She wasn’t human. Linc guided her toward the restroom in the lobby. The security team at the front desk tried to act like they were invisible. Looking anywhere but at her.
“Not that kind of sick.” She pulled away from him and headed for the elevators. She punched in the access code, and the doors opened to take them upstairs. “My head just hurts. I think I need to sleep for a bit.”
He nodded.
“What does it mean? I saw your face when she said I was part fae. You went paler than a ghost.”
“I was surprised, that’s all.” He leaned back against the rail of the elevator.
“Please, don’t lie to me. From here on out, we need to be honest with another. I can’t take any more lies or half-truths. I need to be able to count on you to tell me the truth.”
He glanced at the light counting off each floor, like he was checking to see how much time he had left in the elevator. “Bennett, you don’t feel well, and there’s no reason to cause you more stress right now. We can talk about it after you’ve rested.”
“So it’s really bad. I knew it. And there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to sleep now. Tell me.”
The doors dinged open. He didn’t say anything as they entered the apartment. She followed him into the kitchen, where he set about making hot, delicious tea. Whatever he was about to tell her, at least she’d have chamomile tea, right?
She sat on the couch—it really was better positioned in the corner—and waited for him to finish the tea. After a few minutes, he brought over two steaming cups and sat with her.
One sip, two sips, three sips…
“Linc, just tell me.”
He put down his cup and started.
“Over a thousand years ago, there was a terrible war among the supernaturals. Everyone was fighting; witches, vampires, shapeshifters, and fae were all on different sides. It wasn’t until we’d nearly hunted each other to extinction that the Council was formed. The governing body set up treaties between the factions. It came at a great cost, but for the most part there was peace.”
“I’ve got a feeling peace didn’t last,” she said.
He shook his head. “About two hundred years ago, the fae went after wolf shifters.”
Oh hell. This was not going to be good. “Why?”
“The Fae king’s daughter had fallen in love with a wolf and they ran away together. He demanded the wolves return her, or he would kill them all. My people are proud and protective. They wouldn’t give in to his demands, especially given that by then she was pregnant with the wolf’s child. The fae promised they had only the mother and child’s best interests at heart, but the wolves feared that giving her up would mean certain death for her and the child, because the fae have no love for wolves.”
Bennett grimaced and picked at her fingernails. This story was definitely not making her feel any better. “So this was like a supernatural version of Romeo and Juliet?”
“Something like that. The Council stepped in to stop an all-out war, but not before there were heavy casualties on both sides. To restore the peace, the fae turned against their king and exiled him. They felt he’d put his own interest and his need for justice above what was best for their people. The new king signed a treaty with the wolves, but it included several clauses where the wolves and fae were to never cross paths again. That’s an oversimplification, but to keep the peace, we’re to stay separate.”
Her stomach sank to her toes. “But…I’m fae and you’re a wolf.”
He grimaced. “Right. Though, technically, neither of us was aware at the time. And hopefully we can lean on that for mercy.”
Mercy? He’d mentioned they might be in danger, but that was before all of this. What kind of mess beyond danger were they in now that they’d broken a centuries old treaty?
Fucking A, why was all of this so complicated? Sure, she would be the one to get knocked up and cause a war.
Thanks again, universe.
“So what does that mean for us?”
He shrugged. “I think Nick suspects you might be fae, but I have to talk to him. We’ll need to go in front of the Council and plead our case. A lot has changed in the last two hundred years, but no wolf or fae has joined in all that time. Even though I was ousted from my old pack, they won’t look kindly on my making this kind of mistake. They could make an issue of it, which won’t be good for any of us.”
“What do you mean ‘mistake’?”
He shook his head and took her hand in his. “I only mean that this was an accident. I didn’t know you were fae.”
“Well, yeah,” she said. “But there’s no way you could have known, right?”
“They won’t see it that way. As far as they’re concerned, I should have known.”
No wonder he’d been so nervous when he found out she was part fae.
She swallowed. “They won’t kill us, will they?”
He set her teacup aside and gathered her in his arms. “No one will harm you or the babe, that I can assure you.”
The funny thing was that, lying against his chest, she believed him.
“So what next?”
“Nick and I will make sure you’re always safe,” he said. “As your powers were bound and you thought you were human all these years, it’s likely your mother was trying to protect you from something. But we have to go through the proper channels.”
She sighed. She’d come into this desperate to keep him at a distance, but she had to admit—a baby on the way, a potentially disastrous conflict between the wolves, and the fae… It felt good knowing she wouldn’t have to face it alone.
His strength seeped into her bones. And dear God in heaven, he smelled good. Even with everything she’d just learned, her body ached for him.
He chuckled.
“What?”
“Your hormones are kicking again.”
“You can’t possibly know that.”
“Wolf senses. Can’t help it. And as much as I would love to help scratch your itch, I really need to go talk to Nick. And you, lass, should rest. Come on, let’s get you tucked in.”
He picked up her tea and led her into her bedroom. After setting down her cup, he reached for the hem of her sweater. “Arms up.”
She did as he said. He pulled the garment over her head and then hissed in a breath. His gaze was caught on her boobs, which were nearly spilling out of her bra. Just another benefit of pregnancy. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
A tight coil pulled between her legs.
“If you’re going to leave, you can’t say shit like that to me.”
“Language.” He kissed her jaw, then his lips moved up to her ear and he nibbled.
“Don’t tell me what I can fucking say,” she said as she reached for his belt. “And if you think you’re going anywhere, you’re sadly mistaken. I’m going to have my way with you. Then you can go.”
She shoved his pants and boxer briefs down. His gorgeous cock sprang free.
He kicked off his shoes and pulled his sweater over his head so that he was gloriously naked. “Far be it from me to tell you no. But you have to understand, more than ever, that we can’t let anyone else know about us. It puts us all in danger, especially you and the baby.”
She shoved him back on the bed. “I’m not taking out an ad announcing anything. I just need you. Now. ”
And then she had her wicked, wicked way with him.
…
When they were done, he held her and let her rest her head against his chest. He took in a deep breath. All these years, he’d been a lone wolf, isolated for so long that he’d forgotten how lonely he felt.
But with Bennett in his bed and in his arms? He’d never felt so warm. So at peace. Like he was finally home.
“We should get something to eat,” she said.
He kissed the top of her head. “In just a minute. There’s something I want to show you.”
She lazily looked up at him. “Is this going to end with us getting frisky again? Becau
se you’ve really got to work on your lines. A playboy like you should have plenty.”
Playboy. He couldn’t fault her. Wasn’t that what everyone thought? The media put him with a different woman every week, sometimes every day.
“I don’t want to give you a line,” he said. “I want you to see how much I love having you here and what I’m willing to do to make you feel safe.”
“Okay…”
He’d planned on waiting a few more days before showing this to her. But the moment was right. They were on an emotional high, and he wanted her to see what he’d done for her.
He led her to the third bedroom and opened the door…
She gasped. “What did you do?”
…
Linc flipped on the lights, revealing the most beautiful nursery she’d ever seen. Okay, she hadn’t seen that many, but this one was definitely awesome. The walls were a soft buttery color and the furniture white. He’d left little eclectic touches through the room, such as animal vignettes painted on the walls and a toy box shaped like a treasure chest. But it was the blue chevron pattern on the bedding and the tiny airplane pillows that took her breath away. So much attention to detail.
“If you don’t like it, or the colors, we can change it,” he said quietly.
“Like it?” She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Our baby is going to love this. It’s like a wonderland.” She went over to the treasure chest toy box and opened it. “Where did you find this stuff? And how did you get it here so quickly? We just found out he’s a boy.”
He leaned against the wall. Call him cocky, but he couldn’t help but feel pleased at the smile on her face. “I’ve been making it since we found out you were pregnant. I started with the blue because it’s my favorite color and it’s calming. I wasn’t really thinking about the baby’s sex. But if you think it’s too gender-specific, we can change any of it.”
Eyes watering, she walked to the beautiful pearlized crib and fingered the little blue and white stuffed airplane pillows hanging underneath tiny faux clouds. “Did you make those?”
“Yes.”
There was a large padded rocker in soft blue in the corner, where she could rock the baby to sleep. It was the most beautiful room she’d ever seen. “It’s perfect,” she croaked out. “Wait… Did you make all of this by hand?”
“The truth is I couldn’t find anything I liked, so I just decided to do it myself. It’s more about my ego.”
She laughed through the tears. “Don’t kid yourself. You did it because you adore me.”
He came forward and scooped her into his arms. “Well, you do make it easy.”
She buried her face into his neck and laughed. “And I adore you. This takes so much worry off my shoulders. I couldn’t an imagine a better room for our baby.”
He set her down but held her close against him. “I was worried that maybe I’d gone too far. I know you don’t always like it when I take over. But I don’t sleep much, and when I’m not working on the collection, I need creative distractions. This seemed like the right thing to work on.”
She laughed. He was such an artist. Speaking of… The walls were amazing, but they were missing a little something. “Would you mind if I created a mural? Would that mess with your design too much?”
He put his hand under his chin and seemed to consider what she’d said, like he might actually say no, but then he smiled and she could see he was just giving her a hard time.
“Actually, I was thinking, when you feel up to it, maybe you could do it on the wall behind the crib,” he said. “Give our son something to look at. I used non-toxic paints so it wouldn’t bother you or the baby, and I have a ton left over you can use. I went through about twenty different colors before I settled on the wall color.”
“You did all of this while I was sleeping?”
“Like I said, I don’t need much sleep.” He smiled at her and wiped her tears away with his thumb. “Do you still want to get something to eat?”
She grinned then pretended to snap her jaws at him. “Now that you mention it, I’d like another piece of you.”
“You read my mind,” he said.
He scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing. There might be something to that wolfy strength. He carried her back to the bedroom and set her on the bed.
“You’ve got that hungry look in your eye…” she said.
“If you thought that last time we were in bed put you on cloud nine, wait until you see my secret werewolf sex trick.”
She burst into laughter then pulled him to her. “Oh, this I’ve got to see.”
Chapter Nine
As soon as Bennett fell asleep, Linc went upstairs to talk to Nick and Casey. As much as he wanted to stay in bed with her, they had to get this business of her heritage and the Supernatural Council sorted out before it spun out of control.
Nick was sitting on the plush leather sofa in his penthouse. “We’ll need a solid strategy.”
“I don’t understand what the big deal is,” Casey said. “This is the twenty-first century. You can have babies with whomever you want.”
Nick squeezed her hands. “Humans can. And honestly, most supernaturals, too. But the fae and the shifters, who were part of the same world for thousands of years, have laws for a reason. They’ve never been able to get along.”
“That’s just dumb. We’re all adults. Something that happened hundreds of years ago shouldn’t dictate what happens today. It’s archaic. You guys need to fix this. What if the fae want to come and take Bennett away?”
Linc’s stomach twisted. That was his biggest fear. And who was Bennett’s mother? She had to have been powerful, and for someone like that to run away from her homeland… That alone was huge.
“Did the witch have insight into who Bennett’s family might be?”
Linc shook his head. “Bennett’s full-blooded fae. The magic that made her appear human could only have been done by someone who—”
“Was incredibly powerful,” Nick finished. “Possibly royalty. Hell. You know what that means?”
Linc bit his lip and stared out the window to the colorful Dallas skyline. It meant Bennett would be called home to her family to take her rightful place. Someone like her would be precious to her people.
“She isn’t going anywhere,” he said through gritted truth. Selfish, perhaps, but he couldn’t deny how protective he felt of her. Almost possessive. She wasn’t the only one with an insatiable need, but his feelings went far beyond sex. Not that he was in the mood to examine those feelings too closely.
“Damn straight,” Casey added. “She’s my best friend. I’m going to be godmother of her child. She and that baby are staying close. Period.”
“I agree,” said Nick, “but it’s going to take some political maneuvering the likes of which we haven’t seen in some time.”
In the reflection in the window, Linc watched as Casey planted a kiss on her husband’s cheek. “Yes, babe, but you’re, like, the dude. You can so make this happen.”
Linc turned back to the couple. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her here.” He looked at Nick. “You’re my brother, but you need to know that if this goes south, I’m taking her and we’re running. I won’t lose her or the child.”
“Go you, Mr. Protective. I love it.” Casey clapped. “So manly man.”
“Understood,” Nick said. “But let’s try to do this the right way.”
The right way seldom worked for Linc, but he would do as Nick asked. For now.
But his mind was already working every angle. Could he walk away from everything? Leave his business and his friends behind? He didn’t know. Didn’t want to know. But what he could say for sure was that if they forced his hand, he would move heaven and earth to keep Bennett and their child safe.
…
The Council had been meeting for more than two hours. Linc, with Nick’s help, had stated his case. Stony-faced bastards hadn’t said a word, only that they would deliberat
e on the matter.
Outside the chamber, he leaned against the wall. He’d refused to show any weakness in there. Strength was the only thing the Council respected.
“Linc.”
He glanced up to find Meyer, one of the werewolves on the Council, coming toward him.
“You understand that no matter what the Council decides, we must all do what is necessary to keep the peace.”
Including killing you and your child’s mother.
Sure, that was a worst-case scenario, but Linc had gotten as far as he had by preparing for the worst. He hoped the Council would help him. But if they didn’t? He would do what he had to do.
Still, that was no reason to pick a fight. Now was the time to play nice.
“Yes. I understand.”
The wolf seemed to sense what Linc hadn’t said—hell, he could probably smell the aggression coming off Linc—but he took him at his word, turned, and walked away.
Their future was up to the twelve people in that room, two of them fae.
He’d already prepared Bennett. Even though the circumstances were dire, he smiled when he thought about her reaction earlier.
“This is freakin’ America. No one can tell me what to do,” she’d said, her hands on her hips. She was fucking adorable when she was mad.
He’d already arranged for a plane to be ready, and his personal security team was prepared for his word. If the Council voted to send her home—which would be idiotic since they didn’t even know which fae world she belonged to—they were ready.
He wasn’t a man of faith, but he’d prayed. Held his heart to the universe and begged that the council choose wisely.
The door banged open and Nick burst through the doors, expressionless.
Hell.
Nick nodded for Linc to follow him out to the gardens. They couldn’t talk inside. They were in the Council’s mansion, and there were ears everywhere.
Once they were far away from the building, they stopped to talk. If the Council could eavesdrop on them all the way out there, they deserved to hear every word.
Nick crossed his arms. “You’re safe for now since her magic has been bound and we don’t know her heritage. But the fae are demanding we find out as soon as possible. They want to meet her.”
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