“We didn’t want to risk the car rides,” Rhys explained.
“You have a mage,” Adelaide said, pointing at Nico.
“It isn’t worth the risk,” Rhys said and shrugged.
Adelaide glared at him. “Visiting your family isn’t worth the risk?” she asked.
“Addy, don’t give your son a hard time,” Emrys said. He walked to me, smiling, and then hugged me lightly. “How are you feeling?”
“Good, thanks,” I replied as I hugged him back.
“May I?” he asked.
I nodded. I had quickly gotten over them touching my stomach. Most Others liked touching in general, and being able to touch my stomach was top of their priorities.
“You sure you don’t want me to move Martin and his family in here?” Dan asked Deryn. “Sharla can help Jolie if she goes into labor too early, and it wouldn’t hurt to have another male here.”
“Thanks, Dad, but Andras and Silverowl are helping us now,” Deryn said.
“Hello, blessed child,” Emrys whispered to my stomach. He rested his hand on it, and immediately the baby zapped him. Emrys chuckled. “You weren’t joking, Dan. This is one feisty baby.”
“Just like the momma,” Dan said, smiling proudly.
Emrys rested his forehead against my stomach, and once again, the baby pressed forward.
How strange was it that the unborn child would know what to do?
“My turn,” Adelaide said, shoving Emrys aside. She kissed my cheek, then knelt and began whispering quickly to the baby. The baby did a few somersaults, then she pressed her forehead to my stomach and the baby met her.
By the time all of them were done, I was crying.
Fox wiped my face with his sleeve, and hugged me.
“How often do you need to do this?” I asked, sniffling.
“We would prefer at least once a week,” Dan said.
“Okay,” I agreed, and wiped my face on Fox’s shoulder.
“You need a milkshake,” Kara said, smiling wide.
“Oh, yes!” Adelaide said. “She definitely needs a milkshake. Do you have ice cream?”
I nodded.
“Come, Kara. Let’s make our daughter-in-law a milkshake,” Adelaide said, looping her arm through Kara’s. I was glad that Adelaide didn’t feel the need to test me anymore. Now I wasn’t on high alert all the time around her.
“We’ll be right back,” Kara called over her shoulder as they left.
“They enjoy having someone to fuss over,” Emrys said, smirking. “Let’s hope your pregnancy goes well, or she might decide to move in.”
“Sit,” Dan commanded me and guided me back to Nico who hadn’t moved.
I sat beside Nico, and he kissed my temple.
“So, what are we watching?” Dan asked, sitting down on my left.
Deryn told him the name and then went to the kitchen to make more popcorn. Our group grew larger, as the parents of my guys joined us to finish the movie. Kara and Adelaide brought everyone milkshakes, and as soon as I took one sip, I moaned.
“We added some vitamins to it as well,” Kara said. “To help you and the baby. So, it’s actually a healthy milkshake.”
“Can I have one of these every day?” I asked Nico.
He chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll be willing to give us the recipe.”
“Or, we could just make them every time we come over,” Kara said in a singsong voice.
“Once-a-week milkshakes are fine with me,” I said quickly, which made everyone laugh.
We returned to our companionable silence, only broken when something in the movie was funny and some would laugh.
What would it be like if my father was here? Would he get along with the other kings and the queens? I wanted to visit him, but I knew the guys would not let me travel that far when they wouldn’t even let me travel to their parents’ clans.
“What’s wrong?” Dan asked, wiping a tear that had fallen down my cheek away.
“Just missing my dad,” I admitted.
“I haven’t talked to him in years,” Emrys said.
“Me, neither,” Dan agreed.
“We could invite him here,” Fox offered. “I’m sure Sam can hold down Atlantis until he returns.”
“I doubt he would come,” I said, biting my lip.
“He’ll want to come bond with the baby,” Emrys said, and Dan and Katar nodded in agreement.
“Oh, are we bonding with the baby now?” Mom asked as she appeared in front of us.
“What?” Dan asked.
“You really are real,” Emrys said.
Adelaide stood, hands fisted, and glared at mom. “You visit your daughter, but not your best friend?”
Best friend? My mother and Adelaide had been best friends?
Mom smiled. “Oh, Addy. I’m dead, silly. I’m meddling much more than I should be anyway.”
“Yeah, about that,” Dan said. “What are you doing meddling with your daughter and the baby?”
She glared at Dan. “Shush, Daniel. I do what I want.”
“Obviously,” he muttered.
“Mom,” I said with an exasperated sigh.
She walked to me and then instead of resting her hand on my stomach, she slipped her incorporeal hand through my stomach. The baby shimmied, and then stilled a moment, before doing several somersaults.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Just checked to make sure everything is going well. Our little bundle of joy is perfect. I can’t wait for you to see him or her,” she said and smirked.
“You know!” I gasped.
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nope,” she said and shook her head. “I’ve meddled too much.” She blew me a kiss. “Love you.”
Before I could open my mouth, she disappeared. I roared angrily. “You can’t just come and go as you please! Ugh!”
“Technically, she can,” Dan whispered.
I turned my glare on him, and he just smiled.
“Alright, I think that’s enough excitement for Jolie for the night,” Nico said. He put his arm around my shoulders, then teleported me to our room.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He knelt in front of me, and whispered to the baby. Again, too low for me to hear. Then, he rested his forehead against my stomach. It took a minute, but the baby met him, and I felt Nico’s joy through our bond.
“What’s it feel like?” I asked him.
“It doesn’t have a voice, yet I feel like it’s communicating with me. I don’t know how to explain it. But, I can feel the magic within it. It is going to be very strong.” He stood, smiling, and kissed me lightly on the lips.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“I’m just tired. I have a lot going on with the mages and the war. And, with our baby,” he said.
“Anything I can do to help?” I asked, resting my right hand on his left cheek.
He set his hand over mine. “Cuddle with me?”
I smiled wide and climbed up onto the bed. He followed me, flopping down onto his back. On my side, I snuggled up to him, resting my head on his chest, and threw a leg over his legs.
He stroked his fingers up and down my side, and kissed the top of my head.
“This is my favorite place to be,” he whispered and exhaled loudly.
“Hey! They’re cuddling without us!” Fox said as he entered the room.
I raised my head to tell them to give us some time, but Nico patted the bed. “Come on, you pathetic little kit. Get in here.”
Fox shifted into his fox form, leapt up onto the bed, and snuggled with his head resting on my neck. His fur was really soft, and his whiskers tickled the bottom of my chin.
“Cuddle puddle!” Deryn yelled, and charged into the room. He shifted into his wolf form, and spooned himself around my butt, resting his head on Nico’s legs.
Rhys came in and scowled. “This is incredibly unfair.”
Fox crawled over
the top of me, being careful not to step on me, and lay across Nico’s chest, resting his head on my neck again, but from the opposite side. Deryn moved down a bit, so Rhys had enough room to spoon me from behind.
Once Rhys was settled, everyone let out a collective sigh.
“My favorite place,” I whispered, and leaned up to kiss Nico on the cheek.
“Are the parents gone?” Nico asked.
“Yes,” Rhys said. “They all left.”
“So, we can sleep now?” I asked, my eyelids already growing heavy.
“Yes, my queen. Go to sleep,” Rhys whispered, and kissed my shoulder.
Chapter 16
Jolie
“Dad!” Deryn roared, startling us all from our sleep.
At some point during the night, he’d shifted back into his human form.
“What is it?” I asked.
Deryn turned the light on, and put some clothes on. “Dad’s hurt.”
“How do you know?” I asked, climbing out of bed.
“I can feel it,” Deryn growled.
I started to get dressed, but Rhys took my hands. “No.”
“Dan—”
“No,” Deryn growled. “Rhys, stay with her. If this is a trick, we need someone who can fly her away.”
Nico and Fox had gotten dressed already, and Nico had his staff in hand. Fox and Deryn rested their hands on Nico’s shoulder, and they teleported away.
“Andras, Ezio, and Silver,” Rhys called.
All three appeared at the doorway the next moment.
“Secure the border,” Rhys ordered them.
“Attack?” Ezio asked.
“Dan’s injured. It could be a distraction, but we aren’t sure yet,” Rhys said.
Rhys waited until they were gone and then held out the clothes I had started to put on.
“Oh, now I can change?” I asked, but I knew why he had stopped me before. I changed and sat on the bed.
Rhys stood, his back rigid as he waited for the others to return and report. Several minutes later, they still hadn’t returned. “Shit,” he said. “Leona! Thor!”
Thor appeared in the doorway, holding Leona. “Yes?”
“I think we’re under attack,” Rhys said.
“Roof?” Thor asked.
Rhys picked me up, and then nodded. “Yes.”
We raced to the roof, but paused at the door.
“Stay,” Thor ordered Leona and set her down next to me. He shifted into his warrior’s form, held his hammer in one hand, and pushed open the door. He darted out onto the roof, then a moment later came back. “Ten dhampirs to the south. They’re fighting the three others. They’re winning.”
“Who is winning?” I asked, the blood pounding in my ears.
“Our side,” Thor said.
“I’ll fly the girls out. You go assist them,” Rhys said.
“I don’t need to be protected,” Leona argued.
“I’m not protecting you,” Rhys explained. “I want you to be with us to protect Jolie in case Trident Douche shows up.”
That got her attention. She kissed Thor deeply and whispered, “Stay safe.”
He kissed her forehead. “You, too.”
Rhys set me down, shifted into his dragon form, and then waited as Leona and I climbed onto his back. As soon as we were settled, he took to the sky, circling higher and higher above the house.
I could see the others finally, and let out a breath. There were only five dhampirs left, and our side didn’t appear wounded.
“This seems too small,” Leona said. “Why only send ten dhampirs if they have an army?” she asked Rhys.
Rhys snarled, and then roared as something hit his neck. Whatever it was had bounced off his dragon scales, but it proved the ten weren’t the only ones.
“Fly!” I ordered Rhys, fear making my order more of a scream.
He obeyed, flying away from the roof. As we flew over the trees, I saw the huge number of enemies swarming towards our house.
“They’re not going to survive!” I told Rhys.
“Put a bubble around Rhys’s head,” Leona ordered me.
I did as she said, putting a silencing bubble around his head, so his ears were covered.
Leona inhaled, then began singing. The song was a haunting melody, full of loss and sorrow. The enemies below turned away from the house, and started following us.
I extended the bubble to cover me, so I could talk to Rhys. “Rhys! Take us to the dragon’s den!” I ordered him, and then made the bubble small again.
He banked left, following my orders. Leona continued to sing, her eyes closed as she used magic.
We arrived at the dragon’s border, and Mawrth roared at us.
“What does that mean?” Leona asked, stopping in her singing.
“It means, we’re in trouble,” I said and released the bubble.
Mawrth and Emrys flew past us, their jaws snapped open, and fire poured out, covering the dhampirs who had been lured with us.
“Andras is fighting at the house!” I yelled to Mawrth. “He needs help!”
Mawrth roared at me.
I glared at him. “Do as I say! Go help your brother or I swear, I will tear every single one of your scales from your body, while Rhys holds you down!”
Mawrth’s eyes widened, and then he turned to obey.
“Dang, girl,” Leona said and chuckled.
“He was long overdue for me to put him in his place. I have a feeling I’m going to have to fight him for dominance before he relinquishes,” I said.
Rhys snarled.
“No, you can’t get involved. It’s my fight. Besides, your brother is super slow,” I said.
Rhys growled again.
“Just take us to the house,” I said and rolled my eyes at Leona.
“You realize that I have no idea what he said, right?” she asked, smirking.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Leona.
“Tired, but I’m okay. Just need to rest my voice a bit.”
“Then shut up,” I said and laughed.
Emrys roared as he approached us.
“Dan’s hurt. My other mates went to the werewolves. There was a large group of dhampirs attacking the house, but Leona lured most of them here,” I explained.
Emrys snorted smoke.
“I don’t know if the others were attacked or not,” I admitted. “Did you have any attacks?”
He snorted again.
“That’s a no,” I told Leona with a smirk.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Kara. She answered immediately. “We weren’t attacked. I’m on my way to Dan. It’s not good, Jolie. Get to the pack as soon as you can.”
“Dan! Take me to Dan!” I screamed at Rhys.
He turned, and Emrys flew closer, then shifted into his human form, dropping down onto Rhys’s back beside me.
“What about your—”
“Adelaide is there. She’s a force to be reckoned with. And, there are several of our strongest fighters posted nearby in case she happens to need help,” he said. He looped his arm around me, and pulled me against his side. “You’re too stressed. Try to calm down, please.”
I relaxed against him, and sniffled. “I can’t lose Dan.”
He patted my shoulder. “Kara is on her way. She’ll take care of him.”
I hoped she arrived soon enough. Dan was like a second father to me. I didn’t want to lose him. I couldn’t think about losing him.
We flew into the werewolves’ territory and to the house. Dan lay outside the house, with the pack standing in a loose circle around him.
Rhys landed just on the outside of the group, and I leapt down from him, charging through the group to get to Dan.
Deryn caught my shoulder, stopping me from going all the way to him.
There was a puddle of blood beneath Dan, and he had a hole in his stomach where I could see his intestines.
I turned and looked up at Deryn, not surprised that his eyes were wolf eyes. “What happene
d?”
“Dhampirs attacked. Hundreds of them,” Deryn said, his voice more growl than human. “He killed a lot of them, but they came after the twins and he got hurt protecting them.”
“Are they—”
“They’re fine,” Deryn said. He pulled me back into a hug, and rested his chin on top of my head.
“You’re always such trouble,” Kara grumbled to Dan as she healed him. “Can’t you ever do anything halfway? I mean, you could have at least left your guts inside of your body for me.”
“Sorry, Kara,” Dan whispered. “I just know how much you love seeing intestines.”
She huffed.
“Can I—” I started to ask.
Kara nodded. “Come, Jolie.”
I moved forward, and sat next to Dan, avoiding his blood puddle. “Hello, Father. You’re looking a bit pale,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
He smiled, and I slid my hand into his. “What are you doing here? You should be at home, where it’s safe,” he said.
“Our house was attacked, too,” I explained. “And, I had to come see how you were. You’ve got a grandchild on the way, and he needs your expert spoiling.”
Dan smiled, but closed his eyes. “I can’t wait to meet your child. I’m going to spoil the hell out of that baby. It will have everything it wants, and will have the run of the pack.”
I sniffled. “I’d have it no other way.”
He had stopped bleeding, and new skin was beginning to grow over his stomach.
“Tell me, how you kings were all friends, yet at war with each other for so long?” I asked him.
He sighed. “I didn’t want to be at war. I was against it from the beginning. But, the artifact is precious to us.”
“It belongs to all three of you, though, right?” I asked.
“Yes. It actually belongs to Jinla. It helps protect us from things like demon portals. They still happen occasionally, but it is much harder for demons to enter Jinla now that the artifact is back in its rightful place,” Dan explained.
“So, despite being at war, you guys managed to stay friends?”
“Yes. It was all due to everyone accusing each other of stealing the artifact. I tried several times to end the war, but they’re a bunch of stubborn old men.”
“Hey,” Emrys barked.
Dan smiled. “Trespassing again?”
Royally Enraged: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (Her Royal Harem Book 4) Page 11
