by Cecy Robson
We walk into the kitchen. Their quarters are nice. A large apartment better suited for a successful couple living in New York than a supernatural couple hiding away in a mountain fortress. What I’d give for them to be that human couple far away from here, and for their biggest concern to revolve around what trendy restaurant they’d visit that night.
I reach for a bottle of water in the refrigerator and pass it to Gemini. My head is pounding from lack of sleep and stress, and my eyes are so dry they burn. But nothing I feel compares to what Celia is going through. I only wish I could help.
Gemini comes up behind me when all I do is stare at the plastic bottles lining the top shelf, the coldness from the fridge barely perceptible against my beaten down senses.
He shuts the door to the refrigerator and leads me to the table, pulling me onto his lap. “Have a drink,” he murmurs against my ear, cracking open the bottle I passed him and placing it in my hand. “The magic you conjured expunged a great deal of your energy. You need to take care of yourself and replenish it.”
“So I’ll be up for whatever crazy crap the day might bring?” I ask, taking a long pull.
He doesn’t bother to sugarcoat it. “Yes.”
I finish half the bottle and give the rest to him. I think I’m still thirsty, but I can’t seem to force it down. Maybe he feels the same. He sets the bottle along the antique gold and granite table. “What are you going to with Johnny?” I ask.
His unflinching gaze fixes on the bottle. “For now he’s with us, but there’s not much we can do to keep him. He’s not our prisoner, and regardless of what happened between him and Destiny, he’s committed no crime against the earth.”
“I know.” My head falls against his shoulder. “Did you see him, how bad he hurt when she was close?” I shudder. “I couldn’t stomach watching him suffer.”
I frown when he doesn’t reply. It’s not that I expect him to be disturbed by the memory, my wolf can handle a lot more than me. I just don’t expect his silence then. “What are you thinking?” I ask, stroking his light goatee when he doesn’t reply. “Do you think he’s lying?”
Gemini’s hand sweeps along my thigh to my ass, adjusting me so I lay closer against him. “I don’t know. Even if he can somehow hide the truth from us, it’s hard not to believe him. He was close to death in Destiny’s presence.” He looks at me. “I could smell it.”
“What do you mean?” Although I ask, I’m afraid what he might say. Death in general is creepy, and in the mystical world, it’s downright terrifying.
“When something dies, there’s a strong aroma that accompanies that passing,” he explains. “We equate it to the soul leaving the body. It’s the only time our kind can scent it.”
“And you definitely smelled his?” I ask.
“I did.” He cups my knee. “But it gets worse.”
“It always does,” I remind him.
He smiles, but it doesn’t last. “I could smell Destiny’s soul as they brought her down the mountain. It was everywhere. I’m stunned she’s still alive.”
I raise my head. “So if you scented it, Tye did, too.”
“Exactly. Which is why he reacted so violently.” His features gather and edge. “That didn’t mean I could allow him to kill Johnny.”
“I know.”
I look over to where Celia and Aric wait in the living room. The way he holds and speaks to her is precisely what she needs now. That, and a break from all the crazy.
“Let’s go,” I whisper.
Gemini stands, easing me to the floor and leading me out. “We’ll see you guys later,” I call, holding out my hand when they start to rise. “Dinner maybe?”
“All right,” Celia says, rushing to her feet and to where I’m waiting before we can make our escape.
She hugs me, something she always does. Today it’s a little stronger, a little sadder, a little less like the sister I know. I slide my hands across her back, reminded how much the world literally hangs on her shoulders.
The longer I embrace her, the more the pang of sympathy filling my chest becomes too much. Except my tears aren’t what my sister needs from me. “We’re going to figure this out,” I assure her.
“Okay,” she says.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” I ask.
“Not one word,” she admits.
Laughter through tears are one of the many things Ceel and I have shared throughout our lives. Today is no exception. I step away, before she sees the few that trickle down my cheeks, but not before I catch the ones she can’t manage to hold in.
The moment we open the door leading out to the hall, the young wolves and cougars on guard appear, their imposing beast forms erasing any trace of my misery. “Alert me of any changes,” Gemini orders.
They bow their heads as we pass. They’re young, likely students who want to help. Gemini’s arm slinks around my waist, his large hand resting in the “girlfriend zone”. He’s not typically this affectionate unless another male challenges his position, but he is feeling protective.
I’m not feeling protective. I’m mostly being myself. Being all class and not giving a damn what others think, my hand slips into the “boyfriend zone” and I give him a pat. “Something on your mind besides the fate of the world, baby?”
“Yes,” he answers. The way his deep voice drops an octave guarantees I’ll have a peaceful nap following a very long romp in bed.
“Nice,” I say, flicking my incisor with my tongue when I glance up at him.
“We need to talk,” he says.
“Talk?” I ask. “Dirty and during?” I give him another pat. “Sounds good to me.”
He smirks. “If that’s you want.”
“Oh, yes. I want,” I assure him.
He laughs. “There’s something else. Something important I’ve kept quiet about it for too long.”
My hand falls away as we reach our newly appointed quarters at the end of the hall. “What’s up?” I ask.
He punches in the code to our keypad, allowing our entry. “I’ll explain in the bedroom.”
I step inside, no longer sure where this is headed. “Am I going to like it?”
“I want you to,” he says, shutting the door behind him.
There’s a large framed mirror just inside the foyer, it’s a decorative piece. I sneak a look. My long hair is slightly fuller, the long waves continuing to react to the consumption of lightning they were forced to endure mere hours ago. Genevieve assured me it would eventually settle. Based on what I see, “eventually” is long ways away. But I won’t complain. Girlfriend did manage to regrow my eyebrows and lashes.
I play with my hair as I step out of sight of the mirror. I’m not wearing makeup, not even a stitch. That’s rare for me. I like being all dolled up, although au natural is how Gemini likes me best.
Maybe it’s a good thing now, considering the ominous vibe I’m getting from him.
We reach our bedroom, the large California king bed calling to me to huddle beneath the clean white covers. But as I reach the edge, Gemini’s hands find my waist, turning me carefully.
He grips my hips, his thumbs rubbing the exposed skin where my low-cut jeans hang and the T-shirt doesn’t quite cover. If he was feeling playful he would tease the skin in slow seductive circles or tug the edges of the denim further down. Instead he continues the same languid movements as he wrestles with what to tell me.
“This is bad, isn’t it?” I ask.
“It doesn’t have to be,” he murmurs.
As effortlessly as he says the words, we lose ourselves in each other’s stares. It’s easy to. In those beautiful dark eyes, I don’t need to be so tough, and nothing is as bad it could be.
The moment doesn’t last, nor do our stares linger. For what feels like the first time, he’s the one who turns away. I’m not sure why until he speaks. “You’ve always struggled when it comes to us,” he says. “Every step in our relationship has been a challenge from the start.”
I can’
t deny that’s true. “What’s your point?”
My remark makes him smile. I think he’s happy, although I also know there’s more there. “You love me,” he says. “I felt it long before you finally told me. And while we’ve endured a great deal, our love has remained and sustained us.”
“It has,” I manage, not wanting to picture my life without him. Been there, done that, and it was hell. That doesn’t mean I’m ready for what I think he’s about to ask.
“I want us to try for a family,” he says.
“Eh?”
“A baby,” he says, ignoring my slacking jaw. “I want you to have my child.”
“You want to have a baby. With me?”
He smirks. “No, love.”
“Oh, good,” I say, patting his arm and attempting to walk away. “Glad we had this talk.”
He holds tight and his smile warms. “I want to have several with you.”
“I’m ready if you are,” he adds when I stand there, torn between keeling over and running for my life.
My heart speeds up, and of course, it’s not with joy. Holy shit seems more like the appropriate response. “You’re not asking me to marry you.” Hey, that’s where I thought we were going with here, and damn it all, that was bad enough.
His eyebrows arch ever so slightly. “I would, but you’ve made it clear you’re not the marriage type. Your words, not mine,” he reminds me.
“You’re being serious. About this whole kid thing?” I ask. “What about everything you said about none of us making it. About the world going ka-boom and every one of us blowing up like bits of shrapnel.” I point at him. “And what about my vision? The one I told you about with the tiger skull.” I don’t want to think about what I saw, or how certain I am it belongs to the one tigress I know. I didn’t even want to tell him about it, but I did, hoping it would help.
“Your visions give you a warning of what could come. They’re not always accurate nor are they as strong as Destiny’s.”
“That didn’t make what I saw any less real,” I argue. “Remember all those other visions I had? They were dead on.”
“You mean like the one of Celia and Aric holding their son? Yes, I remember the details Aric shared. You gave him and Celia hope, along with the drive to keep fighting.”
“I meant the other ones, the not so hopeful ones with demons swarming me. It happened, Gemini. They found me and there was a great deal of swarming.”
“But they didn’t take you,” he reminds me. “You fought through the attack and were spared because you were forewarned. This vision is another warning to be more vigilant so Celia stays safe.”
“Did you tell Aric?” I make a face when he shoots me a “What do you think?” look. “No wonder he’s so angry.”
“We’re all on edge because of it. But where Destiny foresees what should come, your premonitions serve to advise us. We’ll take them, and use them to help her.”
I tap my fingers against his chest. “So even with the skulls and all this crap we’ve been through over the course of a week, not to mention how stressed you are over us dying a miserable death, you want to talk babies.”
“It’s because of what’s happed that I’m thinking long-term,” he says. He falls back onto the bed, pulling me on top of him. “There has to be more than the darkness we’re seeing. Take Fate existing with Destiny. It shouldn’t be, but it is. The impossible becoming possible, making me think perhaps we will survive it all.”
My hand smooths across the fabric of his shirt and my long hair drapes against his shoulder as my legs fall on either side of him in a straddle. “Are you trying to keep me out of trouble by knocking me up?” I ask. I tilt my head in the direction of the door. “You see how well it’s working out for Celia. Being confined is driving her insane, whether it’s to her benefit or not.”
He lifts my hand, playing with it as he watches me closely. By the window, a flock of birds sing, their happy twittering suggesting they’re pleased the mountain didn’t crack in half. “That’s part of it. But not the main reason,” he adds quickly when I try to slip away. “Have you seen Aric and Celia, those moments where they’re not thinking about the troubles ahead? They’re happy, Taran, madly in love with the child that’s coming and more in love with each other than I thought possible.”
“They are,” I say. “But those happy moments are rare.”
“No, it only seems that way because the hard times are so pronounced.” He gathers me to him. “They don’t have the ideal life they deserve. But we’re fighting for the closest thing to it they can have.” He pauses. “I think I should remind you, as I often remind myself, this fight isn’t just for Aric and Celia. It extends to all of us, our happiness, our future.”
“All right, say we get a chance at a real future,” I say, my mind wandering. “A small pocket of something special that allows us to have babies of our own.” I lift my chin to better see him. “There’s nothing to stop that pocket from being ripped away.”
“No, there’s not,” he agrees. “But with that mentality, man and were would have given up long before now.”
He’s right. That doesn’t mean I’m ready to concede.
In the seconds that pass, I allow the steady beat of his heart against my ear to soothe me. “You analyze things constantly,” I tell him. “Trying to find reason and logic even when everything is going to hell.”
His knuckles dance along my lower back. “That’s right.”
“But although you’re using reasoning to persuade me to make puppies with you, saying all the violence and scary obstacles we’ve faced aren’t enough to give up, that’s not why you want them.” I smile when he stiffens, regardless of my nervousness. “What’s going on?”
“It just feels right, Taran. Every time I’m with you, every time we make love, I want to take that next step with you.” He considers his words. “I want us to have a family and grow old together, it’s why I fight as hard as I do. I want this for all of us.”
When I say nothing more he asks, “Do you want it?”
It’s not something we’ve discussed much, mostly because I’ve raced away with my arms flailing every time he’s brought up the subject of family. But Celia’s pregnancy has affected me in ways I wasn’t prepared for.
“I don’t know,” I confess. “I’ve never pictured myself as a mother. More like the ‘fun aunt’ the one who’ll give them candy, let them stay up past midnight, take them shopping even when their closets are busting with toys and clothes.”
He inhales deep, scenting my growing unease. “Seeing how you were raised, and how painful your childhood was, I understand why you’d choose being an aunt over a mother.”
“I always believed it’s safer to be an aunt,” I admit. “Then you never have to worry what will happen to your children if you’re gone.” My arm curls round him, seeking the comfort I need when the hurt from my past tugs at my insides. And as easily as that, his warmth and his presence encase me with love. I press a kiss to his chest. “But then you came along.”
“And?” he asks.
“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
He chuckles, something he hasn’t done in too many days. “Yes.”
“And my world changed in ways I never counted on.” I rub against him, allowing my hips to speak my desire as I kiss his lips. “I like you. A lot.”
He sits up, cupping my cheek. “You like me?” he asks, his teeth taking a nibble and giving my lip a pull.
“Mmm-hmm,” I admit, grinning as I watch the heat building in his gaze. “I say you’re a keeper.”
He laughs. “I’ll remind you of that next time you’re mad at me.”
I give his thumb a swirl with my tongue. “Don’t give me a reason to get mad and you won’t have to remind me,” I add, grazing the tip.
His dark eyes turn feral when I angle my head to give his palm a taste. “Don’t do anything crazy and I won’t give you a reason to be mad.”
“Now, babe, when h
ave I ever done anything crazy?”
He looks at me.
“Today?”
His eyebrows raise.
“In the last thirty minutes?”
He unsnaps the top of my jeans. “You’ve been good these last ten minutes, I’ll give you that.”
“Good?” I stroke my body along his. “Oh, and here I thought you liked me naughty.”
I don’t feel my shirt come off. From one moment to the next, it’s lying beside me.
“You want something?” I ask when he unhooks my bra with a twist of his fingers.
“Maybe,” he says.
I jerk when his mouth attacks my nipple.
He bands his arm around my waist, holding me in place as he sucks harder. I gasp. Like my shirt, my jeans and my panties are simply gone, disappearing beneath hands that move fast and a strong body that moves faster.
His bare body writhes above mine when he flips me over, each caress and flick of his tongue, inciting me to feel more of him. I spread my legs, permitting him inside me and allowing him to take our pleasure to the next level.
His thrusts come hard and possessive. “I love you,” he murmurs, his voice tight when I beg him for more. “I want forever with you.”
Through grunts and deep tortured moans, we spend the remainder of the morning making love. It’s incredible. It always is. But this time something is different, more of a need to please, rather than simply the desire to.
I suppose we need to remind ourselves that at least for now, we’re safe, and in love, and that anything is possible.
We fall back in bed when we’re finally sated, having exhausted the multiple positions Gemini threw us in. I rest my head against his shoulder. It’s where I’m most comfortable, and where he likes me to sleep. But as my eyes drift closed, I realize how much changed with the talk we had.
He loves me, and now he’s ready to love another . . . a smaller more fragile version of us.
Chapter Sixteen
“The Fate wants to see you.”
The wolf in human form is huge, imposing, and, what the fuck are they feeding these guys? He takes up almost the entire doorway. That doesn’t stop him from bowing his head when Gemini walks up behind me.