He wasn’t exactly sure how to tell her. “I don’t want to keep secrets from you. I had thought it best that I wait until I had all the information, but…I suspect if you found out I was keeping this from you, you’d have my head.”
“Jesus. It sounds ominous. Just tell me already.”
“My kind can’t impregnate humans.”
She held up a hand. “Hold on. You’re not pulling this shit now.”
“Let me explain.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Go on…”
“You—uh, the thing is, lass, you said you never met your father. And you know for sure your mother was human. But in order for you to have my child, that would mean you’d have to be part…something else.”
Her mouth dropped open. He put his fingers on her chin and closed it. She was eerily silent.
“Love, are you all right? Is it too much?” He knelt in front of her.
“I don’t understand.” She said the words so softly he wouldn’t have heard them if he weren’t a wolf.
“Your DNA tests will be back tomorrow. I thought it best to prepare you. You may be part human, but my guess is you’re also part witch or fae.”
“Fae? As in faery?”
“Aye.”
She leaned over and put her elbows on her knees. “It’s not going to stop, is it? This crazy train is never ever going to stop. You get that I don’t want to know any of this, right? That this sucks? That I just can’t— No. I don’t care if I’m pregnant. I’m not going to cry again. This weird shit has got to stop.”
He gathered her into his arms. He couldn’t blame her. She had been through far more than any one person should in the last few days. She took some long, deep breaths, and he held her.
He’d give anything to save her from this pain, but she needed to know. Just like when he’d revealed his own supernatural essence, she’d be a lot worse off if she found out on her own.
“What’s your favorite thing to do?”
She’d been quiet against his chest for a few minutes, but her arms were still wrapped around his neck.
“Eat. Paint. Draw. And listen to music. Not necessarily in that order.”
Hmmm. “I happen to like those things as well. I have an idea. Throw on some jeans and a hoodie. I’ll do the same.”
She lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “I thought I had to stay in this prison because I wasn’t safe.”
“Love, it isn’t a prison. It’s a haven. And as long as me and a few of Nick’s security team are around, you’ll be fine. Now, get up and put some warmer clothes on. I have a surprise for you. You may not want to know this other world exists, but I think answers will help you. I know I could use a few. Will you trust me?”
“I look like crap. And I’m kind of tired.”
“You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met, and I promise this will be fun.”
She gave an unladylike snort and punched his arm. “So unnecessary. I know I look like hell.”
Was she really so clueless? “Bennett, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Your eyes are the kind that make men go mad and begin wars. Your body’s been burned into my brain since the day you changed in front of me for the wedding. Let me show you something.”
He went to his desk and pulled out his sketchpad from the spring collection he’d been working on.
“Notice anything about my model?”
Hesitantly, she took the pad from him. Her eyes opened wider. “It’s me,” she whispered. “A much taller, slimmer version of me.” She glanced up at him.
“Honestly, until all of this happened I didn’t realize it was you. That night of the wedding, the night our son was conceived, your body, your smell, all of you was burned into my memory. For the last several weeks you’ve been my muse.”
Pink tinged her pale cheeks. “That’s just fucking crazy. Flattering, but crazy. You deal with supermodels every day. Women who get paid millions for cosmetics contracts.”
“Maybe, but most of them need makeup and accouterment, as we like to say. But you’re gorgeous in your yoga pants and vintage T-shirts. Now, go get dressed. I promise I won’t wear you out, but you’re going to love where I’m taking you. And there’s someone who might be able to help us. No promises, but I feel like we should at least try to find out more about you.”
She reached up on her toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thank you. I think you’re full of bullshit, but thank you.”
With that, she slapped him on the arse and went off to her room.
After getting dressed, Linc glanced around his apartment. Her crap was everywhere, but it didn’t bug him. Not what he’d expected, given that he liked his life in perfect order and his surroundings sparse.
“Slight wardrobe malfunction.” She lifted up her sweatshirt to show him that her pants weren’t quite fitting around the waist. The small baby bump was keeping her from fastening them.
God, the idea that his child was in there excited and scared the shite out of him. He wasn’t prepared for any of this. But then, neither was she.
“I kind of like you without pants,” he said.
“Funny. I was trying to buy new jeans when I realized why my old ones weren’t fitting, but in all of this craziness…I forgot to buy new ones.”
“Not a problem. Give me a sec.” He didn’t wear underwear often, but when he did, he preferred boxer briefs. He picked a pair of dark blue ones out of his dresser and then went back to the living room. “Follow me to the studio. I have an idea.”
She stared at the briefs in his hand. “Dude, you are fifty kinds of kinky, but okay.”
Once in the studio, he ordered her to take off her pants. She did what he asked, and he went hard again. She was wearing a purple thong, and with those long legs…
Focus.
He cut a panel from the briefs and then sat down at the sewing machine. A few seconds later, he had created her a pair of maternity jeans. He held them up for her.
She laughed, a true and glorious sound. “I can’t believe you can do stuff like this,” she said as she pulled them on. “Oh my God. They fit perfectly. I always think of you as such a manly man.”
“You didn’t when we first met at Casey’s wedding. You thought I was gay.”
She laughed. “I forgot about that. Well, you are gorgeous and stylish, and you know how to dress women. What was I supposed to think? But then you fucked me, and I never doubted your sexuality again.”
That time it was Linc who laughed. “You never fail to surprise me. Now come on, or we’ll be late.”
Chapter Seven
Bennett strolled hand in hand with Linc through the Bishop’s Arts section of Dallas. Local artists had set up booths to offer their wares and services. Bennett and Linc stopped at one of the three music stages to listen to a band she loved.
The fresh air and beautiful surroundings were a balm for her soul. A very troubled soul that was still trying to deal with the fact she was carrying a werewolf’s child. And that maybe she wasn’t who she thought she was.
Her mother had said her father was dead, but what if all of that was a lie? What if she had a whole other family out there? Why would her mother keep her away from them? She’d always wondered but never really questioned her.
“You’re thinking too much again,” Linc whispered into her ear. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” He pointed to one of the tents.
He’d been so sweet, even buying her cotton candy, which wasn’t healthy for her or the baby, but dear God she needed it more than anything once she’d smelled it.
He led her into a booth filled with pottery, jewelry, and small terrariums. She reached out to touch a pitcher glazed in the most beautiful cobalt she’d ever seen.
“How do they get this finish?” she asked.
“It’s a three-step process,” a woman said from behind one of the larger pots. “One that makes the color richer each time.” She had long blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail and a knitted green scarf sur
rounded her neck. Was she thirty? Sixty? Hard to say. She was beautiful in a natural, ageless way, and though her face was unlined, her eyes spoke of great wisdom.
The woman reached out her arms to Linc. “I’ve missed you.”
“It has been a long time.” He kissed her cheek. “When I saw your wares I knew it had to be you. I’m surprised you left your shop in Salem.”
The woman shrugged. “The Council needs me here for the moment, so I thought I’d bring a few of my things and stay for a bit.”
The council? “What kind of council is that?” Bennett asked.
The woman nodded toward Linc.
“I’ll tell you more later,” he said, “but basically all supernatural creatures must follow the laws of the Council. We abide by human laws to a certain extent, but we have our own as well.” Linc smiled. “Bennett, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine, Mikala.”
Bennett and Mikala smiled at one another and shook hands, but Bennett had an odd feeling she was being assessed in some way that went more than skin-deep.
“Mikala, I want to introduce you to Bennett, who has become very dear to me.”
Dear to him? She glanced up at Linc. Damn, the man was a charming son of a bitch.
Mikala said, “I’d say she’s very dear, since she’s carrying your son.”
Bennett gasped. “Son? How do you know?”
“Did Nick tell you?” Linc said at the same time.
Mikala laughed. “The day that vampire tells me something I don’t already know is the day I hope the goddess decides my time is nigh.”
“Witch, I didn’t come here for you to peer into our souls,” Linc said with a slight bite to his tone, but he was smiling. “I wanted to show her your art. Bennett is still getting used to the idea of our world. But you already know I also came for answers.”
So this woman was a witch? Or was that just him saying something bout her personality? Jesus, all this crap was confusing. She had said she somehow knew they were having a boy…
“Aye, I knew your real purpose.” She squeezed Bennett’s hand. “I won’t apologize for my talents, but I didn’t realize you had no idea. It’s a great honor to carry a wolf’s child, especially a son. There are so few of his kind left. I thought you’d be pleased it’s a boy.”
Linc sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. “I am.” His voice was gruff with emotion.
Then he looked at Bennett with an expression she couldn’t read. It was as if he were trying to tell her something, and though she didn’t completely understand, she sensed the weight of his gaze, and it stole her breath.
“And I’m most grateful to her,” he said. “But I came here to help her understand her heritage, and to get a protection amulet.”
Amulet? Like woo-woo magical crap?
“Something that’ll cause no harm to her or the babe but will keep her safe. One that has a tracking spell attached would be helpful.” He glanced away as if he were surveying the park. “I’ve never been so proud in all my life, and I want to protect them both in any way I can.”
“You’re proud?” Bennett whispered. “I thought all of this was more about duty than anything else. A responsibility.”
“You thought you were a burden?”
She shrugged. “Well, yeah.”
He hugged her. “I am proud, no matter what the sex. And I’m grateful to you for carrying my child.”
“Our child.”
“Our child,” he repeated. “I’ll admit I was surprised and perhaps a bit flustered by the news, but I’m excited. I haven’t had family around in a very long time.”
Wait, no family? “But you said you were from royalty?”
“Aye, I am. But I meant family in the way you might think. My mother died when I was born and my father went off to war when I was a lad.” He paused and looked away. “He never came home. It was a few years later when Nick found me and took me in. He became my brother. An annoying pain in my arse, but a brother who would die for me. He kept me from self-destructing when I was cast out from my clan. When my father didn’t come home, there was an all-out war for power—one I had no hope of winning.”
“Not for lacking of trying.” Mikala gave him a weak smile. “He had many opponents. He fought them. All of them. And he won. But it was a political game, and there was little he could do when the clan decided they wanted a new ruler.”
“I—I didn’t know,” she stammered. Her voice came out more as a croak.
They’d both grown up feeling alone. Her mother had tried, but she was always at work, and they’d had no other family around. She understood that kind of isolation, and her heart went out to him. Hurt for him.
No wonder he felt so compelled to be the leader. The protector. The one who looked after everyone else.
He didn’t trust people any more than she did.
That way, he never had to worry about opening up to anyone.
More than ever, she wanted to know about her father. She cleared her throat and turned to the witch. “Do you know what I am?”
…
Crap. Linc took a deep breath. It was one thing to come there looking for answers, but to actually find them was something else entirely. He placed his palm against the small of Bennett’s back.
“I can tell you what you are,” Mikala said. “If you truly want to know.”
Bennett swallowed and nodded. “It’s important to me. I just found out a few hours ago that I may not even be human. And I…” She put a hand to her head. “It’s a lot. And now I’m not making any sense, and I’m kind of—can I sit down?”
Linc hated seeing her overwhelmed again. He scooped her into his arms and held her close.
“Let go of me, you big oaf. I don’t feel that bad. Just a little dizzy. Probably the sugar from the cotton candy I shouldn’t have eaten.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well? I can take you home.”
“Because I was fine until a few seconds ago. Now lay off.” She looked again at Mikala. “Can you tell me?”
After a moment, Mikala motioned for them to follow her into the large tent behind the stall. “Dule, I need you to watch the front for me a bit.” The black cat at Mikala’s feet transformed into a young, twenty-something male with earrings and gauges in his ears. Dressed in leather, he looked like someone who might hang out in the hipster clubs in Deep Ellum.
Bennett shook herself. “Uh. That cat just turned into a man. I might feel sicker than I thought,” she said as she sat on the large floor pillows.
Linc chuckled, relieved. If she was joking around, she’d be fine. “You didn’t imagine it. Dule is a shifter.”
Linc glanced up at Mikala, who gave him a knowing eyebrow lift. Crap. Whatever Bennett’s heritage, it was going to be bad news for him. As one of his oldest friends, she’d always had his back, which made her concern all the more troubling. She wouldn’t hesitate unless it was bad. Really bad.
Whatever it was, he could handle it. He was going to have a son. A son. He was a lone wolf with no clan. And even in the best of circumstances, his kind had a difficult time bearing young. He’d given up trying to find a mate long ago.
Bennett’s shoulders trembled. He wasn’t sure if she was cold or frightened. There was a neat stack of warm blankets near the pillows, and Linc grabbed one and draped it over her. Beside the sitting area was a small hotplate with a steaming kettle, and a table.
Mikala handed them each a cup of tea. Bennett peeked up from under her hair with questioning eyes, as if she wasn’t sure whether she should drink it or not.
“It won’t hurt the baby, but it’ll help your nerves and nausea. I’ll send some home with you. Carrying a wolf’s child is strenuous work. You’ll need to be able to keep your food down.”
“Thank you,” Bennett said.
“Calm your thoughts, wolf. I need to focus, and I can’t do that if your emotions are all over the place.”
“It’s all right,” Linc said.
Bennett frowned a
t him. “Are you nervous, too? Because as much as I want to know, I’m scared about what she’s about to say.”
“Drink the tea, both of you,” Mikala ordered.
The hot drink warmed him from the inside out. He closed his eyes and sighed. Anxiety dropped off his shoulders. The witch’s brew was a calming potion.
He opened his eyes again to watch Bennett. She took a deep breath. It was working on her as well. Good. She’d need to stay calm. He scooted closer and put an arm around her shoulders.
“Tell me first what you know of your mother and father’s families.”
Bennett shook her head. “Next to nothing. My mom and I were close, but she didn’t have any relatives. She told me my father died before I was born.”
“What was your mother’s name?” Mikala asked.
“May,” Bennett answered.
The witch frowned. “You said you were close. Is she gone from this plane?”
Bennett nodded.
“Give me your hand.”
She glanced at Linc, and then held out her hand.
“Think about your mother. Picture her in a happy moment. One of your best memories of her.”
Linc chewed his lip as she closed her eyes. Even with the tea, what if the stress of this was too much for her and the babe?
Mikala gasped and screeched. She released Bennett and bent over, clutching her stomach.
Linc reached toward Mikala. “Are you all right?”
“Don’t touch me,” she groaned. “She’s bound by powerful magic. I wasn’t expecting that—it’s very well hidden. When I touched her hand earlier, it was easy to see into her and the child’s minds. But anything about her mother is protected.”
That wasn’t good news. Powerful magic, magic even a witch couldn’t see, meant only one thing.
Bennett was at least part fae.
His enemy.
And a woman he was sworn to protect.
Chapter Eight
“I think I feel sick,” Bennett said as they walked through the lobby of the apartment building.
The news that she was part fae had sent her brain into the Twilight Zone. Her mother had been a faery, and not the Tinkerbell kind. All these years, her whole life, a lie.
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