by Adrian, Lara
Gritting his teeth against the burn of her agony, he entered Renata’s delivery room.
“Hey, baby.”
She sat in a semi-reclined position in the middle of a railed hospital bed. Her fingers gripped those rails in a white-knuckled grasp and she roared as the worst of the labor pain poured over her. Nikolai felt it too. Not only because of their blood bond, but because of the depth of his love for the woman who suffered this racking torture because of him.
For him.
And for their child.
He went immediately to her bedside. A collection of terry washcloths rested on the table next to her. He wet one from the pitcher of ice water that sat there too, then pressed the cool compress to her sweat-beaded brow.
“He’s coming so fast,” she panted between contractions. “I can’t slow him down.”
Niko grunted. “First our boy makes us wait nine long months and then some, and now he’s in a rush to get here. Definitely gonna have to talk to him about timing.”
Renata managed a laugh, but her gaze stayed locked and solemn on his beneath the dampened tangles of her chin-length ebony hair. “When you left tonight, I had a feeling he was coming soon. I was afraid you were going to miss it.”
“Never.” Niko shook his head and caressed her warm cheek. “There’s not a damned thing that would stand between me and this moment. You know that, right?”
She managed a wobbly nod before bearing down on another wave of staggering pain. Her cry ripped through every fiber of his being. God, he wished he could bear it all for her. All his jokes about keeping her pregnant with more of his sons dried up like sawdust in his throat as he mopped her face and stood feebly by, humbled and awed by the sheer tenacity of his lovely, strong Renata.
“You’re doing great, sweetheart.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head as the contraction subsided. “Christ, you’re so brave. So beautiful.”
She snorted. “I’m drenched in sweat and my belly’s as big as a house. I feel like a tick about to burst wide open.”
Niko smiled. “Well, you look like a goddess to me. You are a goddess. Mine.”
“You’re crazy,” she said, but she allowed him to kiss her parted lips. “I love you, Nikolai.”
“Ah, baby.” His voice was choked with emotion he couldn’t contain. “I’ve loved you from the first minute I laid eyes on you.”
“Even in that second minute when I mind-zapped you and dropped you on your arrogant ass?”
“Especially then.”
He grinned, reflecting back on how he’d met the tough black-haired Breedmate with the uniquely powerful psychic ability. He pressed his forehead to hers, holding her watery jade-green gaze. That this extraordinary woman was his, he could hardly reconcile the fact. Nor would he ever want to take a breath without her at his side.
Another contraction buffeted her and she rode it out, settling into the pain. Owning it. Niko could only curl his fingers around her hand and hold fast, willing all of his strength to her even though his warrior of a woman seemed to have an endless reserve of her own.
In the brief lull that followed, she lay back and closed her eyes, shoring up for the next round.
“Talk to me,” she murmured softly. “Tell me about the mission tonight. Did we smoke that son of a bitch down in Dorval?”
He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “There really is no stopping you, is there?”
Her mouth curved in a slow smile. “Would you have me any other way?”
“My love, I’d take you any way I can.” He stroked her beautiful face. “And I have, if memory serves.”
Now she laughed, and the sound of her comfort with him--her complete trust in him as her mate and her partner in every other thing they faced together--made his heart swell in his chest. He continued to caress her, needing the tactile contact as much as she seemed to. And if hearing about Order business might give her some measure of ease in the midst of her labor, who was he to argue?
“We were too late closing in on Mackie or his gang. The bar and his residence had both been cleared out not long before we arrived.” Niko sighed, letting his curse leak out of him on the exhalation. “He knew the Order was on to him somehow and he had time enough to evacuate--along with what appears to be substantial amounts of UV munitions. But he did leave us a couple of consolation prizes.”
Nikolai gave her a quick rundown about the live round Aric and Rafe recovered, and the brick of narcotics that was all but certain to be Red Dragon.
“Lucan’s not going to be happy to hear we lost Big Mack tonight,” he confided. “Hell, I’m not happy about that either.”
“You’ll get him,” Renata assured him, her inky lashes lifting to reveal confident, determined green eyes. “We’ll get him, Niko. Because we’re not going to stop until every last member of Opus and their followers are erased from exist--agh!”
The contraction rolled over her like a freight train, the worst one yet. Nikolai hated the pain she was in, hated that he had played a role in putting her through it when he planted his child inside her. He murmured tender words of encouragement as her body struggled and fought to the other side of the agony.
Niko swept the cool cloth over her face and neck as she relaxed once more, so caught up in Renata he hardly heard the knock on the door. Rafe slowly opened it and took a step inside.
“How’s it going in here?”
Nikolai had only one answer. “I’m mated to an incredible woman.”
Rafe smiled. “No one would ever argue that point with you. Renata, can I do anything for you?”
She shook her head on the pillow, her fingers still entwined with Niko’s. “I’m good. The baby’s almost here now.”
Rafe glanced at Niko for confirmation. Although it wasn’t unusual for Breed births to occur privately at home, without medical attendants, having a healer present at the command center was a comfort Nikolai could not deny. But he was loathe to share Renata and this moment with anyone else.
Almost anyone.
“Rennie?” Mira peeked in around the half-open door.
“Mouse.” Renata’s face lit up at the sight of the former orphan who had become a daughter to both Nikolai and her in the past twenty years they’d been together. She held out her free hand to Mira. “Come in with us. You belong here too.”
They were family, the three of them. More recently, Kellan had brought their number to four.
And soon, a few minutes at most, they would welcome another into the fold.
“We should call D.C.,” Mira said to Rafe as she stepped inside the room. “They’ll want to know the baby is finally coming.”
Nikolai smiled at the air of command in her. She hadn’t been born from Renata’s body, but Mira had grown up under her wing and guidance to become a force to be reckoned with.
Rafe smirked. “I made the call on the way here. Lucan’s had the jet fueled and on standby for more than two weeks. They’re already en route as we speak.”
Niko nodded at Rafe and his daughter. “Thank you. Both of you.”
The warrior healer departed in silence, closing the door behind him. Mira rushed to the other side of Renata’s bedside and pressed a loving kiss to her temple.
“What can I do?”
Renata smiled tenderly. “Take my hands, Mouse.” Then she glanced over meaningfully at Niko and gave a mild nod. “He’s coming now.”
There was barely a moment before the next contraction seized her. Together, he and Mira helped her through the last of her ordeal. Then, when it was time, Nikolai was the one to receive the slippery, squalling miracle that was his son.
He held the crying baby in his palms, rendered mute and practically useless for the wonder of what he had just experienced with the two women he cherished more than anything else in his long life . . . and now this, the precious gift he cradled in his hands.
Renata told him what to do next, somehow clear-minded enough to think and talk and do the right things for their child after a
ll she’d been through, while Niko could hardly do more than stare and marvel, silently thanking whatever god would hear him for the blessings he could never hope to fully deserve.
“Our son,” he said as he carried him to Renata and carefully placed the cleaned, naked infant on her chest. Nikolai didn’t care that his cheeks were wet with tears. He felt no shame in his weakness when it came to this woman . . . and now, this child.
He glanced over at Mira, whose own eyes glistened with wells of tears. Nikolai nodded, overwhelmed with emotion when he looked at this grown child of their heart too. “Mouse, meet your little brother.”
“I love him already.” She beamed, cupping the baby’s head in her hand. “I’ll let you two enjoy him while I let everyone know he’s finally arrived.”
CHAPTER 20
The Montreal command center vibrated with energy in the couple of hours following the birth of Nikolai and Renata’s son. As if the baby wasn’t enough to send a ripple of excitement through the place, preparations were also being made for the arrival of the Order’s founder, Lucan Thorne, and several other warrior elders and their mates currently on the way to celebrate the birth in person.
Kaya was thrilled for Niko and Renata. She was thrilled for her friend Mira, too. The tenacious team captain had immersed herself completely in her new role tonight--that of the elated older sister. Mira had been practically walking on air since she emerged from her adoptive parents’ sides in the infirmary to announce the baby had made his long-awaited entrance.
As for Kaya, she couldn’t help but think of her own sister and the child she carried.
In truth, she’d been thinking about Leah constantly all day. Even more so, now that Angus Mackie and his entire gang had apparently gone to ground ahead of the Order’s raid.
Standing alone in the mansion’s kitchen, Kaya put a kettle of water on the burner, guilt raking her when she relived tonight’s mission. Not only because it was likely her visit to Leah at the tavern that had spurred Big Mack to run, but because of her silence about that visit when she and the other warriors prepared for the raid.
For one of the first times in her life, she had behaved like a coward.
Yet there was a part of her that was profoundly relieved that her sister had escaped the Order’s discovery. And their wrath.
Kaya knew her day of reckoning was coming. She had been preparing herself for that moment earlier tonight, before Nikolai had come down to the war room and informed her and Aric that they had both finally made the grade as warriors. Kaya should have been celebrating the achievement she’d worked so hard to earn. Instead she’d ridden to Angus Mackie’s bar feeling as though she were on her way to the gallows.
Then, when she’d finally shored up her courage to try again, her blurted request to meet privately with the commander was thwarted by the urgent arrival of his son.
She exhaled a humorless laugh, miserable with the irony of it all.
And if she were headed for her grave as far as the Order was concerned, it was a hole she alone had dug for herself. Fear of being rejected by the only people who’d ever showed her any kindness had kept her silent about her past and the people in it. Now it was that fear and silence that would ensure she’d lose this new family she cared for so deeply.
Including Aric.
Although to be fair, he wasn’t hers. Imagining a world where he might be only made the regret and futile longing inside her worsen.
How had the arrogant Order prince she was certain she’d despise turn out to be the only man who had ever gotten close enough to see past the steep walls she’d built around her heart? How could she be in danger of losing her heart to a man who couldn’t wait to leave her in his rearview mirror?
How could she crave Aric Chase regardless of all those things?
Kaya slowly shook her head. “Because I’m a fool, that’s why.”
The kettle began to whistle, pulling her thoughts away from dreams she’d never so much as pretended she would ever have until she met Aric. Kaya poured the boiling water, staring into the twisting plume of tea-infused steam that rose up over the rim of her mug.
She had no more time to waste on soft feelings and foolish fantasies. As soon as the fervor over the baby’s arrival and the visiting warriors were gone, she and Nikolai would have their talk. And then, she was certain, her short career with the Order would be over. Before that happened, she wanted to do something useful with the time she had left.
She couldn’t be more disappointed in herself, but she’d be damned if she failed the Order any further by letting up on her mission to identify the Opus member she’d linked to Stephan Mercier.
Mug of hot tea in hand, she walked over to the large kitchen table where she’d laid out printed photos and a tablet containing image and video files from the wedding. Aric had helped her narrow the search considerably since they started, but there was still hours of work ahead. Possibly days.
Her heavy sigh was met by a subtle shift in the air behind her. Although Aric was silent, a born predator, the power of his presence registered within her senses like a physical caress.
“Quite a night,” he said, his deep voice a vibration she felt in her veins.
“Yes, it has been.” Kaya pivoted to look at him as he approached.
They had both changed out of their patrol gear. Gone were his black fatigues, in their place he wore low-slung workout pants and a dark tank that showcased his strong arms and shoulders while clinging to every ridge and muscle of his magnificent torso.
Kaya nearly groaned at the way she ached just looking at him. Her skin felt tight and hot beneath her loose clothing. She had opted for comfort as well, dressed in yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt that Balthazar had loaned her a week ago after one of their paint-gun training sessions ruined hers. Her comrade hadn’t asked for it back, and while she’d thought nothing of wearing it when she put it on tonight, seeing Aric’s gaze narrow disapprovingly on the warrior-sized garment made her cheeks flush with unwanted heat.
And her face wasn’t the only thing suddenly growing too warm as he came to stand beside her.
She cleared her throat. “How are the new parents doing?”
“I just left the infirmary a few minutes ago,” he said, his sensual mouth curving in a smile. “Renata’s already up and on her feet. Which is good, because Nikolai’s legs still look a little shaky.”
Kaya laughed, trying to picture the fearsome Siberian-born warrior as anything less than in full command of any situation. Much like the handsome Breed male currently at her side.
“Mira told me she thought Niko was going to pass out after he delivered the baby. I didn’t realize he and Renata would be handling the birth on their own.”
Aric nodded. “Rafe was on standby in case anything went wrong and they needed a healer, but complications are rare among the Breed. It’s up to the parents to decide who they want in the room with them. For a lot of couples, births are as sacred and intimate as their blood bond.”
“Is that how it was with your parents?”
His grin deepened. “Once you meet them, you won’t need to ask. They should be here anytime now.”
Kaya swallowed, her stomach lurching at the idea that she would soon be standing in the same room with his mother and father and several other Order elders and their mates when the time came to present the baby and announce his name. Mira had filled her in on the basic details of the ritual the Breed practiced following the birth of a child, and Kaya couldn’t deny that she was excited to be part of it.
The arriving Order leaders would be meeting her as a member of the Montreal team, a distinction that she felt honored to hold no matter how temporary it might end up being. But most of her anxiety stemmed from the simple fact that she wanted Aric’s parents to like her.
A ridiculous thing to hope for, and selfish too.
Yet that didn’t make her want it any less.
Knowing Aric would be on the plane with the rest of the Order when they returned h
ome to D.C. didn’t make her want him any less, either.
Particularly when he was looking at her with steady eyes that smoldered with dark promise.
Kaya mentally shook herself out of her pointless yearning and pivoted back to the photographs. “Who do you suppose will be named the baby’s godparents?”
“Rio and Dylan,” he answered without hesitation. “There was never a doubt about that. Niko and Rio’s friendship goes back twenty years, back when the Order had only a handful of warriors and was based in Boston.”
She glanced at him as he moved in closer, joining her at the table. “Boston,” she remarked. “That’s where your father’s family is from.”
He nodded. “The Chases have been in that city for countless generations.”
“But you’re heading to Seattle now that you’ve been promoted up to warrior?”
“Eventually,” he said. “Ideally, I want to be wherever the action is. Wherever I can best serve the Order.”
Kaya looked back at the images of all those wealthy, happy people. People who could make their own futures, choose their own destinies. People who weren’t tied down by poverty or neglect or choices that would saddle them for all their lives. People like Aric, who held the world by the tail simply by virtue of his birth.
“What do you want, Kaya?”
She didn’t dare look at him. She, the girl who taught herself to fear nothing, now stood there terrified that she might let him see how afraid she was of wanting him.
She shook her head, hoping he’d let the question go.
But this was Aric Chase she was dealing with. He was as tenacious and determined as she was. He reached out and gently caught her chin on the tips of his fingers. “Tell me.”
“I used to think I wanted to see the world,” she murmured, recalling how desperately she prayed for wings to fly her out of the hell of her childhood. “I wanted to be anywhere but this city. As far as I could go. One adventure after another.”
His smile was tender, his nod mild with understanding. “And now?”
“I don’t know.”