve found.
Chapter 20
Empusa
* * *
I don’t even remember nodding off, but when I wake up, there are birds chirping outside the window, and sunlight creeps through the curtain. Groggily, I sit up, and then I stare in surprise. My men are all over the room, lying on the hard floor. Each has a pillow and a little blanket, but it’s a shock to see them there.
Is this how they’ve slept since I was injured?
My heart warms. I’m sure there were other places to sleep, better places, and yet they wanted to remain close to me. That showed a level of devotion that made me feel even safer in their company.
I carefully creep to the bathroom and use it, wash my hands, and sneak out the door. Grabbing a coat I find by the door, and slipping into some flip flops I know are my mom’s, I go outside into the quiet morning air. I wander around, smiling at the porch with its little swing, and wondering if we could have a swing like that at our house. I go to the back and find a beautiful garden and a bench near a little pond with a fountain. Sitting down, I breathe in the sweet air and feel grateful in a way I never imagined.
My hands go to my stomach, and I feel my little girl move.
This. This is happiness and love.
“You’re okay!” I turn to see Conley half-dressed in the garden. His feet are bare, his hair is a mess, and he’s shirtless. But more than that, he looks terrified.
“I’m fine. Sorry, I just wanted some fresh air.”
He seems to take several long, slow breaths.
“Conley, come sit. Everything is fine.”
He nods and stands up straighter than goes and sits down so softly next to me, it’s like he’s scared to break me. “Are you… hurting?”
I shrug. “I’m a little sore, but I’m healing.”
And then, I gasp as the baby starts moving and kicking up a storm.
Conley is on his feet in an instant. “I’ll get your mom!”
“No!” I shout as he’s already begun to run. “It’s just the baby moving. Come here!”
He looks terrified, but he comes back, and I place his hand just below where my wound has been wrapped and onto my baby. For one moment he seems confused, and then the baby starts to move again, and his eyes widen.
“That’s the baby?”
“Yes,” I tell him with a smile.
“That’s her moving?”
I laugh. “Yes.”
“That’s… that’s incredible!” A smile blossoms on his face that seems to brighten the entire morning.
“She really is.”
His gaze meets mine. “I want to thank you. Not just for coming into our lives. Not just for the baby, but something about you brought us all together. Narath actually came to me and said he wanted me to be part of our Brotherhood. I honestly thought it was impossible, but I agreed
, and he’s treated me like one of them ever since.”
“That’s wonderful! I knew he’d realize how stupid he was being, eventually.”
“And all of us… I don’t know. It was like we were lost, and then you found us, and now we’re not lost any more. Ugh, that sounds stupid. I don’t know--”
“No, it’s not stupid. I feel the same way.”
Leaning forward, I press a kiss to his lips, and he smiles at me like I’m the best thing in this world.
And then we hear chaos unfold. I turn to see my three gargoyles racing around the house, all half naked, looking scared as hell. They’re in boxers, no shoes, and the same panicked look that was in Conley’s eyes before.
I can’t help myself, I burst out laughing.
Their gazes go to me, and they’re running right at us.
“Are you okay?” Rokad says, almost shouting.
“I just wanted some fresh air,” I tell them, still laughing. “You realize I’m a half-demon monster, right? I can go for a walk and be fine.”
“You’re a half-demon monster who almost died just a short time ago,” Lucas says, running both hands over his shaved head like he’s trying to calm himself down.
“Well, I don’t plan on that happening again.”
“You better not,” Narath says, but he sounds terrified.
I smile at all of them, and then the baby kicks again.
Grinning, I say, “Would you guys like to feel the baby moving?”
They inch closer to me like they’re ready for an attack, which is strangely darling, and then one hand after another rests on my stomach. I swear they all hold their breaths, and I beg my daughter to move. And… she does.
The looks of wonder that crosses their faces steals my breath.
Narath has tears in his eyes as he says, “she’s so strong.”
“And healthy,” Rokad says, choking on the words.
“And I’m sure she’ll be beautiful, just like her mom,” Lucas whispers, locking eyes with me.
How in the hell did I doubt these men? They will absolutely die for me and my child, which is more than most women have.
“Can I tell you guys about an idea I had?”
They nod.
And I let it all out. My thoughts on the cabin, our home, and the future I can see. Then, hold my breath, waiting for what they might say, even if I’m already sure I know their answer.
Chapter 21
Empusa
* * *
The cabin looks beautiful. Not perfect, but damned beautiful. My guys are all asleep inside our giant bed. Or, actually, the two king-sized beds that make up most of our bedroom. I wiggle my swollen body out between them and murmur comforting words when Narath starts to stir. I manage to get him back to sleep, pull on my robe and slippers, and sneak out of the bedroom.
In the main part of the house, Charm and her puppies are asleep in their doggy beds near the fireplace. Through the open door near them, I see the newly decorated nursery, just waiting for our little one to complete it. The smell of chili cooking in a crockpot fills the room, and I can see the morning light peeking through the window. I grab my phone from where it’s plugged in the kitchen and eye the chili, deciding that I’m not ready for it.
Not just yet.
Quietly, I go outside and then sit on the little swing the boys had put up for me. I push back and forth with my feet, holding my massive belly. “Well, darling. This is officially your due date. Anytime you want to come out into the world, you’re welcome to. And we’ll all be here, ready to love you more than you ever imagined.”
In response, my entire belly starts to move as she does her backflips.
I smile, feeling happier than I’ve ever been.
Suddenly, my phone buzzes, and I look down in confusion at Leo’s name. Something must be wrong, she never calls this early.
I swipe to answer. “Hello?”
“Hello,” she sounds breathless. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time.”
I stiffen, sitting up higher in the swing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, well, everything, but nothing. I just… listen, I have to disappear for a while.”
“Disappear? What are you talking about?”
“I’m fine, okay, don’t worry about me. I just didn’t want you to, well, worry. The vet’s office is a bit of a mess, and I’m sure cops will end up getting involved.” I hear shouting through her phone and pounding.
“Leo, we’re coming!” I start trying to stand.
“No! I didn’t call you to fix this for me, I called so that you’d know I’m okay. There’s something I have to take care of, and I don’t know how long it’s going to take me, but I swear to god when I come back you sure as hell better name me that kid’s godparent.”
My heart’s racing. “You’re sure? We could be there soon.”
“I’m sure.” And she sounds calm. “Just, hug that baby extra tight for me.”
“I will,” I push away tears that form in my eyes.
Leo has been there for me through thick and thin. It felt wrong that now that she had gotten into her own trouble, she didn’t want help. But part of what made her and I such good friends is that we trusted each other. If she said she’d be okay, I had to find a way to accept that she knew what was best for her.
“Now,” she sighs, her words taking on a harsher edge. “I guess it’s time for sweet Leo to go, because the sphinx is back… and this time, she’s taking names.”
The line goes dead. I stare at my phone, then get up, fully intending to send my guys down to check on Leo. Even if just from afar to be sure she’s alright. But then, pain explodes across my belly and I freeze.
Oh, hell, my first real contraction.
It seems Leo and I are both about to begin a new adventure...
Also By Lacey Carter Andersen
Guild of Assassins
Mercy’s Revenge
Mercy’s Fall
* * *
Monsters and Gargoyles
Medusa’s Destiny *audiobook*
Keto’s Tale
Celaeno’s Fate
Cerberus Unleashed
Lamia’s Blood
Shade’s Secret
Hecate’s Spell
Empusa’s Hunger
Shorts: Their Own Sanctuary
Shorts: Their Miracle Pregnancy
* * *
Dark Supernaturals
Wraith Captive
Marked Immortals
Chosen Warriors
* * *
Wicked Reform School/House of Berserkers
Untamed: Wicked Reform School
Unknown: House of Berserkers
Unstable: House of Berserkers
* * *
Royal Fae Academy
Revere (A Short Prequel)
Ravage
Ruin
Reign
Box Set: Dark Fae Queen
* * *
Immortal Hunters MC
Van Helsing Rising
Van Helsing Damned
* * *
Magical Midlife in Mystic Hollow
Karma’s Spell
Karma’s Shift
* * *
Infernal Queen
Raising Hell
Fresh Hell
Straight to Hell
* * *
Her Demon Lovers
Secret Monsters
Unchained Magic
Dark Powers
Box Set: Mate to the Demon Kings
* * *
An Angel and Her Demons
Supernatural Lies
Immortal Truths
Lover’s Wrath
Box Set: Fallen Angel Reclaimed
* * *
Legacy of Blood and Magic
Dragon Shadows
Dragon Memories
* * *
Legends Unleashed
Don’t Say My Name
Don’t Cross My Path
Don’t Touch My Men
* * *
The Firehouse Feline
Feline the Heat
Feline the Flames
Feline the Burn
Feline the Pressure
* * *
God Fire Reform School
Magic for Dummies
Myths for Half-Wits
Mayhem for Suckers
Box Set: God Fire Academy
* * *
The Icelius Reverse Harem
Her Alien Abductors
Her Alien Barbarians
Her Alien Mates
Collection: Her Alien Romance
* * *
Steamy Tales of Warriors and Rebels
Gladiators
* * *
The Dragon Shifters’ Last Hope
Claimed by Her Harem
Treasured by Her Harem
Collection: Magic in her Harem
* * *
Harem of the Shifter Queen
Sultry Fire
Sinful Ice
Saucy Mist
Collection: Power in her Kiss
* * *
Standalones
Beauty with a Bite
* * *
Collections
Monsters, Gods, Witches, Oh My!
Wings, Horns, and Shifters
About the Author
Lacey Carter Andersen is a USA Today bestselling author who loves reading, writing, and drinking excessive amounts of coffee. She spends her days taking care of her husband, three kids, and three cats. But at night, everything changes! Her imagination runs wild with strong-willed characters, unique worlds, and exciting plots that she enthusiastically puts into stories.