by Anya Nowlan
Grant snarled at that, a guttural noise that she could easily decipher. Spade was an ass, a dangerous man with hazardous goals. Making a woman hide a pregnancy from the fathers of her babies was well within his realm of expertise.
“I got put into this odd stasis-like existence. I did some jobs for The Firm, but their first interest was the pregnancy. It progressed fast. Really fast. Too fast. And when I had the boys, they were far more developed than they should have been. It keeps going on even now. They’re stronger by a good margin than they should be, they’re developing so fast… the doctors are convinced it’s because I breathed in that gas, but not too much of it. The right amount, as they keep saying. It changed something in me, made me able to have shifter babies who are… better.”
“Fuck,” Grim muttered, disbelief on his features. “That’s… I don’t even know what that is. The Arctics have done some fucked-up shit, but I never thought they were this far with it all. Genetic engineering on this scale? But are the boys okay? I mean, are they… healthy?”
Honest concern was evident on him and it warmed her heart. That was her first worry too, always.
“Yes, they’re fine. Better than fine. They’re perfect, in every way. The thing is, The Firm doesn’t think that The Arctics have managed to have these kind of results themselves. I get the feeling that The Firm has been testing too, but I don’t know, I don’t have any proof. Right now, Dylan and Dante are unique. We thought The Arctics had no clue about them, that’s why I could live off the compound. I wanted to give them a normal life, you know? But after today…”
She trailed off, something cold gripping her heart. The thought of losing her boys was horrifying.
“After today, you won’t be out of our sight,” Grant said firmly, his gaze tense. “Nor will the boys.”
She allowed a small smile to spread on her lips, feeling a lovely bit of warmth pool in her stomach as well. Since walking into them not too many hours ago, she’d been battling with conflicting emotions, trying to make sense of what she really felt. Excitement, yes, and plenty of lust. But the time apart had made her appreciate the few stolen moments she’d had together with the Aldrochs back in that bunker, the memories having kept her safe while everything around her was going to hell.
So could she now enjoy it again, when they were truly around her, wanting to be there? Somehow, she had to fear that life would get in the way as it had so far.
“You have missions,” she said softly, trying to hide the blush of excitement on her cheeks.
“These are our kids. We can’t leave if we think they’re in danger,” Grim said, determination ringing in his voice.
“The situation isn’t ideal,” Grant said evenly, getting a smirk from Grim. “But this is what it is. We’ll make it work. If The Arctics know that Dylan and Dante exist, we can be sure that they won’t stop at anything to get them. So you won’t be safe without someone standing guard, someone watching your six. You know that, right?”
“I do,” she agreed, squirming a little.
Of course they’re doing it for the kids! she told herself, though a burst of something went through her. Maybe a smidge of pain? You barely know them. It’s not like they were going to get down on their knees and ask you to marry them.
The moment she thought of it, she blushed even harder. What the hell was getting in her head that she came up with those silly thoughts at all?! Must have been the hormones, she concluded.
Weariness gripped her and she was only aware of it when she yawned slightly, cupping her hand over her mouth. It had been a long day and her body and mind still weren’t completely sure whether what was happening was madness or the best outcome she could have hoped for. Probably a bit of both.
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen the way it did,” she admitted finally, feeling the need to confess, even though the looks on Grim’s and Grant’s faces told her that there really wasn’t any need.
That they understood.
“Life happens when you’re busy making other plans,” Grant said with a chuckle.
“I think things are working out pretty damn well, actually,” Grim said, a glimmer in his eyes, promising mischief as usual.
“Yeah? How do you figure?” Kelis asked, not really capable of holding herself back from challenging him where she could.
“Well, I distinctly remember that you still owed us for that stuff on the airplane. I mean, you brought it down, sure, but we beat up a whole lot of people so you could do it. So I think we still have some favors to call in,” Grim said, his tongue darting over his lips for a second.
Kelis snorted in a fit of laughter, crossing her arms over her chest. They’d gone from deathly serious to playful again and it was a change so fast that she was struggling to keep up with the mischievous cougar. Damn them for knowing how to keep her on her toes. It should have been illegal for them to read her as well as they were now!
“Please, I think we’re pretty damn even after that perfect landing,” she scoffed, though she would have been lying if she said that the possibility of playing a bit of catch-up with the Aldrochs was something that she wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy.
“We’ll see about that, sugar,” Grant said.
The way he said it made her almost throb with expectation, the sultry tone and the way he looked at her rooting her to the spot as her breath caught in her lungs. But it was only a second before she could get that deer-in-the-headlights look out of her eyes and grab another breath, shaking her head with a grin.
“Sure. Whatever you say, Grant.”
“That’s the spirit,” he replied, smirking.
This was not going to be easy company to keep, that much was clear. But honestly, Kelis couldn’t wait to get into more trouble with them. And there would be plenty of trouble with or without the Aldrochs, but she got the distinct feeling that trouble that included them would be a hell of a lot more fun than without them.
God help me. They’ll mess with my mind and I won’t even care.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Grim
To say that his world had been turned upside down was a vast understatement.
Grim was left reeling from the discovery of not only being a father, but one to twin boys, an Alpha pair on their own. It was not news to be taken lightly, and the first thought he had was to call his mother and scream from the top of his lungs that he’d become a father! Something he’d scarcely let himself hope for anymore.
But then, rationality won over. Grim tossed and turned in the cot for most of the night, listening carefully for any sounds of distress from the babies. They’d fashioned makeshift cribs for them, taking into mind Kelis’s warnings that the boys were a lot more clever, faster, and stronger than they appeared. The night passed uneventfully, in general, though in the morning Grim wasn’t entirely sure if he’d gotten a wink of sleep.
How is a man supposed to take the news that his life has now changed? He’d have to have a long talk with Grant about what it meant for both of them, that much was clear, but even more so, he needed time with Kelis and the boys.
When dawn broke, Grim crept out of the room, making his way to a nearby bakery and grabbing some breakfast and coffees to go. By the time he returned, though, Grant was already gone and Kelis had gotten done with the boys’ morning activities of feeding them and changing them.
“Oh, sorry! I thought I’d be back here by the time you guys woke up. Must have underestimated how long it would take to go to Donny’s,” Grim apologized sheepishly, putting the tray of coffee and bagels down on the table as Kelis was pulling a striped shirt over Dylan’s head. “Anything I can help with? And where’s Grant?”
“He had a call come in from Connor. Something about a mission. He’s explaining it now but it might be a while because of… everything,” Kelis said with a grin, picking up Dylan. “You can take Dante. We’re ready but I think we need a bit of a breather… do you think we could go down to the training rooms?” she asked.
Grim scoope
d Dante up with one arm and then plucked the coffee and bagels up with his free hand, leaving one of the bagels and Grant’s black coffee on the table for him.
“Tell you what, I can do you one better. Follow me,” he said, waving her along.
She followed with Dylan on her hip and they made their way through the expanse of the large, nondescript Firm headquarters. Grim kept taking her down staircases and along corridors he was sure she’d rarely if ever visited, until they stepped in through a room and a burst of wet but pleasant warmth hit them in their faces. Butterflies drifting by were the first thing they could see.
“Oh my God! What is this place?” Kelis asked with a gasp, marveling at the scenery.
Large, lush trees grew up feet-tall, and there were plenty of pathways among them, exotic flowers dotting the sides and small bushes behind them. There was grass and tree bark on the ground and everything felt clean and lovely.
“It’s the arboretum,” Grim said, putting Dante down.
The boy fell on his butt for a moment but he was up on all fours and then standing a second later, a bit shaky, but definitely standing.
“Whoa,” Grim said, surprised, while Kelis put down the other boy as well.
“That’s nothing. Wait until they get going,” she said with a laugh.
Sure enough, a moment later both of them were standing and tottering along, definitely walking. It wasn’t normal at all for shifter babies their age, and when Grim saw Dylan take a few running steps, he was floored. Pride burst in his chest, though he knew full well that there was some nonsense going on with the chemical Kelis had ingested. But that didn’t matter, right? Most of it had to be good strong Aldroch genes in action!
“They’re… they’re something,” Grim said with a chuckle as they moved deeper into the makeshift jungle, their pace slow as the boys explored under their watchful eyes.
“Why do they have this here?” Kelis asked, curiosity shining in her pretty eyes.
“Research stuff. The Firm does genetic engineering studies as well, which you probably know by now, but they like messing around with plants and such first. And a lot of the really interesting stuff goes on with really exotic plants, like what happens naturally in the world, you know? That’s how Grant explained it anyway. I’ve never been much for the world of science myself. I just think this is… beautiful. Like you are.”
Without missing a beat, he took her hand in his, squeezing it softly. Her fingers felt a little cold despite the moderate to warm temperature in the room, but he knew he’d warm them up soon enough. Having her hand in his felt good, though. It felt right. A lot more right than most things he had felt over the last ten or so months.
“Thank you, Grim,” she said after a small pause, the makings of a blush on her cheeks.
Kelis didn’t blush often. At least that was Grim’s takeaway from the time they’d had together, as little as there’d been. So whenever he could see her cheeks light up, it was all the more special. There was something so mesmerizing about her and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
She was tough but sweet at the same time, a little wild, but in charge of her own emotions. Sexy as hell. The combination was dizzying and he felt himself drawn in more and more, with Dylan and Dante being one more excellent reason to be around her. Or, well, two, as it were.
“No thanks needed. I’ve made a point of speaking the truth when I can. Plenty of reasons during missions not to, but it makes the time off all the more impactful. I bet you know. The Corps must have been similar,” he said with a shrug, his eyes tracking the way Dylan and Dante chased one another through the underbrush.
They were already showing some complex understanding of using shadows and physical objects to distract whatever was behind them, or to trap what they were chasing. All signs of a strong young shifter. But of course they were far too young for such things… Grim had to wonder what else the drug had done and whether it was all good, or if they were simply being treated to the positive side of it so far.
Nevertheless, he put it out of his mind for the time being, giving Kelis’s hand a squeeze as they came to a bench overlooking a tiny pond at the heart of the greenery. He led her there and sat down with her, not letting go of her hand. Luckily she didn’t seem to be interested in doing that either, and was comfortable in his presence.
“I’m so sorry that you’ve had to go through this all alone,” he said, watching the ripples on the pond as the boys thrust their hands in there and splashed a little. “If I’d known…”
“You couldn’t have. I couldn’t tell you. I’m not even sure you’re supposed to know now, but I figure Spade would have to put some kind of detail on us anyway, or keep us hidden here until… until what? The Arctics are destroyed? That seems unlikely.”
“If that’s what we have to do to make sure you’re safe, as well as Dylan and Dante…” he said, trailing off.
The Arctics were constantly in motion, just like The Firm. Though they had some stationary headquarters, none of the work The Firm did really needed them. Grim knew there were redundancies for redundancies for redundancies in place and if one or all of the main buildings got blown to smithereens; they’d simply run the whole thing from a bunker somewhere. The Firm controlled a vast network of highly trained personnel across the world by that point, and the US branch was the largest, but certainly not the only one.
Grim had to assume that The Arctics had to be much the same, though perhaps not on quite the same scale or completely similar training, since The Firm mostly hired out of the armed forces.
“It’s a pipe dream. I haven’t seen a lot of those guys, but the few times I did run across them, it became pretty damn obvious that they weren’t afraid to die for their cause. That’s what sets us apart. We don’t want to die for anyone else’s goals. No, there’s no way they can be taken out like that,” Kelis said with a sigh.
Grim turned to face her, lifting her chin slightly to look at him. Her eyes were still intoxicating and the way her lips parted slightly… delicious. Not kissing her was a crime, but he held back, having more to say and knowing that if their lips touched, there was no way he could make himself say anything but babble about how fucking hot she was.
“Then we’ll find another way. We’ll hide, or we’ll fight, or we’ll do both. I don’t care. I won’t let anything happen to you or the boys and you know Grant’s the same way. You’re with us now. We’re together. This is all going to be different from now on. No more doing things alone, without support, without help. You hear me?” he asked firmly, giving her a slight glower, but he couldn’t keep himself from tossing a small smile in there as well.
Looking at her and the boys made him… well, it made him better, and that was something he was not willing to give up. As little as he knew her or them, he was willing and able to fix all the shortcomings of the past and make sure that in the future, none of the same mistakes would be made.
“I hear you,” she said with a soft chuckle, putting her hand on his now.
She moved it to her lips and when she planted a small kiss on his fingertips, Grim had to suck in a breath. Her lips were electric, and the bolt of desire the touch sent flying through him was impossible to ignore. Throwing one glance at the twin baby boys to make sure they were okay, he slipped his hand around Kelis’s neck and pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss.
She tasted just as good as he remembered. Having her lips on his made the night they’d had come back in full color, feeding his mind and his body. He could remember it so clearly how she’d whimpered in his arms, pushing against him, demanding more while taking all he had, and he was glad to give it all to her. How she was perfect for both him and Grant and how everything she did felt like magic.
Kelis was their mate. He was sure of it. The only question was, did Grant understand this too?
But at the moment, he didn’t have time to muse about that. His tongue slipped into her mouth and she bit at it lightly, making a low growl resonate in his chest. She was
feisty. He loved it! Her hands were in fists against his chest, the fabric of his shirt rolled up between her fingers. She tugged him closer, and when they finally broke the kiss, both panting for breath, she still hung onto him.
Staring into her eyes, he made himself a promise. He’d never let her or the boys suffer again. Whatever it took, he’d make sure she was safe and as happy as he could make her.
“Our coffee’s getting cold,” he finally said, noticing the tremor in his voice and not caring.
Kelis’s eyes went wide with surprise and then she laughed, letting go of him and pulling back.
“Oh, so a bit of coffee can win over kissing me?” she teased, a brow arched.
“No,” he said, feeling slightly smug about it all. “There are bagels too.”
He had to duck as she tossed the bag right at his head, laughing out loud. Yes, she was definitely the right woman for him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Grant
The morning had been a hectic one for Grant. He’d been woken up by Connor’s call, telling him that everything was set for their next mission and they’d be flying out in a few days. That, of course, didn’t really work with Grant’s newfound reality, so the next hour or so was spent explaining to Connor in lurid detail everything that had happened or that Grant supposed had happened. The end of the call went much as expected, though.
“So what you’re saying is that you and Grim got a woman knocked up, she had your babies, Spade kept it secret from you, and now she’s in mortal danger?”
“That’s about the length of it, yeah,” Grant said with a sigh, scruffing his hand though his hair as he paced back and forth in a room a few doors down along the same corridor.
“Sheesh, Grant, couldn’t you have gotten yourself into a more original predicament?” Connor asked with a laugh.
