“Not the same,” he grumbled.
“You also lose all self-control when Rhys has his shirt off.”
Well, in my defense, Rhys had a perfect chest.
“Are you feeling self-conscious?” I asked, leaning over to rest my head on his shoulder.
“What about me is better than them?” he asked.
“Well…” I blushed and turned away from him.
“Well?” he asked.
“You are the biggest,” I said.
His eyebrows rose and then he laughed. “I am.”
“You already knew that,” I said.
He shrugged. “It happens. When you know guys for your entire life, at some point you see their junk.”
“So, there you go,” I said.
“So, I just need to walk around airing my junk out to get you to look at me?” he asked.
I burst into another fit of laughter. “Please, don’t,” I begged.
He smirked. “Oh, alright. I’ll keep it contained until it’s needed.”
“You’re the sexiest elf I know,” I told him. “If that counts for anything.”
He smiled, a purely dazzling, happy smile. “That does. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter 8
Rhys
“Still having issues?” Dad asked as he entered.
I lay on my back in the gym, sweat dripping from my body, and my breathing coming in great, heaving pants.
“Yes,” I admitted with a groan.
He sat down beside me, staring at the wall of the gym, but really just looking off into space while he thought.
I waited patiently, knowing he was thinking and needed a moment to get his thoughts in order.
“Have you told Jolie?” he asked, glancing down at me.
I winced. “No. I was going to the other day, but then the shit hit the fan and—”
“Did you apologize to her?” he asked.
I sat up and glared at him. “You were in on the plan, too,” I reminded him.
“I was against it, but willing to do what the majority voted,” he said. “I told you Jolie wouldn’t go for it.”
I sighed and rubbed a hand down my face. “I don’t think I’ve screwed up so badly before,” I told him. “She was right. We had forgotten how painful it was.”
“I hadn’t,” he said. “You were utterly destroyed when your bond was cut. I should have recorded it so you could rewatch the absolute terror and pain on your face when it happened.”
“I’ll tell her soon,” I promised, wanting to change the subject and not think about the time I had almost lost Jolie.
“Have you tried with her near you?” he asked, looking at my chest. “Perhaps you’re holding back with her being away from you.”
He could have a point, but—
“It wasn’t an issue before I met her,” I reminded him.
He shrugged. “Everything changes when you find your queen and mate,” he said. “You should bring her here and try with her in the room.”
It wasn’t a bad idea.
“Okay,” I agreed.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. “You should go shower and get ready. You’re going to Katar’s party, right?”
I nodded and then winced. Yet another surprise waiting for Jolie. Or, well, potential surprise.
“What’s wrong?” Dad asked.
“Nothing,” I said and sighed at his raised eyebrow. “Possibly nothing. I don’t know. We’ll see.”
He chuckled and ruffled my hair like he used to when I was a boy. “You’re always up to something, son. That hasn’t changed.” He stood and held out his hand. I accepted and let him pull me to my feet. “If you need anything, I’m always here.”
I nodded. “I know. Thanks.”
He started walking away, and I called out, “Dad?”
He turned to face me.
“What do you do when you screw up with Mom?”
Dad smiled. “I buy her gifts and remind her that she’s my queen. The one goddess I worship, and that I’m an idiot for risking that.”
I nodded.
“She loves you. She has sacrificed herself for you many times. Perhaps it is time for you to take over that role,” he said and waved as he left the room.
My beautiful, infuriating mate was constantly throwing herself in danger. She wanted to protect us, I knew that, but just like she didn’t want to lose us, we didn’t want to lose her. We were in the beginnings of a war, and I had no idea what to expect. I wanted to protect her and to do that, I needed to be at my peak.
But, for quite a while now, I had been having issues with my scales. My scales used to automatically cover a part of my body that was in danger, but since that day I was shot, they hadn’t been doing that. They hadn’t been doing anything automatically, and I had no idea why.
With a sigh, I headed to the shower. Time to face our next ordeal.
Chapter 9
Jolie
There were quite a few cars parked in front of Katar and Kara’s house, and I could hear music playing.
Fox opened my door, and held out his hand. I let him help me from the car and smoothed down the dress I wore.
“You’re gorgeous,” he told me and kissed me deeply. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said, smiling at him.
Fox lead me into the house, despite the party obviously going on in the backyard. I opened my mouth to ask what we were doing inside, when I saw my other mates waiting in the living room with Kara.
“What’s going on?” I asked, planting my feet and coming to a halt in the hallway. This looked like an intervention. What the hell could I need an intervention for? I didn’t smoke or do drugs. I enjoyed sweets, but so did all of my mates. I hadn’t even been playing much videogames, so it couldn’t be about that.
“Easy,” Fox said, running a hand down my arm. “This isn’t an intervention or anything.”
He tried to pull me forward, but I yanked my hand away. “What’s going on?” I asked again.
Kara walked to me, a smile on her face. She opened her arms, and I stepped forward to hug her. She smelled like flowers and gave motherly hugs that made you want to relax and tell her all the things going on in your life.
“The boys are worried about your health, so they asked me to check you out,” she whispered into my ear. “They’re being good mates, so please don’t fight me on this.”
I sighed and rested my head on her shoulder. “Okay, but I feel fine.”
She pushed me back at arm’s length and smiled. “Then this should be quick!”
Her eyes began to glow, and then she ran her hand from my head to my feet, and then back up again. She released the power, her eyes returning to normal as she smiled warmly at me. “Jolie, I need you to sit down.”
Oh, no. That wasn’t good.
Rhys brought me a chair, smiling at me with tears pooling in his eyes.
What was going on?
“Am I dying?” I asked softly.
My mates tensed and all eyes locked on me.
Kara chuckled softly. “No, darling daughter. You are not dying.”
I sat in the chair and folded my arms across my chest. “Then, why am I being told to sit and why is Rhys trying not to cry?”
“I’ve got something in my eye,” he lied, rubbing at his face.
Kara knelt in front of me and took my hands in hers. “You are pregnant, Jolie.”
The world stopped, all sound disappeared, and I felt faint. This was why she had me sit down.
Pregnant? No. I’d been taking contraceptives. I had been careful to take them and never missed a day. My period was supposed to start in a day or two, so I wasn’t technically late.
“You’re sure?” I asked.
Kara nodded, smiling wider. “Yes. You are one hundred percent pregnant.”
“Do you know whose it is?” I asked.
I saw my mates scowl out of the corner of my eye, but didn’t turn to face them.
“No. We won’t know for a few weeks,” she said.
“Dammit,” I whispered. Hot tears slid down my cheeks, and I sniffled. This wasn’t supposed to happen yet. It wasn’t the right time!
My four mates rushed to me, dropping to their knees and putting one hand each on me.
“What is it?” Fox asked. “Why are you upset? Why are you sad?”
“I thought you wanted children?” Rhys asked.
“I didn’t want to have a child before we caught Brayden and Justina,” I sobbed. “I didn’t want to put yet another person in danger. It’s hard enough keeping you four safe and now I have a baby to deal with. How am I going to protect the baby? What if she kills the baby?”
“We won’t let her get to you. She can’t harm our baby if she can’t get to you,” Deryn said, squeezing my leg. “We will protect you and our baby,” he swore.
“Our baby is our top priority now,” Rhys said with a nod. “We won’t let anything happen to risk his or her life.”
“No one’s touching you,” Fox growled, his eyes glowing.
“We will do everything we need to keep you both safe,” Nico said. He rested his hand on my stomach and smiled, his eyes lighting with joy. “We’re having a baby. This is a time to be happy.”
“You keep saying ‘our baby,’ but you don’t know whose it is,” I said, wiping at my eyes.
“It doesn’t matter who the technical father is,” Rhys said. “We’re all your mates and the baby will be all of ours.”
“Just like the baby will be my grandchild, no matter who the father is,” Kara said, wiping my cheeks with a soft cloth. “You and your baby are a treasure. You will be protected, and nothing will happen to you two. I will be your personal midwife, if you need it.”
Rhys, Fox, and Deryn placed their hands on my stomach, and I felt a small magical spark zip between them and my stomach.
I was pregnant.
“We’re having a baby,” I whispered, tears returning to my eyes, but for a whole new reason. I had been worried I wouldn’t be able to have a child, since sirens were almost infertile.
I stood, four sets of arms surrounded me, and each took turns kissing my cheek.
“What’s going on?” Katar asked, worry evident in his tone.
The guys stepped away from me, except for Fox, who stood at my side with a proud smile.
“Happy birthday,” he said to Katar.
“Thank you,” Katar said, his eyes not leaving mine. “But, I’d like to know what’s going on with my daughter.”
I smiled at him and walked a step closer. “You’re going to be a grandfather,” I said.
His eyes widened and he looked at my stomach…then Kara, who nodded…and then back to me. “You’re pregnant?”
I nodded, smiling wider.
He smiled, picked me up, and spun around in a circle while he cheered. “I’m going to be a grandpa!”
I chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
He set me down and then reached towards my stomach, but stopped a few inches away, and looked at me. “May I?”
I nodded.
He set his hand on my stomach and tears sprang to his eyes. “A child. I can’t wait to see it.”
“Well, you’ll have to wait nine months,” I said and chuckled.
He looked up at me with furrowed brows. “What?”
“Nine months. That’s a human gest—”
“You’re not human,” Nico reminded me.
“What?” I asked, turning to face him. I knew I wasn’t human, but I didn’t know that mattered.
“Our gestation periods aren’t like humans,” Rhys said. “They’re faster.”
“It’s to make it easier to stay safe,” Kara explained.
“How long?” I asked.
“Six months,” Nico answered. “That’s what the research I did on sirens said.”
Six months! That was so soon.
“Easy,” Deryn whispered, wrapping an arm around my waist, and pulling me against his side. “We’ve got plenty of time. It’s six months still, that’s half a year.”
“I need to tell my dad,” I whispered.
“How will you communicate with him?” Kara asked.
“I’ll have to send a messenger to Atlantis,” I said.
“Can we tell our dads?” Deryn asked.
“They’re coming tonight, aren’t they?” Katar asked.
Deryn and Rhys nodded.
I looked over at Nico, the only one who didn’t have a father to tell, but he just smiled at me.
“Why don’t we bring them in and tell them when they get here?” Katar suggested. “Then we can all celebrate together.”
“I ruined your party,” I realized and felt awful.
He shook his head and laughed. “Ruined it? This is the best present I have ever received!” He looked at my stomach again and said, “I’m going to spoil the shit out of this kid.”
I laughed and tears sprang to my eyes.
“What’s going on?” Dan asked from the entryway.
“Back here!” Katar called.
Deryn’s grip on my waist tightened a moment, and then he relaxed.
“The host is missing from his own party,” Dan said, smiling broadly as he clapped Katar on the back. “Happy birthday, old friend.”
“Thank you, Dan,” Katar replied.
“Where’s Emrys?” Katar asked.
“Outside,” Dan answered.
“I’ll get him,” Rhys said, and quickly left the room.
Dan looked at me and Deryn. “What’s going on?”
Katar patted his shoulder. “All in good time, friend. Just wait until Emrys is here.”
Emrys and Rhys came in, and Emrys paused by Dan, but frowned at me. “What’s going on?”
“Jolie has some news,” Katar said, beaming.
“You’re all going to be grandfathers,” I said, smiling.
Emrys’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Rhys.
Dan whooped loudly, and picked me up in a bone crunching hug. “Woohoo!” he yelled as he held me. He set me down, and I realized I had never seen him smile so wide before. “This is the best news, ever!”
“Congratulations,” Emrys said, pulling me into a hug. “I can’t wait to meet your child.”
Was he worried it wouldn’t be Rhys’s? Why had he looked at Rhys when I told them?
“You’re frowning,” Emrys said. “Why?”
“I thought you’d be more excited,” I said, which was partially true.
“I am very excited,” he said, smiling. “I’m just not as rambunctious as some.” He glanced at Dan and then focused on me again.
“We’ll be able to tell who the father is in a few weeks,” I said softly.
His smile wilted. “Okay.”
Rhys came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, resting both hands on my stomach. He dropped his head so his lips were right by my ear. “He doesn’t care who the father is, baby.”
“Why did he look at you like that, then?” I asked.
“Because I knew something was up, but hadn’t thought it would be this,” Emrys said. He smiled and rested a hand on my shoulder. “It doesn’t matter who fathered the child. It’s your child, and therefore it is my grandchild. That’s all there is to it. Okay?”
I nodded quickly, trying to stop the tears threatening to spill over. It didn’t make sense to me, but I was incredibly grateful.
“Come on! Let’s go celebrate!” Katar said, tossing an arm around my shoulders and pulling me away from Rhys. “It’s my birthday and I’m going to be a grandfather! I have two reasons to celebrate.”
“No alcohol,” Fox called after me.
I scowled and groaned. “Oh, dammit!”
Everyone laughed, but me.
“I’ll get you a virgin daiquiri,” Katar promised. “It will taste just as good.”
“Alright,” I pouted, but then smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For?” he asked, and
pushed open the back door.
There had to be over two hundred people. Some were dancing, most were drinking, and some were obviously drunk already.
“For being excited about this baby,” I said. “I’m honestly still not sure I’ve wrapped my head around it yet.”
“You realize that your mates are going to be even more protective, right?” he asked, leaning close so no one else would hear us.
I sighed. “Yeah. They’re going to try to wrap me in bubble wrap.”
“You’d just pop all the bubbles and make the wrap pointless,” Katar teased.
I laughed. “Too true.”
“Jolie, you can’t put yourself in danger anymore. I know you want to keep your mates safe, but your job now is to keep your baby safe, which means you stay safe. So, no more heroics. Let your mates be the heroes. That’s their job.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I just don’t want to lose them.”
“Losing you will devastate them. Losing you and your child will destroy them. I can’t let that happen. If need be, I’ll give you guards,” Katar said.
We made our way through the people, and Katar smiled and talked to those he passed by.
“I’ll be on my best behavior,” I promised.
He chuckled. “That’s not very reassuring.”
We came to a stop at a temporary bar, where a woman was mixing drinks.
“Virgin daiquiri,” Katar ordered for me.
“Right away, sir,” she said, and poured what she’d mixed into a glass before handing it to a nearby person, and then starting on my drink.
“Stop stealing her from me,” Dan growled, as he weaved through people and pulled me from Katar to drape an arm around my shoulders and pull me to his side.
“You see her more often than I do,” Katar countered.
Deryn spun me away from Dan, snagging the drink the bartender held out as he did. “I’m stealing my mate back,” he told them.
I laughed and took my drink from him. “Hello, handsome.”
He kissed my cheek. “Hey, beautiful.” He led me a little way away from the crowd, sliding his arm around my waist as we walked.
I took a drink and sighed happily. It was so good. “What are we doing over here?” I asked.
“We just wanted to get you a bit away from the crowd,” Rhys said, coming to stand on my other side.
Royally Enraged: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (Her Royal Harem Book 4) Page 7