by Dannika Dark
The elevator descended and when the doors opened, Page looked down a dark hallway she’d always found creepy. She loved windows and light—being able to look at the world instead of hiding from it. After going through a retinal scan, they reached the front door.
“So why am I here? I’m not exactly in the best condition to be driving all over Cognito. I could pop at any time.”
Justus didn’t reply and she didn’t argue. It felt good to lean against him. To feel his heavy arm curled around her as he steadied her walk and made sure she was warm. They had agreed to take things slow, even though she wanted to fling herself into his arms like a silly romantic. Page had a child to think about now. Her baby was her number one priority, and having a man that might tire of his mortal family and abandon her wouldn’t be fair to her child.
He took her coat and hung it on a hook in the front hallway. The lights were off, except for a dim lamp in the living room.
“Where’s Silver? Can I see her?”
“She’s sleeping,” he said. “She’s had a slow recovery. Her light is so different. If her body requires more time, then that’s what she’ll have.”
Page snorted. “So you’re confining Silver to her room? Maybe she needs some vitamins and a little exercise.”
“I think I know what is best for my Learner.”
Justus walked around her and she drew in a breath of his cologne. She liked this one above the others he wore, although she didn’t know the name. He was wearing a tight-fitted shirt that hugged every inch of his chest and biceps. The deep blue color matched his eyes and the fabric was stretched thin. Page had only dated men with dark hair. Justus barely had any because he kept it shaved, but the bristles that grew out were sandy blond, making her think he had a beautiful head of hair. The bold tattoo that snaked around his right arm looked tribal, but the design held meaning to him in each line.
Something looked different about the tattoo and she leaned in for a closer look.
“Come with me,” he said, leading her across the house with his hand on the small of her back.
They walked toward the bathroom where he had installed an expensive lift that could be activated when the bathroom door closed and the shower was turned on. Page felt vertigo as the floor lowered and she suddenly grabbed on to him.
“Don’t let me fall. I don’t have good balance like I used to.”
He chuckled warmly and spread his large hands across her back. She could feel the heat radiating off them and he pulled her a little tighter to him. Page regretted not having brought her medical bag. Silver must have been in bad condition for Justus to call.
They crossed the training room and she was walking toward Silver’s door when Justus suddenly tugged her by the wrist.
“This way.”
“But Silver—”
“Are we arguing?” he asked, his brow drawing into a frown. “There is something I must show you.”
Page was in no condition to fight, so she stood by the door to the study. “I’d like to do a few blood samples and make sure Silver’s not lacking any nutrients. I think if you’re giving her any Mage light, then you probably need to—”
The door swung open and Page gasped, feeling as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. Justus walked toward the center of the room, rubbing his tattoo. The soft light from a white lamp cast the room in a heavenly glow.
She was speechless. No, speechless wasn’t even the correct word. Stunned.
The walls were pale blue with puffy white clouds painted on them that looked so real she wanted to touch one. Straight in front of her was a white baby crib with a canopy of lace draped elegantly over the top. The right wall had a changing table and beside it was a white dresser with pale images of wild animals painted on the drawers. She stepped inside and turned around, looking at a tall wooden shelf filled with diapers, pacifiers, precious little outfits, baby hats, teethers, and stuffed animals.
No expense spared on the necessities and luxuries.
She clutched a pale green bunny and held it tight to her chest.
“What is all this?” she said, her lower lip quivering.
“I cannot sit here knowing you are alone in that apartment, ready to bring a life into this world. There are too many dangers I cannot protect you from.”
“But we went over this, Justus.”
“Page, listen to reason. The knowledge about the experiments is out. There is the potential someone could discover the truth about your child. I am a man who lives by a moral and ethical code. I will not have your death on my hands if someone were to retaliate.”
Page sagged with the realization that Justus was only doing what he perceived to be the right thing. “This is lovely, Justus. It’s beautiful but—”
“But nothing,” he interrupted, placing his hands on the crib behind him. “Here you will be able to rest, knowing your child is safe. I can arrange for a nanny to care for the child if you do not trust me holding him. I understand you must continue working so you don’t lose your clients, and I want to offer my assistance.”
“That’s all?”
She smelled the fresh paint in the room and began to cry. It was the most extraordinary thing anyone had ever done for her.
His jaw set and he lifted his eyes to hers. “I want to be in your life.” He squeezed the railing on the crib until his knuckles turned white.
Maybe it was hormones, but her cheeks flushed and when she looked down, she was blushing all over. Her hands, wrists, and probably her neck. She snuggled the bunny close to her chin and looked at the marvelous touches throughout the room.
“This must have cost you a fortune.”
He blew out a breath and looked at the dresser. “I painted this myself.” He raised his eyes toward the ceiling, which had more soft clouds and a few birds flying around them. It wasn’t cartoonish, but so lifelike. “I bought the furniture on the night I found out you were pregnant and kept it in another room. They were bare, so I painted them. I haven’t painted in a long time,” he said, his voice trailing off. “I finished the walls this morning, so it needs to air out.”
“You bought and painted furniture when you found out I was pregnant?” She held her breath, unable to comprehend it all. “Even knowing this baby is Slater’s? That it could be born with disabilities because of all the drugs I was given?”
A vein in his forehead protruded and he clenched his jaw. Justus turned his back to her and looked in the empty crib, speaking in soft words. “Are you saying that now you don’t want this baby?”
“Of course I do! It’s our baby.”
She covered her mouth and her eyes widened.
***
Justus spun around so fast he could have created a vortex of energy to consume him. Her soft brown hair tapered down her neck, his most favorite part of her. He could get lost in the curves and angles of her body. She looked up at him with anxious, loving brown eyes.
“Say that again, Page.” His heart pounded against his chest with a feeling he’d never known before.
She gripped the floppy bunny and held his gaze. “This is our baby, Justus. Slater never inseminated me. His injection prepared my body so I would have viable eggs, and it’s likely he used some ancient DNA or blood from an extinct Breed. That was his specialty—he studied the history of ancient Breeds and helped collect and store many of the artifacts that remained. I have no doubt he could have figured out a way to use the magic within their genes to temporarily heal my body. He never inseminated me, Justus. That makes you the father of this baby because there has been no other man.”
Her hands dropped to her sides and she balled one up into a fist, staring at him with glittering brown eyes.
Justus was silenced by a woman.
Silenced by the graceful way she spoke and the regal beauty of her gaze. His mind became focused and clear. The night he’d followed her to the park with Slater, Justus had felt an undeniable pull that was like gravity. Something he’d never felt with anyone else, especially o
ne who wasn’t a Mage because their energy was weaker. He’d felt that way around Page ever since, and now he knew it had to do with the life growing inside her that was also a piece of him. His body reacted to that energy, instinctively wanting to become a shield and protect it.
Justus knelt on one knee and spread his large hands across her round stomach, experiencing awe for the first time in his immortal life. He pressed his forehead against her belly, feeling the life that moved within her. The stuffed rabbit tumbled to the floor when Page cradled his face in her hands. A smile played on her lips as she touched him.
“How is this possible?” he whispered in disbelief.
She ran her fingers across his bristly head and squeezed his ears playfully.
“Magic?” she suggested. “Please don’t hate me for keeping this a secret, but you have to realize I’m a package deal now. When Christian released my memories, I was afraid to tell you and my reasons may seem petty, but I didn’t want you turning away from your baby. I’d rather him grow up without a father than with a father who rejected him. He’ll be unique to any other child that’s ever been created.”
“This will be my child,” Justus stated firmly, dragging his eyes up to hers. He rose to his feet and touched her cheek. “I can sense your energy and I’m drawn to it from a distance. It’s one I can no longer be separated from. I will protect you and watch over this child. This isn’t about wealth or power; this isn’t about pity or obligation. You will never be more adored,” he said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “You have interrupted my life and I won’t let you go.”
That was as close as Justus could come to telling Page he loved her. One miracle at a time. His heart was already on his sleeve and he’d never felt more exposed.
She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. “You can’t say things like that to me. I’m a whale. My feet and nose are swollen, my back hurts…”
He wrapped his arms around her and planted his lips on her forehead. “Children are not possible for a Mage. You have given me such gifts,” he said quietly, breathing in her soft scent. Her eyes watered and he brushed away her tears with the pad of his thumb. “I will never leave your side, for whatever time we have together, Mon Ange.”
She kissed him back and a piece of his soul locked into place. This choice would not be an easy road, but it was his chosen path to take. The hard journey leads to a greater destiny. Those are words he had once told Silver. Now he finally understood the truth in their meaning as he touched the ends of Page’s silky hair.
“I’ve sent for your things,” he said. “If you do not wish to sleep in my bed…”
“Where else should I sleep? The crib?”
He laughed haughtily. “Quit your stubbornness and let me take care of you.”
“I want this to last, Justus. As long as it can. I wish I could be one of you,” she said, holding him tight.
Justus gave it consideration. Novis was a Creator and perhaps he could ask him for a favor. All things to be considered in time. Justus had a baby to think about first. His smile never waned as he could no longer disguise the pride he felt looking upon her.
A swath of hair slipped in front of her face and he reached in his pocket and pulled out a barrette, clipping it in.
She cracked a smile and touched it. “Do you normally carry these in your pocket? What else do you have in there?”
“This one is yours. I took it the night we kissed in your kitchen all those months ago.”
She stroked his arm with her delicate fingers. “You never had to give me dresses, flowers, or jewelry to win my love, Justus. All you had to give me was this barrette.”
Justus had wooed Page with expensive gifts because that’s what Marco had taught him.
Her hand slid up his forearm until it traced the tattoo on his right arm. “This seems different somehow.”
He turned his arm and looked at it. “I added another line. This one here,” he said, running his finger along the curve. Each line was symbolic of the things he held important in his life: honor, courage, perseverance, loyalty, and sacrifice.
“What’s it for?”
“You. Now the design is complete.”
She touched it with her hand and blushed wildly. He could hardly get enough of the woman when she turned scarlet. His woman.
Page pulled back and straightened her shirt. “Does Adam have a job?”
He looked at her quizzically. “Why do you ask?”
She shrugged and reached for the stuffed rabbit, but Justus bent down and picked it up for her. “I could use a partner, Justus. Adam is a Healer, and that could be a tremendous asset. Relics are the ones hired as healers and consultants, but the gift he has would be unmatched. I often get cases from those who can’t heal quickly. Chitah females have no Breed magic when they’re pregnant and sometimes have complications. Shifter children are injured all the time. Adam could help so many people. It was just a thought tumbling in my head.”
“I will speak to him,” Justus decided.
Adam hadn’t embraced the opportunities of a Healer, but working as a partner to a Relic might be a better opportunity for him. Even if it were temporary, Page would benefit from any assistance during her recovery time after giving birth. Perhaps helping Adam would make an impression on Novis, who in time might return the favor by putting the first spark in Page and making her immortal. A Relic was genetically the closest to a human, so Breed magic worked differently on them and they could be changed into a Mage. Few ever were since the Mageri had a tight control over candidates they matched up with Creators. He had heard of some Relics choosing that life, but very few. Most would never consider it because they would not be able to have children and pass on their knowledge, thus being shunned by their own kind and ending their genetic line.
“Justus?”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure about this? I mean, I get that you’ve lived a long life alone and—”
“And I will be alone no more.”
Chapter 30
When Justus told me the news about Page, my knees buckled and I almost fainted. Shock might have been the operative word. Justus fathering a child was a literal miracle, yet it was not genetically modified, like me. This baby was all Justus and Page. Slater had given her fertility injections, and whatever was in that mix also allowed her to carry a Mage’s baby without her body rejecting it. In the end, it was the simple act of his sperm meeting her egg and doing the tango.
Although in this case, it was less of a tango and more of a high-speed collision.
By the time they told me their plans, Justus had already moved her things in. I guess he wasn’t expecting no for an answer, and he'd arranged for someone to load up the moving truck while his HALO brother drove Page to our house. I smiled when I peered into Justus’s man cave and saw her afghan draped over the end of the bed. A couple of family photos graced the nightstand and her pictures were nailed on the walls.
When everyone had gone upstairs, I wandered into the nursery and closed the door. I took a seat in the rocking chair and clutched a musical bear in my hands, winding up the key in the back until it began to play a sweet lullaby. I admired the beautiful paintings throughout the room that Justus had created without my knowledge. As I stared at the crib, a tear trailed down my cheek.
The door creaked open and Logan closed it, kneeling before me with a stern look on his face. “Female, I can scent your sorrow through the hall,” he said softly.
“This is what you’re giving up with me, Logan.” My lip quivered and I turned my head away. “This is what I had to give up, but nobody asked me if I wanted to. Samil just took the choice away from me, and I hate him for it.” It was over; the tears were finally an onslaught of the grief I’d kept secret.
He smoothed his hand over my leg. “So… that’s what this is all about.”
“Slater’s gone and whatever he knew about creating a child is gone. This will never be my future. But nobody asked me!”
He re
ached up and wiped away another tear. “Justus and Page do not know what fate lies in store for their young. He could have a short life. No parent wants to watch their children age and die.”
Maybe Logan was right. Science could have given me a baby, but at what expense? It didn’t matter.
“I think Aunt Silver has a nice ring to it, and you’ll be hearing it a lot with this child and the ones my brothers will one day have.”
I wiped my nose. “If they ever settle down.”
He sighed and sat back, draping his arm over his bent knee. “This is true. I think Leo will be the one to settle first. He’s often talked about having a large family. You will have your share of babysitting and after changing all those diapers, might be glad to send them home.”
I smiled and placed the stuffed bear back on the shelf. “This is something I have no choice but to learn to live with.”
“Nor do I have a choice. You may have marked your body with my name, but your name is an indelible ink across my heart. I love you, female. That means I go nowhere without you at my side.”
My heart knew that Logan loved me, but I worried that this would split us apart. His Breed valued family and it was in their nature to have children.
He drew in a scent and his cheeks puffed out a little. “You’re wrong, Silver. I’m attuned to the subtle changes in your scent and I know what you’re thinking. Our lives will be enriched by the good fortune of others. You need not worry about where my heart lies. If this comes down to you wanting a child, then we will find a way to adopt. There may be children on the black market—”
“Logan! You wouldn’t dare.”
“Children are being sold to pay off debts, as was Finn. Our home would be a better fate for a child than where they could end up going. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Little Raven. There is nothing I wouldn’t give to you.” He kissed the palm of my hand and then placed his hands over my stomach, softly stroking. “You would have been a wonderful mother, but you will make an excellent aunt. A child does not have to come from your body for you to be able to love it. You can still have children in your life without being a mother and be an influence on them. Don’t weep, Little Bird.”