BirthMark
Page 23
Tears filled her eyes as her heart nearly burst with hidden emotion. “Today, you…you chose me, the babies.”
He leaned back, his brow furrowed. “What?” He carried her to warm spring.
Leaning against his chest, she gloried in the solid beat of his heart as he walked them down into the bubbling waters. Once submerged to their chests, he separated them.
“Mmmm,” she moaned as her woman’s parts were soothed by the waters.
He tapped her nose. “What were you talking about?”
Moving closer, she sat on his lap facing him. “You chose us today. I felt your struggle. You’re the top man, the leader. For you not to be in the midst of the fight and wondering how things would’ve turned out if you were there?...I know that was hard for you.” Her eyes watered again.
“Jasmine, it was no choice, not really. I’d give my life for you, my pups.” He lifted her chin. “For your pups as well. I count the twins as my own.”
Her heart expanded and she couldn’t stop the tears if she tried. “I know.” She stopped to catch her breath. “I have wanted someone to love me… for me, for so long.” She shook her head and looked away. “What you did with Davian.”
He tensed and she patted his chest. “No, hear me out. That was hard. You knew I would flip, be hurt and you could’ve have taken the easy way and kept the truth from me. But you told me the truth, dealt with the fallout and waited for me to forgive you.” She stared up at him. “Don’t get me wrong, I was hurt and upset, but you told me the truth. Even when it caused us problems. I can trust you to be honest with me and I’ve…I’ve never had that before.”
He pulled her close and they rested in each other. “I am wolf. I see things in black and white, at least I used to. You are pulling me into shades of gray. I don’t know family like you’re showing me. I have a pack mentality, but with so many half-breeds being raised human I need to change. It’s difficult, and damn inconvenient. There’s no way I could have made it this far, with the current political challenges in my world, without you.”
He kissed her forehead. “This week…bombs, fancy equipment, viruses, the mine, now those marks, could be the birthmarks delayed and I have to wonder if they have anything to do with Julie’s predictions…” He shook his head. "Can I tell you something?”
She nodded and gazed up at him.
“I thought I was going to lose it a couple of times. There was too damn much happening at once. There were a few moments, like when the bomb exploded, and then to find out the human breeder carried one with my name on it. Worse, the bitch had been in lockup all this time? My heart stopped when I thought what could’ve happened to you, my pups…I almost lost it,” he whispered.
Hearing the despair and seeing the anguish in his eyes caused a deep ache in her belly. She touched his face and waited until glassy eyes met hers. “It was a shitty week, hands down. Folks tried to kill my mate, me, my kids. It was bad…but guess what, baby. I’m still here. You’re still here. All our kids are still here and one of them is now healed.”
The corner of his lips inched up. She had more work to do to convince him it would be okay.
“That means they failed. They threw a bunch of shit at you and failed. You’re still La Patron. When it was just you, the risks you took kept things interesting, kept you from boredom. But now you have a family and that’s what we are. Get used to saying it because in a few weeks, mama and Renee will be here. Family. More people to use as a bargaining chip, more people to have safety concerns over, more people to take care of, but you know what?”
He shook his head. Smart ass.
“Family is also more to share the heavy loads or burdens at the end of your day, more people to come to your aid that you trust, more people to have your back, more people you can count on to help keep those you love safe, more people who love you. Family may be inconvenient at times, but when we work together, we rock, Wolfie.”
He laughed, the shadows from his eyes lessened. She understood he’d always have concerns for the wolves he presided over, and change had stormed into his life, but he was handling it. Tomorrow would present a new set of problems but she was confident that they were strong enough to work through each and every one.
Thanks for reading the second book in the La Patron series. Sydney Addae resides in the southeast and enjoys reading and writing all things paranormal. Nothing is more relaxing than cracking open a new adventure in a new world. You’re invited to join the journey into new lands with all manner of things that go bumpity-bump in the night. Friend me on my facebook page or drop me a line on my website. www.sydneyaddae.com.
Check out the other books in the series:
BirthRight
BirthControl