Nico raised his face and looked into my eyes again, then pulled his hips back and thrust into me. All conscious thoughtvanished from my mind. Instead, I was swept away in an avalanche of pleasure. Nico stroked a hair from my face as he moved within me. He placed his palm on my cheek, his eyes never leaving mine. My nails dug into his back, pulling at him, urging him on.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Whimpering with my own feeling of adoration for the man I loved, I leaned forward and kissed him. “I love you too.”
I slipped a hand down between us and began to stroke my clit as he made love to me. The combination was a dizzying, heady sensation. Nico’s body flexed, his breathing quickening into near-panting. He was getting close. My own orgasm was building. A delicious pressure started erupting inside me, swelling with each thrust of his hips and each twitch of my fingers.
Nico buried his face in my chest, sucking a nipple into his mouth. The suction of his lips was like a hammer, shattering glass. In an instant, I catapulted over the edge, my body jerking, his name falling from my lips as wave upon wave of ecstasy crashed over me. A moment later, his hips picked up speed, short-circuiting my brain as another fresh wave of climax washed over me. His shoulders went rigid, and a satisfied groan of release oozed from his chest. Collapsing on me, we lay still, caressing each other as we caught our breath.
After we’d cleaned up, Nico slid under the covers with me and pulled me against his chest. I breathed a deep, contented sigh.
Without thinking, I said, “I hope I’ll be a good mom.”
Nico raised up on his elbow and looked at me. “Of course, you will. You’ll be thebestmom.” He stroked my cheek again. “Things are gonna work out. I know it. We’ll end this shit with Viola, and then we can enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.”
“I hope so,” I said. “There’s still a fight coming. That’s obvious. It terrifies me.”
“Well, as far as that goes, I hope you realize there is zero chance of you being on the frontline. I know that’s always been part of the plan, but it’s non-negotiable now.”
Something that had been bouncing around in my head since I found out I was pregnant floated to the surface again. In my despair and worry, I hadn’t really given it much thought. I was more calm and content at the moment than I had been for the last two days since I’d found out. I let it out, saying it out loud for the first time.
“I wonder if there will be any side effects for the baby when I drink the vial.”
Nico stiffened. “When?”
“No, sorry, not when but if. What might happen, you know?”
“Absolutely not. No way. It’s not worth it.”
I sighed. “I know that, Nico, but there are a million doomsday scenarios thattheoreticallycould make it a necessity.”
“Name one.”
“Okay, Sinthy’s wards fail, and the royals descend on us. We have no recourse without all of us dying. Or someone betrays us. The government decides they actuallydowant to side with her, or?— ”
“All right, all right. I get it, but that doesn’t change anything.” He looked me in the eye as intensely as I’d ever seen. “Even if I’m on the brink of death, I don’t want you taking that vial.”
Unbidden, my mind formed an image of Nico bleeding out on the floor, blood bubbling from his lips, his chest torn apart from multiple bullets. The very thought sent me into a panicked rage, and a growl vibrated in my chest.
“Promise me, Maddy,” Nico said. “Promise you won’t take it.”
I wasn’t sure it was right to make such a promise. Deep in my mind, the decision had already been made. If it came down to all of them dying and me taking that vial to give us one last chance, I wouldn’t hesitate. My baby was already precious to me, and I didn’t want to do anything to harm it, but if the only other option was both our deaths, was there really any choice? Still, I wanted Nico’s mind at ease.
I nodded. “I promise. I swear. I won’t do it. Okay?”
Nico’s body visibly relaxed, and his face softened. “Good. That’s good.” He leaned forward and kissed me again. “This is all gonna be fine. We probably won’t even have to think about that damned vial.”
Snuggling in close to him, I rested my head on the pillow. As I closed my eyes, more images flashed into my mind. The pack lands on fire, dozens of wolves dead at my feet, my parents lying lifeless in the grass, and again, Nico gasping out his last breaths as blood seeped from his body. In the background, I could hear Viola’s high, cackling laughter.
I’d lied to Nico. Not purposely, but I had anyway. When it came down to it, I would do whatever it took to save the ones I loved. To save Nico, I wouldn’t hesitate to drink the contents of that vial.
124
NICO
Two more attacks, equal in their brutality to the disaster in Virginia, occurred the next week. I’d known it was coming, but part of me had hoped I was wrong. It was such a senseless thing that the human part of my mind revolted against the idea. Yet there I was, watching yet another tragedy play out on the television.
The first attack had been on a panther clan in New Mexico. The mob that went for them hadn’t been well-armed and had come in the daylight. That gave the panthers the advantage they needed to fight them off with only seven dead.Only. Every lost life was one that didn’t need to happen. But they’d been lucky compared to the lizard-shifter clan in South Carolina.
