Vasile laughed as he stood up. “I’m not about to comment on that.”
“Another reason you are alpha, because you are so wise,” she teased. “Let’s get you showered and rested. There will be very little of the latter in the coming days.”
Vasile followed his mate. He would follow her anywhere, but especially into the shower, whichsounded like a very nice ending to a rough day. He sent up a prayer to the Great Luna that his pack members who had been taken were safe and that his son would keep his wolf under control. There was nothing more Vasile could do, no matter how badly his wolf wanted the blood of those who had hurt the ones he loved. He simply had to come up with a plan and bide his time.
* * *
“How is our child?”Drake asked as he laid his hand on his mate’s stomach. It had only begun to show a slight roundness, but he couldn’t wait until he saw her swollen with their pup. There was no greater gift than that of a child. Their race was finally beginning to flourish again. Even in the midst of all the evil they were facing, it was still a joy that couldn’t be stifled.
“Warm and cozy, I imagine,” Bethany said as she snuggled closer to him. She hadn’t left his side since he’d returned from Arizona. The only time she’d stopped touching him was when he’d taken a quick shower to wash away the remnants of the battle, and even then, she’d stayed with him in the washroom. The mountain keep had everything they needed, even if the conveniences were not traditional. There were showers, but they were communal, carved out of the stone walls, powered by natural springs piped in from the base of the mountain. There were several throughout the corridors that had to be shared. But it was better than having to go wash in a river.
His mate was quiet as they laid on the bed in their assigned room. Again, nothing fancy. Just a small space carved into the stone with a wooden door. She played with his fingers, running hers in and out of his as her head lay against his chest. He could feel through their bond that her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and her emotions were all over the place. Drake guessed some of that might be the emotions from the pregnancy. But he was going to have to ask if he wanted to understand what else was causing the chaos.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
She shrugged.
“Talk to me, Bethy,” he said gently, though it was definitely a demand. They’d already done the whole poor communication thing, and they weren’t going down that route again.
“It feels selfish,” she said.
“What?”
“It seems so petty when there are such major things going on.” He heard her breathing hitch as though holding back tears. Then he got a clear thought through the bond.
“You’re worried this is where our child will be born,” he said. “That he or she will come into this world inside a mountain stronghold because we are at war, and the joy of having a child will be overlooked by the horror of our enemy.” He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Baby, that’s not selfish. Having a child, especially for our race, is a big deal. And I can understand why it is bothering you. I don’t want our child born into war, but we may not have a choice.”
“I know,” she said against his chest. “I will be happy no matter how or where it happens. I just wish that it could be a time when we weren’t having to hide away because of the danger. It seems like I can’t catch a break when it comes to being in danger.”
His heart broke for his precious mate. She’d been through unimaginable hell when she’d been held captive by the vampires, and now here she was having to face the reality that it wasn’t over. The vampires hadn’t been eradicated, and not only were they still alive and well, they had an army of other supernaturals who were fighting by their side.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Drake said, feeling his wolf push at his skin. His wolf didn’t like it when their mate was afraid. She shouldn’t have to be afraid. They should always be able to provide and protect her.
“I know.” She yawned. “I won’t let anything happen to you either.”
Drake smiled. Not that he’d ever let her go into battle of any kind, but it was sweet that she wanted to protect him. It felt good to know someone wanted him safe.
* * *
“Beating the crapout of all of our female warriors isn’t going to get Jacque and Slate back,” Cypher said as he walked into the training room. As soon as they’d returned to their home, Lilly had marched straight to the room, not even bothering to clean up, and demanded that the female warriors meet her in the fighting ring. One-by-one, she’d been picking them off. She was growing stronger as she learned how to use her sprite power. Being a seer didn’t mean all she could do was see the future. She was strong and had amazing coordination. Cypher couldn’t deny the fact that she’d been a quick learner once he’d started training her, and she was becoming a force all her own.
“It’s better than just sitting and doing nothing,” she said and then growled, “Next.” Another female jumped up and hurried into the ring. Lilly moved in a slow circle while the female, Straya, moved with her. Lilly struck first, leaping forward and landing a solid kick to Straya’s midsection. The female doubled over and backed up, but she didn’t go down. Lilly kept moving forward until she had a hand on Straya’s shoulder, and then Lilly pushed a pulse of magic into the female. It wasn’t enough to do serious damage, but it had the other woman groaning in pain.
Straya punched Lilly in her unprotected side, and as soon as she was out of reach of Cypher’s mate, she turned and dropped to the ground, swinging out a leg, attempting to take Lilly to the ground. But the queen anticipated it and jumped up before the leg could make contact with her ankles.
Lilly swung around as soon as her feet were back on the ground and pounced onto Straya, who was still crouched. Lilly knocked the woman on her back and fell on top of her. In the blink of an eye, Lilly had a blade at her throat. Cypher hadn’t even seen her pull the blade from her boot.
“I yield,” Straya said.
His queen stood and offered the woman her hand, pulling her to her feet. As soon as her mouth opened to call the next woman, Cypher spoke up. “Enough.”
Her head snapped around to look at him. His eyes narrowed on her. She might be the queen, but he was king, and his word was final.
The women stood and bowed to their queen and to Cypher as they filed out of the room, all looking very tired. Lilly slid the blade back into her boot and then let her head fall back as her eyes closed. Her shoulders rose and fell as she panted. She was so tired, and yet he knew she wouldn’t be able to rest. But she needed it.
“Come,” he said to her. “You need to eat, and a bath would probably be good, considering you smell like a corpse.”
She turned to glare at him. “How am I supposed to eat when they have her and Slate?”
