by Pearl Foxx
Nestan felt the truth of his best friend’s words like a heavy stone in his gut. But he squeezed Gerrit’s shoulder and said, “If he betrays us, we will deal with the humans. We have the allies we need to take that fight and to win.”
Gerrit studied him, tracking the blood across Nestan’s face and hands. “And your father?”
“Dead.” Nestan felt nothing in his heart but relief. Great, wonderful relief. He smiled softly at Gerrit. “It’s finally over.”
His best friend pulled him into a quick hug. When he stepped back, he said, “I’m glad you’re home, Nestan.”
Above their heads, Jude flew in, a soft breeze rustling in the trees as she landed the airship skillfully.
“Your mate is a skilled pilot,” Nestan told Gerrit with a growing smile.
“She’s a very skillful woman,” he replied, winking.
They restrained the prisoners who wished to return to the Vilkan mountain and used the medical supplies on the ship to attend to each other’s wounds. Draqons, Katu, and Vilkas worked together to make sure no one was left with an injury untended. It was the kind of thing Nestan had never expected to see in his life. To have the three clans side by side, working against a common enemy was one thing, but to see them extending care for each other and even exchanging the occasional joke, made his head swim.
Jude came running out of the ship, a huge smile on her face. Bouncing up and down at the bottom of the ship’s ramp, she waved her arms over her head. “Rayner!” she shouted. “Hey, Sparky!”
Rayner looked up from his work bandaging a young Katu’s leg. He scowled at Jude’s display, which had caught everyone’s amused attention. “What is it? Why are you smiling like that? You look crazy. Crazier,” he corrected.
Nestan had been home long enough by now to know Rayner and Jude teased each other relentlessly, like brother and sister. But Rayner’s jabbing questions did nothing more than make Jude’s smile grow almost twice in size.
“I think you should hear it for yourself.” She ran back inside and Rayner frowned.
Together with Gerrit and Nestan, he charged back onto the ship and burst through the doors to the cockpit, where Jude sat in the pilot’s seat, fiddling with the comms. “What the hell is it?”
“I’ll let her tell you herself,” she replied and turned up the volume on the radio. Into the speaker, she said, “Say it again, Vera. He’s here.”
Heavy breathing sounded through the radio, and Rayner’s fist clutched the back of Jude’s chair. “Vera?” he thundered. “Are you okay?”
“Get your tight ass back here,” Vera huffed over the radio, her breathing causing bursts of static. “I’m in labor.”
“Labor?” Rayner turned white.
“Looks like the time has finally come!” Gerrit laughed, clapping his Beta on the shoulder.
Rayner swayed, looking very much like he might pass out.
“Easy there,” Nestan said, catching the man before he staggered backward.
With Gerrit’s help, they wrangled Rayner into the co-pilot’s seat.
“She’s in labor?” Rayner asked again.
“Yeah, man. That’s what happens. You know, when a man and a woman really love each other, they make a baby. Then the baby has to come out.” Gerrit’s blue eyes twinkled.
Rayner trembled, his hands gripping the sides of his seat so hard Nestan was a little worried he might break it. And if he had learned anything about Jude over the last few days, she would be pissed if Rayner fucked up her ship.
Rayner looked up at Nestan with wide, round eyes. “What if he’s trapped?”
Nestan glanced at Gerrit before offering Rayner a smile. “You’re so sure it’ll be a boy, but you won’t allow yourself to consider that he will be completely fine?”
Rayner took a couple of deep breaths. “We can’t be sure. What if he shifts and is trapped like the others?”
“Vera has had the medicine,” Gerrit reassured him and settled a hand on the older man’s shoulder.
With a soft smile, Nestan added, “You’re going to be a great father, Rayner. Your kid will know you love them and that alone is more powerful than any medicine.”
Chapter Eighteen
Linnea
Linnea walked into the small house next to the main pond and market within Vilkan mountain. In the first room, Nestan and Gerrit sat stoically, their faces varying shades of pale.
“Did everything go all right?” she asked, rushing over to Nestan.
He stood and pulled her into his arms, lifting her off her feet and pressing kisses against her lips. It was the most affectionate he’d ever been in front of other people, and she found herself glowing from the attention.
“It was fine. My father won’t hurt anyone ever again. I’ll tell you all about it later, but right now Jude asked for you to go inside.”
Her heart lurched. “Like inside there?” She pointed toward the bedroom’s door. “Like where Vera is having the baby?”
He chuckled. “Yes. Where she’s having the baby.”
“Oh.” When she wrinkled her nose, he laughed again. He kissed her on the cheek and pushed her toward the door just as Vera let out a blood-curdling scream. Linnea froze, dread locking her joints.
The door opened, and Rayner stumbled out.
Gerrit jumped to his feet. “Is she okay? That last scream was a loud one.”
“It’s … it’s … there is so much. It’s just … she’s …” Rayner slumped against the wall with a sigh.
Linnea rolled her eyes. Giving birth might terrify her, but these men were supposed to be big, bad shape-shifters and they were acting like a bunch of chickens.
With a deep breath to fortify herself, she stepped into the room just in time to see the baby’s head push out and one shoulder slide from Vera’s tiny body. Gasping, Linnea stumbled, her back connecting against the door as it slammed shut, sealing her inside. It was like a horror movie montage as the baby slid out with its umbilical cord still attached, and a small, dark-haired woman caught it.
“It’s a girl,” the woman exclaimed with a broad smile on her face. Her eyes shone as she looked at the baby before handing it to Vera. Beside Vera, holding her hand, Jude was beaming. Her eyes found Linnea’s and she winked.
Vera cradled the newborn and guided it toward her breast as Rayner came back in. Linnea stepped over to allow him room in the overfilled bedroom.
“Is it over?” he asked, his voice trembling. Then his eyes found Vera and the baby she held. A dazed grin spread across his face as he hurried over to his family.
“She’s beautiful,” Vera breathed, gazing up at her mate.
Rayner kissed her cheek, then the top of the baby’s head. “You’re both beautiful. My girls.”
Linnea and Jude went back outside the bedroom to allow the new family a few private moments together. A moment later, the midwife quietly closed the bedroom door behind her and looked up at the others.
“Oh, Linnea,” Jude said from her place beside Gerrit. “Have you met Niva? She’s a human who came to Kladuu with Vera.”
The midwife’s grip tightened on her bundle of supplies. She flushed beneath Jude’s attention. “Good to meet you, Linnea,” she said, her voice softer than a sparrow.
When she met Linnea’s eyes, Linnea realized the young girl was beautiful. Her skin was black like a night’s sky during a full moon, her eyes a beautiful green. Linnea nodded at the woman with a soft smile.
Nestan came up beside Linnea and took her hand. She leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing against him, and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You’re doing okay?”
His mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. “Better than okay.”
“You tell them,” Gerrit said in a whisper.
Linnea glanced toward her sister and … brother-in-law? That sounded so weird. “Tell us what?”
Groaning, Jude smacked Gerrit’s chest. “You can’t hold it in for a second longer, can you?”
Gerrit beamed. “I really, really can’t. I
think I’m about to burst over here.”
Nestan chuckled. He put his arm around Linnea’s shoulders and pulled her in close. Standing like this, all of them together, and a new shiningly perfect family in the next room, Linnea finally understood what home felt like. Just like this.
Jude smiled at her like she understood what Linnea felt right at that moment. “Linnea,” she said, and her eyes grew misty, her face a beacon of happiness, “I’m pregnant.”
Linnea choked. Nestan thumped her on the back. “Wh-what?” she finally managed to sputter. “How? I mean, holy shit. That’s … I mean, that’s like a baby.”
Jude rolled her eyes. “Eloquent, sis. You’re going to be an auntie. You better get comfortable around kids.”
“Maybe she just likes the kind that breathes fire,” Gerrit offered, grinning like a loon. He smattered kisses all over Jude’s face until she had to bat him away.
The bedroom door opened, and Rayner stuck his head out. He glowered at Gerrit. “Really? You make an announcement like that without me? I have better hearing than Great Avilku. Hell, Vera even heard you.”
Jude threw back her head and laughed. It was a deep, belly sort of laugh. One Linnea had never seen from her sister before. “I’m sorry, Sparky,” Jude said. “We didn’t want to steal Vera’s thunder.”
From inside the bedroom, Vera shouted, “Congratulations!”
“Thanks, Vera!” Jude called back, still laughing.
Rayner crossed the room in two of his long, sweeping strides and pulled Gerrit into a bone-crushing hug. As everyone laughed and hugged, Linnea settled her cheek against Nestan’s shoulder and let the happiness wash over her like the warmth of a summer sun.
Movement from the corner of the room caught her eye. She glanced over and found Niva trying to get out of Rayner’s front door. Tears streamed hard and fast down her cheeks. She finally got the door opened and slipped outside, silent as a wisp.
“She’s okay,” Nestan whispered against Linnea’s ear. She looked up at him and found his eyes on the door as well. “Niva always had a thing for Gerrit.”
“Oh,” Linnea murmured. How sad. Her heart ached for the young girl. But there was nothing she could do; she’d only just met her.
Instead, she squeezed Nestan tighter and thanked her lucky stars that she wasn’t the one sneaking away, heartbroken.
A while later, after a dozen toasts to Avilku, Rayner and Vera shooed the group away from their house. Rayner embraced Gerrit tightly as he said goodbye, clapping his back and ruffling his hair.
As the four of them stepped outside, Zayd and Maxsym stood nearby looking into the pond. When they closed the door behind them, Zayd walked over to clasp Gerrit’s hand in a firm handshake. “Congratulations. I hear your Beta has had a healthy little girl.”
“Well, his wife did,” Gerrit teased.
Maxsym chuckled, but Zayd’s face remained immobile as he said, “Now it’s more important than ever that we secure medicine from the Hylas. One clan cannot have the power of life or death over the rest of us.
“Agreed.” Gerrit nodded. “I will be in touch soon. We won’t let this fester any longer.”
The two Draqons turned to leave without another word, and Gerrit let out an exhale. “They are a difficult species.”
Jude wrapped an arm around his waist and slapped him on the chest. “You aren’t exactly easy to get along with.”
“As if you are, sis,” Linnea chimed in with a grin. “I can’t imagine how bad you will be when you’re hormonal.”
“I have learned through much trial and error,” Gerrit said gravely, “that the key is to never let her get hungry. She gets mean when she’s hungry. Downright nasty, actually.”
“Oh, please!” Jude cuffed his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, his hand going to her belly.
“Admit it,” Gerrit said, grinning at his mate with so much raw love that Linnea almost had to look away. Like staring at the sun for too long, their happiness almost hurt to see. “You’re hungry right now.”
Jude’s laughter chimed brightly. “Actually, I kind of am.”
After saying their farewells so Jude could go eat, Linnea and Nestan returned to his room. As soon as the doors closed, he wrapped her up in his arms.
“Things have happened so fast,” she said, hugging him close. “But I know today must have been hard.”
Nestan gazed down at her, and for the first time since she’d met him, the shadows beneath his eyes and the ghosts in his mind seemed quiet. “I’m fine. And now that I’m home with you, I’m better than fine.”
She was overwhelmed with the feeling of contentedness and homecoming. With his father gone, she knew Nestan was freed of not only the demons that haunted him but also the sense of guilt over not having been able to do more to stop Savas in the first place.
She placed kiss after kiss on his face, running her hands through his hair and over his cheeks. She wanted to feel every part of him. Before he could catch his breath, she had him out of his tunic and was tracing the lines of his body with her fingers.
There was a decade’s worth of scars littered across his chest and shoulders. She moved around his side, tracing her way to his back; kissing and caressing each pucker of his flesh. She never wanted anyone to hurt him again. She’d never allow it. As she made her way back to his chest, she ran her fingers along the side of his neck.
“I don’t have a scar there,” he said.
She leaned up and kissed the spot just below his ear that he liked so much. If he was a cat, she was pretty sure he would purr, but as it was, he was a Vilka, so he remained stoically quiet until she bit down slightly, pulling a moan from deep in his chest.
He placed his hand on her hips and kissed her deeply. After a moment, his hands began to roam, pulling off her silken dress and caressing all her curves.
“Everyone is happy now,” he said. “And you’re finally safe.”
“I guess my work here is done,” she teased.
His caresses stilled. “I suppose it is. I mean, except for the fact that your sister’s here. And you’re going to be an aunt.”
She stepped away from him, taking his hand in hers and leading him toward the bed. “That’s true. Those are some pretty important things. I mean, I guess I should reconsider whether to stay or not.”
“If you were to stay, you could share my spacious palace.” His smile broke out light and free as they settled onto the bed side by side. He pulled her close to him and kissed her on the mouth. His tongue sought entrance and received it quickly. They made love with their mouths, needing nothing more to know the true depth of their feelings for one another.
“Although, I have one other really good reason to stay,” she mumbled against his lips.
“Oh really? You like the food? Or is it the fleshnibblers? I know they can be quite endearing.” He nuzzled his nose into her neck, pulling a giggle from her lips.
“All of those things put together make a pretty good reason,” she said. “But, there’s one better reason. I want to be with you. I love you, Nestan.”
Pulling back, he looked deep into her eyes, expressing so much with his open vulnerability that she knew it would be a long time before he found words to express how he felt. But that was okay because she understood him; she saw him for who he really was.
“And I love you. I vow it,” he said gravely.
“I believe you.”
He caressed her body, and when he touched her belly, he looked up at her with a frown. “I know the others are so eager to start their families, but I don’t know if I can bear to have kids. I don’t want to be like … him.”
She pressed her hand against his cheek. “You won’t be. You couldn’t be. But I’m in no rush. I’m not sure I even want to have kids. We should take our time. I’m happy to be just you and me.”
Releasing a deep sigh, he pressed himself against her body. They molded together, a perfect fit in every way. He kissed his way down her neck and chewed on her shoulder
as his hand kneaded her breast, pulling a satisfied moan from her lips.
She reached down and pushed his pants down his hips, wanting nothing more than to touch his soft length. It was like he was made just for her like she’d never been fulfilled or matched with anyone until now. Like her body was waiting for him to find her.
When he rolled over on top of her and pressed the tip of his cock against her entrance, she hitched up her thighs, making room so he could plunge inside. Her wet depths wanted nothing more than to be stretched and completed by him.
He rocked slowly at first, dipping the head of his cock inside of her before pulling back out, each time a tiny bit deeper but never enough. She wanted more. Even when she thrust her hips up and used her heels to try to push him down, he stayed away. Extending her agony.
“Are you sure you haven’t been doing this your entire life?” she asked with a breathy voice.
He kissed along her jawline, his hips still moving at an agonizingly slow and shallow pace. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I think I’m going to die if you don’t just fuck me already. How do you know how to make me feel like this? I’m going to explode, Nestan. Please. I need you.”
With her final pleading words, he pushed forward in one strong thrust, filling her completely. She could feel his balls tight against her ass, his hip bones digging deep into her inner thighs. She wanted nothing more than to have bruises in the morning showing just how deeply he had been inside of her.
He moved quickly, his pace building to a frantic rhythm that had her holding onto his shoulders and crying out.
Her orgasm came quickly, washing over her like a tidal wave. It crashed against her sanity, threatening to pull her under. The only thing keeping her afloat was her grip on him and his deep, beautiful eyes locking her in place. Steadying her.
As she came down from her high, he thrust deep inside of her a few more times before stilling and crying out, a howl ripping through his body and his skin shivering with release.
