“Point taken. I only meant that we’re in an odd and potentially difficult situation with you and my daughter. It’s good that you have friends with a political edge. And I talked to the fae on the council, who also seem to appreciate your talents.”
Talents? What talents?
Linc raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. Maybe the talents thing wasn’t a compliment. “I’ve helped to keep them safe for more than a hundred and fifty years,” he said, his voice rising. “Through all of the wars. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to protect those under my care—”
“So, you live in Ireland,” she interjected. Something was going on, an undercurrent between the two men, but she was clueless to understand it.
“Yes. You’ll love it there. It’s lush, and I’ve never seen a more beautiful place in all the world. Wouldn’t you agree?” he asked Linc.
“Aye, it’s beautiful. Though I’ve never been to your island.” Linc’s brogue grew heavier the more time he spent with her dad.
Breakfast arrived—thank God—and they moved to the dining room. Eggs. Fresh fruit. Coffee for the boys. Oh, how she longed for the day she could drink coffee again.
They sat at the end of the long table, but as delicious as the food smelled, she was too nervous to eat.
“May I be blunt?” her father asked.
Bennett stopped pushing her eggs around her plate. “Of course.”
“It’s uncomfortable for me that my unmarried daughter is pregnant and living with the baby’s father.” He turned to Linc. “There’s been no commitment ceremony, and I want to know your intentions toward my daughter.”
Heart racing and fist clenched, it was all she could do not to spit at him.
How fucking dare you.
“Jesus!” Okay, not as tactful as she’d intended, but this had to be said. “You just found out about me two days ago. You don’t get to come in here and make judgments. He’s done nothing but take care of me. He invited me into his home, let me throw my crap everywhere, held my hair back while I puked my guts out for days on end, and put up with every crazy whim I’ve had. He didn’t ask for this, but he stepped up to the plate. Unlike you, asshole.”
Both men stared at her like she had two heads. Okay, great. At least now they had something in common.
“I’m sorry about the asshole part,” she said. “I’m trying not to cuss in front of the baby. But if you think you have any say in my life, you’re wrong. I invited you here today to get to know you. But you have no right to tell me how to live, or with whom.” Her hands shook. “And now I’m pissed off, so I’m going to my room. That’s right. I have a separate room. But if I want to fuck—dammit.” She shook her head. “If I want to sleep with him, I will. You need to go.”
She turned on her heel with as much bravado as she could muster and stormed out. And then, like the true grown-up she was, she slammed the door.
She sat on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands.
Fuck. That had not gone as planned. But he’d gone too far, acting like he had some ownership in her. Maybe her mother had left because she couldn’t stand his pushy, overbearing ways.
He was insufferable, insulting Linc like that, and making her feel like a whore.
A few seconds later, there was a light knock on the door. She didn’t bother to answer because it opened and Linc popped his head in the room.
“Is he gone?”
Linc had the nerve to smile. “No, I asked him to finish his breakfast.”
“I don’t want to talk to him. He doesn’t get to come in here and judge us.”
He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “It wasn’t a judgment. He was just stating that he was a bit uncomfortable.”
She looked at him with not a little suspicion. “That’s rich coming from the guy who was half ready to go full wolf on him.”
Linc shrugged. “I’m trying to do the right thing here. We’re all uncomfortable with the situation. He’s a little more formal in the way he speaks than you’re used to, but no less blunt. I think you were ready to find fault because you didn’t like how he was talking to me.”
“He called you ‘wolf’.”
Linc grinned. “That he did. And it’s true. Look, he’s had no contact with my kind for hundreds of years. There are laws that prevent that sort of thing. And now his daughter is shacked up with one. You have to understand that he’s worried. He’s just found you, and now because of these laws that are in our treaties, he’s worried that he might lose you again.”
“Why?”
Linc shrugged. “It’s tough to change minds. When he was talking about Nick, he didn’t mean it as a way to use him, he meant it as a way to protect us. We broke a law without knowing it. When you come into your magic, if you choose to have it unbound, there will be some very big decisions to make.”
He walked over to the bassinet that would soon hold their son. He shook his head, reached in, and picked up one of the stuffed animals. A wolf. Cute.
“Honestly, I don’t want to defend him,” he said. “I’d prefer he leave and never come back. I’m a greedy bastard. I want you for myself.”
She got up, came close to him, and put her hand on top of his. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You say that. But I can feel you pulling away. I can feel your indecision. And I’m trying to understand, but it isn’t easy. If your powers are unleashed, it might be more years than I care to imagine before I could see you again.” He turned to her. “Don’t you see? If that happens, I won’t have a choice. I’ll have to let you go.”
She leaned into him. Why did everything have to be so hard? She only now realized a part of her wondered if unbinding her magic might be the key to the kind of power and independence she’d always longed for. But it wouldn’t be, would it? She’d be in more danger than ever, forced to live as a prisoner in the fae’s realm.
She put one hand under the stuffed wolf, the other hand on top of Linc’s, and held the animal with him. “Then I don’t want it. I’ve lived without magic for all this time. I don’t need it. There. Done. We don’t have to worry about breaking the laws. I’m human. You’re a wolf. We can have our baby in peace.”
“It’s not that easy. If you don’t have your magic unbound, you won’t be able to visit your father. You’ll never get to know your people.”
What would it mean to have magic? It was hard to make a life-changing decision when she didn’t understand what it meant. But the idea of being away from Linc… Taking his baby from him would be cruel. Not to mention that she’d be as bad her mom, keeping her child from his father.
There was no winning, but her instincts pulled her toward this man who had captured her heart. And it had nothing to do with hormones.
Hell, she’d fallen hard. Whether he’d ever want her that way or not, she couldn’t betray him. He might not ever love her, but he would love his child. He already did.
Bennett shook her head. “My people? My people are in this room. You, our son, and me. But you’re right about my father. I need to figure out this thing with him on my own.”
Linc closed his eyes and squeezed her tighter. “I understand. It kills me, but I do. I don’t want to lose you. But I want you to have all the facts and see what you’re giving up.”
“All the facts?” She had no idea what he meant by that, but she leaned into him. God, he felt so strong.
“Your father is very powerful. Before you make any decisions, you should let him show you what you might someday be capable of. A demonstration of sorts.”
She let go of the stuffed wolf, and he gently placed it back into the bassinet, as carefully as if it was their child. “I need to do this, whether I want to or not. Don’t I?”
“Aye, Lass. Because I know the one thing you want more than anything is family. You can’t turn your back on him because he said the wrong thing. I value your loyalty, but I wouldn’t be a decent man if I didn’t tell you it’s important to have family who will always h
ave your back. I’m not sure I trust him. I’m not sure if you should, either. But you should hear him out. I believe he might have been a bit nervous.”
Nervous? As if. The man was a king. “He wasn’t nervous.”
“Trust me, I would have loved to make him leave, but it isn’t the right thing. So let’s give him another chance, aye?”
He said he didn’t want to lose her. She should be focused on her father, but all she could think about were those words. He didn’t want to lose her, and he would do anything to keep her.
“Okay, but I swear to God, if he tries to pull the father card, I’m going to physically toss him out of this apartment myself.”
He smiled. “And I’d pay to see it.”
…
Idiot. Linc should have shoved the bastard out and been done with it. Now they were in the living room talking and laughing. Damn it. Why did he have to be so fucking honorable?
“Linc?” Bennett stood in the doorway to his office. In her knit dress and tights, with long boots and growing baby bump, she was gorgeous.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes. He wants to take me to the gardens. To, uh, show me what you were talking about.”
Linc bit back a scowl. Me and my big mouth. “That’s fine. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll have the car waiting downstairs. Is there anywhere particular?”
“He says he needs gardens or forest. We could drive out of town a bit, but…do you think the Dallas Arboretum will work?”
The Arboretum would more than work—it was perfect. Quiet, contained. “That sounds like a good plan. I can have men on every entrance.”
She shook her head. “Linc. No. Not men on every entrance.”
“At least let me bring Nick.”
“Okay. But just you and Nick—”
She flinched and grabbed her belly.
He jumped up and guided her to the sofa in his office. “What is it, love?”
“I don’t know. I felt a twinge.” She gasped. “Oh! There it is again.”
“Are you in pain?”
“No. It’s…” She put his hand on her stomach. A small kick tapped against his palm.
Linc grinned, awestruck. He’d felt the small flutters before, but now his son was reaching out to him. “He’s kicking.”
“Yes, he is. Owww.” She laughed. “Hey, little dude, that’s my rib.”
Linc chuckled. “You’re so tiny, he’s probably trying to find a way to stretch.”
“God. This makes it all feel so real.”
“I was thinking the same thing. He’s really in there.”
She scrunched up her nose adorably. “We made a baby, Linc.”
“That we did, love,” he whispered against her lips before kissing her.
She sank into him, her arms around his neck as her tongue teased his mouth. He pulled her onto his lap, and his hands slid under her dress.
Would he ever get enough of her?
No.
She was it.
His heart pounded as her grip tightened. Heat flushed his face. Bennett shifted on his lap, and his cock strained against his pants. He needed more. It wasn’t enough just to kiss her—he wanted to feel her. She shivered.
“Linc?”
He pulled away and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. “Love?”
“My father is in the other room waiting on us.”
And that was a splash of cold water. Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered, “We’ll finish this later.”
She gave him a wicked grin. “Oh, we will and then some.”
His cock tightened. He kissed her on the lips once more. “I’ll be out in a few minutes. Let me get the arrangements made.” And maybe take a quick cold shower.
Once she left, he picked up his phone and called Nick. After he told him what was about to happen, Nick was quiet.
“Do you think he’s planning something?”
“I don’t know. He seems to care about her, but it could be an act. I don’t get the sense he would do anything to harm her. And kidnapping would cause her and the baby a lot of stress. Still, I don’t think we can be too careful. I want the place as secure as possible.”
“Trust me, brother, I have your back.”
Linc hoped so. He hoped it wouldn’t come to it, but he was willing to kill the King of the Fae if it meant keeping Bennett safe.
Chapter Sixteen
March in Dallas usually meant weather in the high seventies, but a cold front had come through and made it closer to forty. Not the best weather for walking through the gardens, but the flowers didn’t know it was wintry. The place was one giant bloom and smelled like heaven.
Bennett’s nerves were getting the best of her again. Her stomach churned in nauseating waves, and she picked at her fingernails with damp, clammy hands. She’d never seen magic. Not like her father had been talking about.
Calm down.
“Nick suggested we go to the Red Maple Rill area,” she said to her father. “There’s a stream and waterfalls, and it has a combination of trees and gardens.”
“That will do nicely,” he said. He’d seemed edgy in the limo. Though, with Nick and Linc staring him down, it was no wonder. She didn’t exactly feel sorry for him. She’d insisted Linc back off with his suggestion to send a squad of security men with her, but to be honest, she appreciated her protectors. That didn’t mean she couldn’t see why it might make her father nervous. King or not.
And that was something she could not wrap her mind around. If her father was a king…then she was a princess.
“There’s an area close to the small waterfall that might work best,” Linc added.
She wasn’t sure how he had made it happen, but they had the park to themselves for the next hour. Linc couldn’t stop touching her. Every few minutes he’d kiss her head, or her cheek.
Something had changed in his office at the house. Their kiss had been explosive, and the way he looked at her—she couldn’t define it.
Did he want something more permanent?
And why did she hope so very much that he did? They’d been clear from the beginning that they were just going to raise their kid together. But he kept looking at her in a way that made her think maybe he wanted more.
But she didn’t want to go there. Not now. She had to get through whatever this was with her father. Then she could focus on Linc.
“This is the perfect place,” her father said. They stood at the edge of the small creek leading down from the waterfall.
Linc took her hand in his. “It’s all right, love,” he whispered. “I’m here with you.”
It was as if he willed his incredible strength into her blood. She squeezed his hand in response, and he gave her the most devastating smile. Really. That thing was dangerous. Fluttering craziness launched in her lower regions.
Focus.
Her father turned to her. “Would you like to see our home?”
“Maybe someday, but—”
“You misunderstand. It’s not necessary for us to go anywhere for me to give you a glimpse of what awaits you.”
“Okay…”
Her father lifted his hands, and before her eyes, the entire place changed. The stream and waterfall were gone, and in their place was a lush meadow. The gray skies disappeared, and the sun shone down. The air warmed and somehow seemed fresher.
“This is the meadow outside of my home,” her father said. He waved his hand and their surroundings changed again. This time a castle straight out of a movie was before them. The stone structure was at least a city block long and had more spires than she could count.
“This is my home, Alororhha Castle. It has stood for more than a thousand years in this very spot, protected by some of the strongest magic in any world.”
Bennett gasped. “How am I seeing this?”
“Illusion,” Linc said softly. “A powerful one.”
“So it’s not really there?”
With a swipe of her father’s hand, the
y were back in the Arboretum.
“You changed the weather,” she said.
“No, I created my world in your mind,” her father said.
“In all of our minds,” Nick said from behind them. “You shouldn’t have been able to break through my barriers. The most powerful of witches aren’t able to do that.”
His voice was edgy. Whatever had just happened, he didn’t approve. And from the enraged look on Linc’s face, he wasn’t so happy either.
“So what else can you do?” Bennett tried her best to act like she wasn’t that impressed, even though she was scared shitless. “Any Vegas magician can create an illusion.”
Her father smiled. He opened his fist and hundreds of blue butterflies unfolded from his palm and fluttered around her. Blue Morphos, to be exact. She’d been fascinated by the creatures’ iridescent sapphire and cerulean wings since she was a child.
“If you like that,” her father said, “then behold.”
A flock of blue jays flew around them and formed a replica of her face before dispersing.
Holy shit.
“There is more,” he said. “Some things I cannot show you in front of others. They are well-guarded secrets, but should you decide to come home to your palace in Alororhha, I will show you the many wonders of our magic. Bound in you is a combination of your mother’s magic and mine. She was every bit as powerful as I was back then, which would make you incredibly gifted. Maybe more than anyone we’ve ever known.”
She snorted. No fucking way.
“I appreciate you showing me this,” she said, her voice way steadier than she felt. “But why can’t Linc just come with me, or visit at least? I don’t understand.”
Her father and Linc stared at each other.
“It’s not that simple,” her father said.
“Well, make it that simple—”
Linc shook his head. “He’s not forbidding me to go. The magic there would kill me.”
“And once we unbind your powers, it may take you many years to learn to control them. You wouldn’t be able to leave,” her father added. “You and the child would need to stay close.”
Bennett rubbed her forehead. “But my kid is half wolf. Won’t the magic hurt him, as well?”
Baby's Got Bite Page 11
