by Betty Legend
“It’s okay. I’m done.”
“How are you feeling?” He hands me the water, and I sip it.
“Not as nauseous, but I don’t feel good. I’d like to go upstairs and lie down. Can you let them know I’m sorry? I’m not feeling up to—”
“Sweetheart, it’s fine.” His expression is soft and empathetic. “If you’re not feeling well, we’ll wait until you’re feeling better. How about I carry you upstairs?”
“Yes, please.”
Scooping his arms under my legs and around my back, he lifts me off the bathroom floor and carries me to my room. I climb under the blanket, and Killian sits on the edge of the bed. “I’ll get you more water. Do you need anything else?”
“Some aspirin. I have a headache and some muscle aches.” He stands from the bed, and I snag his hand. “Will you sleep with me tonight?”
Lips pulled back, he nods. “Yeah.”
A short time later, Killian returns with water and aspirin. “The guys understand you’re not feeling well.”
Relief fills me as he sets the water on my nightstand, then hands me the aspirin. As I take it, he removes his jeans and briefs. Climbing into the bed naked, he puts his chest to my back and curls an arm around me. With his fingers, he massages circles around my stomach. It lessens the stomach pains, and soon, I fall asleep.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
KILLIAN
Cyrus enters the dining room after checking on Selene, his expression downturned with worry.
“She’s been sick for two weeks. It’s time she sees a doctor in the states or visits Ancor.”
Sitting at the dining table, I set down my four-of-a-kind poker hand. “She’s not sick with a virus,” I tell the rest of the guys. “She’s pregnant.”
It takes a moment for my words to sink in, their expressions transitioning between their emotions.
“Pregnant?” Cyrus asks to confirm.
“Yes. As wolf shifters, we can sense when our mate is pregnant. Her pheromones have changed.”
Phoenix drops his straight on the table. “She does smell different. I’ve noticed the change as well.”
Griffin tosses his cards into the center, indicating he didn’t have a hand. “Pregnant,” he says aloud to himself more than us. “Who’s child?”
“It could be any of ours,” I tell him. “We won’t know until the child is born.”
Emeric tosses his hand into the center as well. “We’ll know real quick if it has wings, fur, fangs, pointy ears, or wizard glasses,” he quips.
Cyrus rolls his eyes. “He or she will glisten with a silver aura if it’s a warlock child,” he shares.
“So, if it’s yours, he or she will be sparkly?”
“Only when he or she first comes out. It’s an awakening of magic.”
Emeric rubs the scruff of hair on his face, his gaze drifting off. “She’s having a baby, and it’s any one of ours.”
“How do you all feel about that?” I ask them, watching their reactions.
“Thrilled,” Cyrus smiles, taking the seat he’d left. “I want a child with Selene.”
Griffin leans back in his chair, putting his hands behind his back as he grins. “Same.”
I look at Emeric and his thoughtful expression. “How about you?”
“I hope the child is mine,” he answers honestly.
“How about you?” I gesture to Phoenix.
He leans back in his chair and takes a glance at each of us. “I won’t deny, I’d like the child to be mine.”
“Since we’re all comfortable with the pregnancy and hopeful the child is our own, we should discuss any symptoms she might have, depending on whose child it is and how we’ll handle it when the child is born. Four of us will be disappointed while one of us will be happy.”
“If it’s my child,” Phoenix begins, “she’ll get quite sick and crave my blood. She’ll need to drink my blood so she can stay healthy and revitalized. My blood will help the baby grow and help feed it.”
“That’ll make it clear the child is yours.”
Phoenix nods in agreement.
“There won’t be any significant symptoms if it’s a warlock child,” Cyrus shares.
“Same for a Fae child.”
“How about you, Emeric?”
He shakes his head. “None that I know of.”
“If it’s mine, she’ll crave a lot of meat and protein.”
“We need to agree not to show her we’re upset if the child isn’t our own.” Emeric brushes his hand through his hair. “She’ll be excited about the baby and want us all to love him or her.”
“That’s true. We need to agree now that whoever’s child it is, we love it as if it’s our own. At some point, we’ll all be in the same position if she’s willing to have a child with each of us.”
“Think she will?” Cyrus asks, his tone troubled. “That’s five children, five births she has to go through.”
“If we show her we’re dedicated fathers, I believe she’d be willing to have children with all of us,” Griffin replies.
“I do too,” I agree.
“What about living arrangements?” Phoenix asks. “Do you all really want to live together permanently, kids too?”
“Do you expect her to bounce from house to house?” I ask him. “Selene won’t want that. She won’t want to live separately and be away from one child to visit another. If we’re in this, then we’re really in this. We choose now to live as a pack, permanently, and help her raise the children together.”
“I’m in this.” Emeric taps the table. “I don’t care where we live or if I have to live with all of you fuckers and your kids. My home will always be where Selene is.”
Chuckling, I give a nod of respect. “I have no intention of ever leaving my mate. I’ll help her care for any number of children.”
“I’m in this,” Cyrus declares. “Some of you,”—he gives a pointed look at Emeric—“make this difficult to say, but we’re better together. She makes us all better men.”
Emeric snickers. “You make this difficult to say, but… you’re right, wizard boy.”
“I’ve been all in since our first night together. I’ll do whatever it takes, even if that means raising some of your hellion children,” Griffin smirks.
“What about you?” I ask Phoenix.
Drinking the last of the blood in his glass, he licks his lips clean.
“Selene is meant for me. I want as much time with her as this life will give, and if that means I have to live with all of you and miniature versions of you, I’ll deal with it.”
“That’s settled,” Emeric states. “Now, when should we tell her she’s pregnant?”
“I should do it. It’ll be less overwhelming if it’s just one of us, and she’ll know it’s true when I explain how I know.”
Cyrus clicks his tongue in his cheek. “I’d like to be there for it. I want to support her if she needs it. I want to celebrate with her if she’s excited.”
“It might be overwhelming.” Griffin stands from the chair. “But she can handle it and all of us being there to tell her.”
“All right, then.” I push my chair back. “Let’s go tell her.”
Selene
All my guys enter the room, a mix of emotions on their faces, mostly concern, it seems. Sitting up, I take a drink of water as Killian and Cyrus take a seat on the bed, and the other three gather around us.
“You guys don’t need to be worried. It’s just the flu. I’ll go see Ancor today if you’re this worried.”
“It’s not the flu, sweetheart.” Killian rubs my blanket-covered legs. “You’re pregnant.”
The seriousness in his tone has my heart skipping a beat.
“What makes you think that?”
“I know. As your mate, I can smell the change in your pheromones.”
“But…” The reality of his words hit me and my own trail off. “I’m pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“How do you feel about that?�
�� Cyrus asks, his dark brows pinching inward, matching his nervous tone.
My hands fiddle with the fabric of the gray and cream blanket. “I… I want to know how all of you feel about it.”
“We discussed it.” Killian rubs my legs some more, soothing the eruption of emotions inside me. “We’ll be happy if it’s any one of ours.”
“You will?”
“We’re all hoping it’s ours,” Emeric shares. He never shields me from the truth, so it must be true.
“I… I don’t know what to say. I think I’m in shock.”
Each of them comes nearer, finding space on the bed. Griffin rubs my back, his tingling touch comforting.
“We’ll all be here for you every step of the way. Whoever’s child it is, we’ll be happy for the father. None of us are going anywhere.”
“I love all of you so much.” Tears fill my eyes, and I reach out and touch each of them. “I hope you mean it, and you’ll all welcome whoever’s child it is.”
“We will,” Killian promises, his words as emotion-filled as his amber eyes.
More tears stream down my face, so many emotions flooding me, I can’t focus on one of them. “I’d like to visit my mom, and I’ll need to see a doctor.”
Emeric’s wings fold tighter to his back as he leans forward and takes my hand. “We’ll all go with you, babe.”
Laughing, I smile. “That will be an interesting doctor visit.”
Emeric’s mouth pulls back, his scar creasing. “It’ll be entertaining watching everyone try to figure out the situation.”
“Oh, jeez, what do I say when the doctor asks who the father is?”
The guys all chuckle.
“You say, all of us,” Phoenix replies with confidence. “They won’t dare share their opinion with all of us there.”
I meet his gaze, trying my best to read his feelings.
“Would you all mind giving Phoenix and me a moment alone?”
Killian pats my legs. “Sure.”
The guys leave, and Phoenix moves closer on the bed, facing me. I take his hand and rub it.
“We haven’t had long together, and now I’m pregnant. How do you feel about that?”
Caressing my cheek, he stares at me with nothing but adoration.
“I truly want it to be my child.”
“Really?”
“Yes. There’s been a lot of adjustments for me to make, but they’re worth it. I want a life with you. I know you’re meant to be mine. There’s not a doubt in my mind.”
“Will you lie down with me?”
Mouth curling, he takes his shirt off. Pulling back the blanket, I scoot over and make room for him to join me. Lying in his arms, I massage circles around his shoulder, then chest, and he closes his eyes, enjoying it.
“I crave you and your blood.”
His eyes snap open, a glimmer of violet in them. “You do?”
“Yes. Would it be okay if I—?”
“Yes,” he replies quickly. Biting into his wrist, he cuts the skin, then puts it to my mouth. I take several swallows before his wrist heals. Lying back, I indulge in the rush of revitalization overwhelming my body as the nausea and body aches go away.
“I needed that. I need you.”
Turning to face him, I reach under the blanket, then inside his pants. As I stroke him, he claims my lips, his fingers curling into my hair as he thrusts his hips forward, pushing his cock further into my hand.
“I want you,” I whisper between kisses.
Lifting my shirt off, he kisses the top of my breasts. I moan as he nicks one, then sucks, his tongue twirling around my nipple. Beneath my pants, he pushes below my underwear and massages his fingers over my wet pussy lips.
“Phoenix,” I breathe. “Make love to me.”
Tossing the blanket back, he rises, licking his lips clean as he removes his pants, then mine, before lying back in bed between my legs. Sliding his lengthy cock into me, the first thrust is magnificently satisfying, my moan escaping my parted mouth. Pulling back, he holds me at the crest of yearning for more, then thrusts deep, exerting another uncontrollable moan. Several more times, he drags out my need, then satisfies it with ravenous thrusts. Gripping him tight as my body trembles through an orgasm, I reach a state of complete euphoria. As I come down, he kisses me, his lips trailing along my cheek to my neck, and there he bites, thrusting as he drinks from me.
Pulling back, he moans in pleasure, and I love the sound he makes. Licking his lips, he stares down at me with an expression of tenderness. Stroking his face, I give into the sensation overpowering me.
“I love you.”
“Selene, you chose to fight for me even when I didn’t deserve it. You saved my life in more than one way.” Taking my hand, he kisses it. “I want a life with you, whatever that life may look like because I love you with everything I am.”
Bringing my lips to his, I share everything I’m feeling in that kiss as our lips slowly, lovingly moving over the other’s mouth. Lying in one another’s arms, we rub and caress, unable to stop touching the other.
“What made you change your mind about sharing me during sex?”
“I realized they’re all comfortable with it, so I should be as well. I’m sure as hell not going to listen to them share you and not join.”
“Who would you want to share me with first?”
Knowingly, his mouth curls. “You enjoy being shared, don’t you?”
“Well, yes.” I grin, my cheeks becoming warm.
“Cyrus,” he replies, simply. “He annoys me the least.”
Massaging his shoulder, I laugh. “Admit it, you like them.”
“I’ll admit no such thing.”
“Fine, you don’t have to say the words, but I see. I know they’re growing on you.”
“I’ll admit the living arrangement hasn’t been as challenging as I expected.”
“You know, deep down, you’re not as arrogant or cruel as I was made to believe.”
Phoenix scrapes his fangs over my lobe, the teasing action sending goosebumps down my arm.
“I’m still a vampire, Selene, but you have changed me.”
“How?”
Gaze meeting mine, his ice-blue eyes linger over my face.
“You’ve made me want to show you the side most rarely see.”
“I think you’ve hidden it to protect yourself. A lot has been expected of you in your life.”
“That’s true. I also feel more satisfied and at ease than I ever have.”
“Do you feel like we’re a coven?”
“In some ways, yes. There are differences with a vampire coven, but I feel as though the others would have my back.”
“They would. You all would. I’m sure of it.”
“You see the best in all of us, don’t you?” With a stroke of his hand, he caresses my face.
“I do. You’re all extraordinary supernatural men.”
“It’s you who is extraordinary. Cyrus said, you make us all better men, and he was right.”
My forehead presses to his. “I’m grateful you let me in.” My hand rests on his chest, over his heart.
“Not nearly as grateful as I am.”
Lying me on my back, he reaches below the blanket and caresses down my thigh as he spreads my leg from the other. Lying between them, he moves his cockhead to my opening, increasing my arousal as he slides up and down, preparing me. When I moan for more, he thrusts into me. Weight on my elbows, I hold myself up as he lifts my hips, my legs around his waist. Sitting back, he holds my thighs steady as he increases his pace to fervent, focused thrusts. I cry out in pleasure, and a devilish grin splits his lips.
“How much do you love my cock in you?”
“So damn much.”
My body is trembling, very near orgasm. I moan in desperate pants, and he gives one final, hard thrust, and I let loose, reaching climax. As he releases me, he leans down and bites into my neck. The hard bite mixed with the crest of pleasure has me in an intense state of st
imulation. The bite is just as arousing, pushing my climax higher. Hands slipping into mine, he holds me down as he sucks, releasing his own satisfying groan. Grip easing, he pulls back from me.
“I love every sound you make when I’m pleasuring you, especially the gasp when I bite you.”
“When you bite during my orgasm, it makes me even more aroused.”
“I’ve noticed. It arouses me just as much.”
“We’re a kinky pair.”
Moving just to the side of me, he strokes down my stomach.
“That we are.”
“Will you come with me to visit my mom? I’d like her to meet you.”
“I’d love to.”
Kissing him, I cuddle tighter in his arms. “I love this.”
He holds me close, kissing me back. “So do I.”
“Can I ask you something personal?”
“Of course.”
“Did you want to have a child with Vivian?”
Pain tightens his face and casts a shadow in his eyes.
“I did, but she couldn’t have a child. She was turned into a vampire, not born a vampire.”
“I can tell that bothered you.”
“It did. There’s a lot of responsibility for me to carry on the Artino bloodline. Not only that, I truly want a child of my own.”
“I want to give you that.”
My words startle him, and he stares at me, then his lips curve, and he strokes my face with a tender hand.
“You might have already.”
Worry tightens my chest that he could be heartbroken if this baby isn’t his.
“Even if this baby isn’t yours, Phoenix, I want a child with you.”
Caressing my bottom lip, he smiles at me. “My beautiful, loving Selene, I want a child with you too.”
Tears well in my eyes as I stare up at his handsome face and emotion-filled eyes.
“I don’t ever want to lose this, what we have between us.”
Taking my hand, he kisses it. “We won’t. I promise you, I’ll never be cruel to you for as long as I live. I know you’re the one I’m meant to be with. I was a fool for how I treated you.”