The Wraith's Mate [Paranormal Protection Unit 9] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Honor James

  “In a way we are,” he told her honestly. “While we’re tied together, we do have very separate thought processes. As a man I have the higher thought processes while the Wraith is more base and primal. He knows just where to strike because he’s already assessed everything about the enemy. While I’m in the Wraith form I can’t be harmed in any way, shape or form, except through you. As the Wraith I’m little more than smoke in the air, completely incorporeal.”

  “Why would you be able to be harmed through me?” Dahlia asked with a slight frown. “I don’t understand that part, honey. When you are in Wraith form, how in the world could someone hurt you through me? We aren’t tied together except for by our feelings for each other and our baby.” She smiled as she said baby, her hand caressing her still flat stomach as she did so.

  “We’re bond-mates, Dahlia,” he said softly. “That means we’re connected on a level no marriage could ever get near. Our souls were two and now they are one, like a puzzle finally pieced together and whole. If someone were to harm you, I would not only know, I would feel it deep inside, and trust me, it would seriously piss off the Wraith.”

  “Which is what Chaos was trying to accomplish, right?” It made sense now. He had thought that by killing her it would bring out his Wraith, and she knew that it would have now. “Well at least now we know, and we will ensure that he never comes close to me or our child. Right?”

  “Correct on both counts,” he told her softly. Hugging her to him, Davyn rested his cheek on her hair. “I can’t lose you, Dahlia. The world is a scary enough place without throwing a pissed-off and brokenhearted Wraith into the mix.”

  “Then it’s a very good thing that you have me, darling. You have me for the rest of our lives, so that is a very, very good thing,” she said with a grin. “We are together forever, honey. Nothing and no one will ever pull us apart.”

  Relaxing at her words, he hugged her closer before moving his hand to rest over her belly. Reaching out with the Wraith, careful of the new life still forming, he smiled. It was amazing that new flash of life growing steadily within her. “Very healthy and strong, like you, my love,” Davyn said softly.

  Laying her hand over his on her stomach, she smiled. “That’s a very, very good thing,” she whispered. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that our little one is safe, unharmed, and is well. So glad.”

  “Do you want to know the sex?” he asked her softly. As he let her mull that, he did the other checks to ensure there really wasn’t anything wrong with the baby. Nothing was triggering the Wraith’s warning system, so he relaxed and shot her a look. “Do you want to know if it’s a boy or a girl?” he asked again. “I haven’t checked yet, but I can determine that with some accuracy at this point. Still a little early, but the Wraith is usually right on all things.”

  “Sure, honey. Are we having a little boy or a little girl?” She didn’t care which it was because all that mattered was that the babe was healthy and happy and forming as it should. “From what the Wraith is able to tell, it’s a little girl,” he said softly to her. “But we won’t know for sure for at least another month. Then it will be completely accurate.” Davyn let the Wraith move through her slowly. “You need to start on prenatals, love.” And some extra iron was needed, plus her vitamin counts seemed a little off. But he would get around that easy enough. A much better diet was in order for his mate.

  “Prenatals would be wonderful, but I need a prescription to get them and for that I need to see a doctor.” And how would she explain that she simply knew she was pregnant before she had really missed a period? “A little girl?” She grinned then. “She’s going to have her daddy wrapped around her little fingers before she’s even born,” she prophesied.

  “Just as her mother has him,” he said softly. “I am a doctor, you realize.” He pointed out the obvious. “Besides that, the Wraith is nearly ninety-three percent more accurate than any hospital test there is. And really, beyond a bit more of an iron supplement, the rest can be adjusted with a slightly different diet. No, not taking anything away, just ensuring the amounts are in the correct proportion for what your body and our daughter needs.”

  That had her grinning. Winking at him, she said, “Well I’m glad then. All right. You can do the prescription for me, darling. We will go and pick it up and get me a bag of Red Vines. I seriously love those things and think that it would be wonderful to have some on hand here for when I have a need for sweets.”

  “Just go easy on them, love,” he warned softly. “You can eat anything you want just not to excess. That’s what gets so many into trouble.” Pressing a kiss to her lips, he lifted his head and sniffed. “Speaking of eating, I thought you and Gaia made dinner? I think we should eat and then go and cuddle for a while.”

  “Oh yes. We did make dinner.” She grinned. “And don’t worry, honey, I don’t know if you have noticed or not, but I don’t eat a great deal at once of anything.” She was weird like that. She ate many times a day, but not very large portions at all.

  “I had noticed that.” He smiled. “And it’s much better for your metabolism to eat many small meals a day than just two or three big ones. It’s also much easier to keep your blood sugar levels as they should be, especially since you are pregnant.”

  “This is very true.” Dahlia hadn’t been thinking of pregnancy though, only what she had always done. “At least we know that we will be able to get through all of this. Especially with you being a doctor, darling mine.”

  “Trust me, that will likely lose its shine and glamor soon enough.” Like when he got all bossy with her. Sighing, he brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Let’s eat, darling. I used the Wraith a lot tonight and am actually starving.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.” Shaking her head, Dahlia got up and grinned. “We are having a little girl.” She couldn’t believe how happy she was, happy and sad both. It was very strange, but it seemed that was her life right now. Strange.

  Watching her, he got up slowly and followed her. “Do you want out?” he asked her honestly. “Do you want to go back to a time when you didn’t know me?” he said softly as he watched her. “Would you be happier that way?” Davyn didn’t want her to confirm that last one, but he needed to know.

  “No, Davyn. Yes, I would have my parents, but I wouldn’t have you or”—taking his hand, she laid it on her stomach—“her. Yes, I loved my parents, but I love you and her more.” Which was the complete truth.

  “I love you, too, babe,” he whispered softly. Sliding his arms around her, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’m sorry I asked, Dahlia, but I get this feeling like you’re not happy with me or everything going on,” he commented. “I just don’t want anything between us that might fester and grow into something later.”

  “I’m happy, Davyn. I’m still sad of course, but who wouldn’t be? It hasn’t been long, and the pain of losing my parents is still there,” She told him with a smile. “It’s there and it will be there for years to come. However, the simple truth is that I’m here with you, darling. I have you and I have our child on the way. I’m happy, honey. Still sad of course, but you have to understand that it is something that will be there for many years to come, honey.”

  “I know that,” he said honestly to her. “And I only asked because I was worried it was something I’d done to add to your sadness and upset, Dahlia. I only ever wanted and want to make you happy, baby,” he whispered. “If you’re hurting, you need to tell me, even if it’s emotional, my love.”

  “I will tell you, honey. Right now I am so very happy because I have the most amazing man in my life as my lover, as my forever, and I have a child on the way, a little girl,” she added with a soft smile. “That makes me so very, very happy.”

  “Good.” He smiled at her softly and brushed a kiss to her lips. “Now, what can I do to help you get our meal ready to eat?” Stepping back, he watched her carefully and stroked a finger down her cheek. “I can’t wait to meet our little girl.”

  “Sam
e here,” she whispered and then, “And nothing. It’s all ready. It’s in the oven holding warm.” She touched her fingers to his cheek and then pulled back. “I have to step away from you or I will forget myself and we will be doing things that simply won’t be conducive to us eating.” Like naked, sweaty, glorious sex.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he teased with a grin. Stepping back, he held up his hands. “But I will let you get the meal set out, and we can do sweaty, glorious sex later,” he promised. Moving to the table, he sat down and waited on her.

  Dahlia could only grin. Shaking her head, she moved to the stove and pulled out their meals. Placing them on the table, she said, “And we have dessert in the fridge. Who would have known that the Goddess was such an amazing chef?” And she had been. She had helped Dahlia create this amazing meal for them.

  Leaning in, Davyn inhaled slowly and smiled. “Smells amazing,” he told her honestly. Picking up his utensils, he looked to her. “One would assume Gaia has learned a great number of things. She has been around for a very long time after all. She likely learns something new every few years just to help with the boredom of living so long.”

  “This is very true. I’m sure that she has learned a lot of things in her life, existence, or whatever it might be,” she said with a grin. “She’s also very funny. She taught me some curse words in other languages as well,” she admitted.

  “Seriously?” he asked her, pausing with the fork right by his mouth. “You are pulling my leg,” he said, narrowing his gaze. Sticking the fork in, he pulled the bite off and chewed slowly, his eyes closing in bliss. “Oh Gods, that’s good,” he moaned softly.

  “Yes, seriously, and no, I’m not pulling your leg,” Dahlia said as she took another bite. “Goodness, this is so very good,” she agreed. “And I have the recipe as well, so I will be able to make this another time for us as well.”

  Smiling, he shook his head. “I’m glad you and Gaia had a good time together,” he said quietly. He just wished he could have been there. He hated that he’d had to leave and then had been stuck even longer at the hospital. Reaching over, he touched her fingers lightly. “But I’m not leaving you alone for a good long while now, so I doubt you’ll have another cooking session with the Goddess for a time.”

  Dahlia shrugged and smiled up at him. “Honey, I don’t mind that at all. To be perfectly honest, I would rather have you with me than her. Don’t get me wrong, she was funny and good company, but I kept thinking of why she was here, and it made me frustrated all over again.” Sighing, she shook her head. “I hate that I can’t protect myself, our child from that monster, Davyn. I truly do.”

  “No one can protect themselves against a God, love. Only another God could,” he told her honestly. “Even as a Wraith I’ve only got a modicum of protection from Chaos or any other God out there, including Gaia,” he stated softly.

  “At least she has given me and our daughter her protection,” she commented, which was something that she was very happy about. She was very happy to know that at least their child would always have Gaia’s protection. “And now you are here with me as well, so that makes life even better.” Grinning, she touched her fingers to his, laced their fingers, and gave him a squeeze.

  Lifting her hand, he kissed her fingers. “But now you need to eat, my love. You need your strength not just for yourself but for our daughter as well.” Dropping a kiss to her inner wrist, Davyn let her have her hand back and put his attention to the meal before him.

  “Yes, I do.” Dahlia’s grin was infectious. She was genuinely happy that she was eating for two now. Taking another bite of the food, she sighed. “Goodness this is so very good.” She knew that she was stroking her own ego as well, but that was all right.

  Shaking his head at her, Davyn cleared his plate quickly and sat back. Wiping his face, he looked to her. “That was an amazing meal, Dahlia, thank you,” he said softly. At her shy yet slightly smug look, he knew he’d have to compliment her more often, something else he’d obviously been lax on.

  Finally, she spoke. “You are welcome.” Standing, she took her plate to the sink and cleared it off before putting it into the dishwasher. Leaning back against the sink, she looked to him. “You do know that I love you so very much, right?” At his look, she continued. “With that in mind, how about you come over here and give me a kiss, and then you and I go for a swim or something?” Something without clothes, or with. Anything just to be with him.

  Standing, he took his dishes to the sink and set them down before putting his hands on her hips. “I think we could do that.” Pulling her close, he smiled. “But I know you just want to get me naked, which I’m completely all right with by the way.”

  “Yes, you caught me.” Dahlia’s fingers moved up his chest and caressed him gently. “But that’s something that I will always want, you naked.” Just as he would always want her naked. “So what do you think we should do? Swim?”

  “Well, there is the risk of drowning when we can’t keep our hands off one another. There is a lot of water in the pool after all,” he said. “But we could have a quick swim and then settle into the hot tub for a while,” he pointed out.

  “I love how you think. We will need to adjust the heat on the water in the hot tub though,” she added, touching her still flat stomach as she did so. “Because, if I recall, hot tubs set too high are not good for baby.”

  “They aren’t, but we’ll turn the temperature down.” He smiled at her. “Don’t worry, darling, I know all the statistics and such. Comes with the medical degree after all.” Pressing a kiss to her lips, he stepped back. “Let’s go for a swim, love.”

  “I know that you will do everything possible to ensure that this baby gets the best care possible.” She had utter and complete faith in him. Frowning then, she turned to look at him when they made it outside to the pool. “Can I see an OB, or will I have to go to a specialist or something because of our child being, well, part-Wraith?”

  “Yeah, not entirely sure, love,” he told her honestly. “I was technically the last Wraith born, and that was a great number of years ago. We’ll have to talk to our doctors and see what they think.” Which would mean telling them just who and what he was.

  “Oh boy.” She had heard his last thought. “Or we could just have you take care of me,” she supplemented. “I think that I would rather have you take care of me than a stranger, honey. I very much would rather have you watching over and caring for our child, love.”

  Tipping his head, he smiled at her. “We will do it that way for now, but I think having another available may not be a bad idea. There are several that I think we could trust, but I will discuss it with Talon and get his thoughts on the matter.” As far as Davyn knew, the Dragon King knew that Davyn wasn’t changer but knew he was something. The what had thankfully never come up in conversation.

  “That sounds good to me. I will trust your judgment on this because, honestly, I’m swimming in unknown waters completely here.” She hadn’t been born into his world, but she was very glad that she was there with him now. He was her world, and she would fit into whatever that meant.

  “Just be yourself, Dahlia,” he told her honestly. “Yes, there are a few adjustments to be made but for both of us, darling,” he pointed out. “I don’t want you trying to fit into some imaginary box that you think I have. It’s not like that at all.” Davyn smiled at her. “Just be who you are, and we’ll figure out everything else as it comes.”

  “In my mind again?” she teased with a grin. “Good thing I like you there, or I might get grouchy with you, darling.” She winked at him and then pulled back. “For now though I just think we need to focus on our baby and ensuring that she gets the best care possible. From me and the medical field as well.”

  “And we will ensure just that, darling,” he told her with a chuckle. “I wasn’t actually in your head, sweetheart. You were projecting again. But I do like hanging out in there. Helps to ensure that I know what’s going on up t
here.” He smiled. “Come on, sweetheart, time for a swim.”

  Dahlia snickered and grinned. She wouldn’t confess it, but she loved having him so much a part of her that he was in her mind and heart most days. “A swim does sound very nice.” Exercise, water, him naked. Oh yes, a swim sounded marvelous. “And while we are swimming we will let the hot tub cool, right?”

  “We’ll let it warm up to a low temperature,” he corrected with a grin. “Since it’s not on right now we’ll need to get it turned on. I’ll reset the max heat on it just to ensure you or I can’t go beyond that no matter what we try.”

  “That sounds like the best plan of action, darling,” she murmured and then added, “I think we should leave the hot tub on more often. I happen to truly love sitting in the swirling heated water and relaxing. Since you will be home with me we can spend time in it every day to help ease the aches and pains that I’m feeling.” She wasn’t hurting a great deal, but her knee acted up from time to time where she had broken it as a child.

  Looking down at her leg, he nodded. “We can do that. We’ll also beef up the vitamins a bit and give you a light exercise regimen so that when the baby gets larger the weight doesn’t cause you too many issues,” he told her.

  “I think that would be a great idea. I have some exercises that I had to do when I was a kid that would help with the aches and pains. I think that I will have to start doing them again as I gain more weight.”

  “We’ll do a little weight training for your legs in the early months before you gain any baby weight. Give you plenty of stretches and ensure that you have something calming like yoga to do to help with your center and balance.” Walking with her toward the pool, he looked her way. “But it will all be supervised. No doing anything alone, clear?”